Jorge Leyva, Managing Partner of U&V STRATUS

MANAGING PARTNER · HEAD OF LEGAL

Jorge Leyva

A legal strategist focused on understanding and resolving high-exposure conflicts across jurisdictions.

Drawing on experience in law, diplomacy, media and international advisory, Jorge works where institutional crises emerge from tensions between legality, legitimacy and public perception. He leads the legal direction of U&V STRATUS and oversees every engagement.

6working languages
11countries of residence
Ambassadorformer, Colombia to Norway
LL.M.Heidelberg University

KNOW-HOW

Where law, institutions and power meet.

The most consequential disputes are rarely purely legal or purely political.

They arise when formal rules, institutional trust and power dynamics fall out of alignment. Jorge advises decision-makers in exactly those situations: complex institutional matters where the legal framework, public trust and the interests of those in charge must be read together.

He knows how governments work, how and why they move, and how bureaucratic decision-making unfolds. That understanding shapes the strategy of every matter the firm takes on.

BIOGRAPHY

Experience across six fields.

01

Academic background

  • LL.M., Heidelberg University, Germany
  • Specialisation in substantive and procedural constitutional law, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
  • Law degree, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá
  • École France Langue, Paris
  • Brooke House College, Market Harborough, England
  • Maur Hill Prep School, Atchison, Kansas
  • Lycée Français Louis Pasteur
02

Teaching

  • General and Colombian constitutional law, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
  • Political institutions, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
  • Legislative procedure, Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
  • Colombian constitutional law, Universidad Sergio Arboleda
03

Media

Years in Colombia’s leading newsrooms shaped a practice that reads legal problems in their public context.

  • Senior political editor, Revista Semana
  • Senior anchor journalist, Caracol Noticias
  • Senior political analyst, El Espectador
04

Diplomacy

As Ambassador of Colombia to Norway and head of diplomatic mission during Colombia’s peace process, Jorge gained a first-hand view of Colombia’s place in the world, which informs the firm’s work with both private and public-law instruments.

05

Private sector

Businessman and consultant to companies across sectors, advising on:

  • Legal strategy and corporate governance
  • Inter-institutional and public relations
  • Corporate social responsibility and shared-value strategy
  • Business strategy, project finance and M&A
06

Public sector

Extensive work with governments and public institutions. Jorge knows how governments work and why they move, what matters to those in charge, and how bureaucracy and public decision-making unfold.

INTERNATIONAL

A global perspective.

PUBLICATIONS

Books.

New titleForthcoming
Amazon author page

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