Marval O’Farrell Mairal’s marquee corporate and M&A practice is a consistent presence in Argentina’s largest and most sophisticated M&A deals, advising international and local corporates and private equity firms on a wide-range of cross-border and domestic transactions in multiple sectors. In recent years the firm has become increasingly prominent in pan-regional deals, coordinating transactions across Latin America, mirroring work historically led by US firms in the region. The size and range of expertise within the practice is unmatched and sees the firm called on to provide advice on day-to-day business matters, corporate structures and restructurings, with close integration with the highly-rated tax department a further differentiator. Highly experienced and respected corporate lawyers Pablo Artagaveytia and Pablo Viñals Blake co-lead a team of exceptional depth and experience. Firm chairman and formidable M&A lawyer Santiago Carregal; veteran transactional specialist Pablo Garcia Morillo; and private equity and venture capital expert Diego Krischcautzky are key figures in the group. The department’s roster of senior lawyers also includes Diego Chighizola, who has a strong practice in agribusiness and real estate transactions; and Barbara V Ramperti, an M&A lawyer with particular expertise in the acquisition of new business lines, joint ventures and reorganisations. A younger generation of partners – including  María Macarena García Mirri and María Laura Bolatti Cristofaro – provide further high level support, with the practice also able to call on the vast experience of the iconic Héctor Mairal for strategic advice and counsel. María Virginia Canzonieri, who focuses on commercial and corporate law matters and M&A transactions, is a key figure at associate level.

Beccar Varela is a ‘trusted partner’ that multinationals, private equity firms and local SMEs turn to for support on the structuring of complex acquisitions and disposals of controlling and minority stakes, corporate reorganisations, spin-offs, and joint ventures. In addition to its active transactional practice, the team also provides day-to-day corporate advisory support to a large portfolio of domestic and international clients in a range of sectors, with its expertise in technology, financial services, agribusiness and energy particularly noted. Heavyweight M&A lawyer Roberto Crouzel co-leads the practice alongside standout transactional expert María Shakespear; ‘outstanding’ M&A lawyer Alejandro Poletto; and respected private equity and private client adviser Ramón I Moyano. Ricardo Castañeda, previously with YPF, has deepened the firm’s energy and power expertise, with natural resources department head Roberto Fortunati also making a valuable contribution. Other key partners include experienced cross-border M&A lawyer Tomás Allende; corporate and banking all-rounder Carolina Serra; and Lucía Degano, who runs the firm’s regional office in the free trade zone in Uruguay. Counsel Eugenia Radaelli (M&A, corporate advisory and banking & finance) spearheads the practice’s second line with senior associate Luciana Liefeldt another key contact.

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja advises local and international clients on large, complex domestic and cross-border transactions across a wide range of sectors, including energy, industrials, financial services and agribusiness. The team’s deep bench of talent is also regularly called on for day-to-day support on corporate matters. Veteran transactional lawyer Mariano Luchetti, who also has a notable energy practice, co-leads the department alongside respected oil-and-gas specialist Javier Galli and María Winschel, who focuses on corporate law and governance matters. Firm founder and chairman Enrique Bruchou continues to support the leadership team, drawing on more than three-decades' worth of high level experience. ‘Sharp and creative’ M&A lawyer Estanislao Olmos and real estate expert Exequiel Buenaventura bring further senior level expertise to the table, with an ambitious cohort of younger partners, including Santiago Balbi and Florencia Angélico (who was raised to the partnership in 2022) also prominent. While Pablo Falabella  left the firm to move in house at YPF, a high quality cadre of senior associates provide ample back-up, with Nicolás Dulce and Hernán Alal among the key names. Since publication, Dulce has been raised to the partnership - effective as of March 2024.

Mitrani Caballero & Ruiz Moreno Abogados is known for its work on large, complex transactions in Argentina and abroad, with an experienced team that advises a domestic and international client base on M&A, strategic alliances, joint ventures and green field investments. The firm is a prominent presence on big ticket agribusiness and oil-and-gas deals, and is also active in the manufacturing, healthcare and technology sectors too. Clients equally turn to the team for support on corporate matters, including commercial and licensing contracts and cross-border business reorganisations. Practice head Diego Parise has extensive transactional and capital markets’ experience and firm founder Cristian Mitrani additionally adds his vast experience to the group. Siro Astolfi, who has considerable expertise in competition and anti-trust matters as well as an outstanding corporate transactions’ track record; and Aixa Sureda, whose practice is focused on restructuring, private equity and M&A, add further heft to the practice’s senior ranks. Younger partners Mercedes Rodríguez Giavarini and Carlos Eliçabe are other key names; with Fiorella Belsito and recently promoted senior associates Bruno Fiorino and Melina Goldberg leading a capable second line.

 

Pérez Alati, Grondona, Benites & Arntsen handles complex, cross-border deals for corporate and private equity clients across a wide range of sectors, leveraging its office network in Chile and New York to cover pan-regional and domestic Argentine transactions . Energy and agribusiness have been particularly active areas of work during the last 12 months, with the team also prominent on fintech and healthcare matters. In addition to its strong M&A capability, the practice provides extensive corporate advisory coverage, supporting clients on day-to-day corporate, tax, antitrust, environmental and regulatory issues. The team continues to draw on the vast experience of veteran transactional lawyer Jorge L. Pérez Alati, who co-leads the practice alongside respected M&A lawyer (and "go-to" name for private equity clients), Santiago Daireaux; and Eugenio Aramburu, an experienced M&A practitioner who has worked on multiple buyouts and cross-border deals. Transaction-focused Tomás Pérez Alati is another key name, taking up senior roles on the practice’s most important deals following his promotion to partner in 2022. The firm strengthened its second line with the June 2022 hire of Nicano Berola (from Zang, Bergel & Viñes Abogados) as a senior associate; he focus on corporate matters, M&A, venture capital, and mining and natural resources.

Allende & Brea is regularly called on by foreign companies for advice on complex transactions and exit strategies from Argentina, including disposals and carve-outs. The firm works across a broad range of industries, with insurance, agribusiness and technology among its areas of particular expertise. Vastly experienced corporate lawyer and firm managing partner Valeriano Lynch heads the team in tandem with Santiago Sturla, who advises clients on a broad range of corporate matters, including M&A, shareholder conflicts, financing and restructuring. Dispute resolution and restructuring expert Diego Botana and Raul Fratantoni, who has a strong tax background and an active portfolio of family-owned company clients, are other key senior names. Corporate all-rounder Tomás de Cío, transactional-focused Marcos Patron Costas, and life sciences specialist Fernando Martínez Zuviría all provide further partner-level expertise.

Bomchil provides domestic and international clients with a full-service corporate offering covering transactional as well as day-to-day advice. The firm focuses on building long-term relationships with core clients to provide an integrated, seamless service. Practice head Adrián Furman regularly acts as lead counsel in local and international corporate matters and transactions for a diverse range of clients in a variety of industries. M&A and restructuring expert Tomás Araya, and Patricio Martin – who is known for his financial services expertise – are the other key senior names. Young partner Máximo José Bomchil and senior associate Francisco Zappa are also key team members. Since publication, Zappa has been raised to the partnership - effective as of January 2024.

DLA Piper Argentina specialises in complex, cross-border M&A deals, primarily advising international corporates and private equity investors on Argentine and Latin American transactions. Leveraging the global platform of its parent, the ‘agile’ practice is regularly called on to advise on the impact of local antitrust, corporate finance, intellectual property and tax law on international deals. The firm has been particularly active on private equity deals, with agribusiness, oil-and-gas, financial services, energy and technology among the sectors covered. The team is co-led by the ‘excellent’ Martin Mittelman, who has a strong energy and natural resources practice; and the ‘exceptional’ Antonio Arias, a standout M&A lawyer who also co-heads DLA Piper’s Latin America regional venture capital and technology group. The team can also call on the experience of capital markets lawyer and banking and finance head Marcelo Etchebarne, with private equity and venture capital senior Juan Pablo Reverendo the key contact at associate level.

Best known for its formidable presence in energy M&A, Martínez de Hoz & Rueda’s efforts to widen its presence in other sectors has reaped dividends, with the number of non-energy transactions exceeding energy-related M&A work for the first time since the firm’s inception. Moreover, the firm has established a new corporate governance structure (as of August 2023) to further align its dual commitments to ongoing growth and institutionalisation. While oil-and-gas mandates remain the single biggest generator of fee income, the practice has successfully won an increasing volume of transactional and day-to-day corporate work in the financial services, consumer and technology industries among others. Practice head Fernando Zoppi is an experienced M&A lawyer and handles all types of M&A transactions, advising private equity and VC players, energy companies and telecoms groups among others. Partner Tomás Dellepiane’s all-round corporate experience is complemented by an active M&A practice, with the team also able to call on finance practice co-head Martín Lepiane and highly-respected energy lawyer José Martínez De Hoz for additional senior back-up. Transaction-focused associate Marcos Blanco leads the practice’s second line, which has been bolstered with the April-2022 hire of Sofia Reymundo, previously with Tanoira Cassagne Abogados.

O'Farrell represents clients in high value, complex M&A transactions as well as supporting a long-standing, loyal roster of multinational clients with comprehensive advice on all aspects of business law. The firm’s long track record and deep expertise in energy and electricity make these key sectors for the practice, although it also has a strong presence in automotive, healthcare, construction, real estate, entertainment, agribusiness, food-and-drink and TMT. Outstanding energy lawyer Uriel F. O'Farrell co-leads the practice with banking and finance specialist Sebastián Luegmayer and versatile corporate lawyer Ernesto Genco, whose practice covers foreign investments, start ups, joint ventures, reorganisations, M&A, corporate conflicts and general corporate advice. The practice has seen the departure of Juan Pablo Fratantoni , who has taken up an in-house role at YPF.

Tavarone, Rovelli, Salim & Miani handles the complete range of corporate work from M&A, joint ventures and corporate restructurings to day-to-day corporate matters. The firm is known for its work on complex transactions, with the retail and energy sectors prominent, and has also carved out a niche in wealth management work, handling corporate matters for high net worth individuals and families. The ‘precise, concise and fast’ Juan Pablo Bove, who is active in private equity and M&A, leads the practice alongside well-reviewed transactional lawyer Federico Martín Otero. Experienced banking and finance practitioner Federico Salim, and corporate all-rounder Julián Razumny, are other senior contacts, although the practice has seen the departures of Agustín Griffi and Pablo Tarantino to take up in-house counsel roles at long-standing family office client, Grupo Werthein.

The internationally-oriented Alfaro-Abogados leverages its desks in New York and Beijing to provide a uniquely-positioned service to strategic investors and investment funds doing business in Argentina. The firm takes an inter-disciplinary approach to support its international client base, with a broad corporate offering that includes cross-border M&A, tax, regulatory and labour issues. Experienced M&A lawyer and firm founder Carlos Alfaro leads the practice alongside María Florencia Sota Vázquez, a corporate and immigration law expert. The firm has also boosted its ranks with the hire of former Marval O’Farrell Mairal corporate, M&A and mining-focused senior associate Andrés Villarreal as a partner.

Naveira Truffat Martínez Abogados (NTMA) is a market leader in distressed transactional work, which emanates from its core bankruptcy and restructuring practice, but has continued to successfully expand its mainstream corporate offering. The firm has proven itself adept at handling complex deals that require a combination of  bankruptcy, complex litigation and corporate expertise, but has also gained traction in vanilla deal processes, winning work from clients in the oil-and-gas, tech, retail and pharmaceutical sectors. Although transactions are a key area of focus, day-to-day corporate work has become an increasingly important source of fee income. The practice is co-led by Agustin Ferrari, who joined the firm as partner in 2021 and has spearheaded the team’s growth in the wider corporate market; and seasoned insolvency and dispute resolution specialist Oscar Martínez, who has extensive experience in distressed and non-distressed transactional matters. Tax and corporate structuring of counsel Javier Malamud brings additional corporate knowledge and capability to the table, with Valentin Martinez and Juan Sabia noted for the corporate law aspects of their practices. The team can also call on litigation and restructuring veteran Rafael Mallo, who has significant commercial law expertise, for additional senior input.

Nicholson y Cano Abogados is best known for its expertise in corporate and M&A transactions, advising multinational clients on deals in a variety of sectors, with consumer, energy and agribusiness particular areas of strength. The practice also draws on expertise from other teams to support clients on a range of forex, regulatory, contractual and commercial issues. María Fraguas, an experienced transactional lawyer, co-leads the practice alongside energy expert Nicolás Perkins. Naldo Dasso, who has a strong consumer practice, and banking and finance head Carlos Marcelo Villegas, are other key senior figures.

Corporate and tax boutique Salaberren & Lopez Sanson (SyLS) is known for its ‘clearly defined areas of expertise’ and high levels of senior partner engagement at all times. Handling a mix of domestic and cross-border mandates, the firm serves a carefully-curated list of long-standing  local and international clients. Food and drink and agribusiness are two areas of strength, with technology another area of deep expertise that has accounted for a material share of the firm’s work during the last 12 to 18 months.  The well-networked and respected M&A practitioner Rafael Salaberren co-heads the practice with Juan Manuel Campos Alvarez, who has a strong venture capital practice. Moreover, since research concluded, the firm has announced its opening of an office in Montevideo, Uruguay, in conjunction with well-known local practitioner, former Posadas, Posadas & Vecino partner, Eduardo Ferrari – effective as of June 2023.

 

Tanoira Cassagne Abogados provides a diverse client base of entrepreneurs and multinationals with an integrated, interdisciplinary service and demonstrates strong expertise in M&A, corporate divestments, dispute resolution, compliance and day-to-day corporate matters. IT services, agribusiness and financial services are among the firm’s most active areas. Well-known consumer and disputes lawyer Santiago Javier Monti leads the practice alongside Rafael Algorta, who has extensive restructuring and litigation expertise; transactional lawyer Alejandro Ciero; and Leopoldo García-Mansilla, who advises local and multinational entities from different industries on corporate matters and M&A. The firm strengthened its senior bench in 2023 with the promotions of Luis Merello and Lucia Rivas O’Connor to the partnership. Both handle a range of new business, start-up and venture capital matters.

Abeledo Gottheil Abogados provides local and foreign clients with a full service corporate offering, handling M&A, disposals, demergers, joint ventures, restructurings, corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters. The practice is co-led by M&A and antitrust specialist Javier Fernando Gelis; Pablo Pinnel, who advises foreign clients on compliance and corporate establishment; and corporate and M&A practitioner Joaquín Estanislao Martínez. The firm strengthened its senior roster in 2023, raising consumer defence, data protection and privacy specialist Natalia Soledad Vannucci to the partnership.

Cerolini & Ferrari Abogados is known for providing domestic and international clients across a range of sectors with general corporate advice on day-to-day matters. The firm is particularly strong in the consumer and technology industries and is regularly called on by multinationals seeking support for their Argentine subsidiaries. Clients single out practice head Agustín Cerolini for his ‘excellent technical knowledge’ and ‘pro-business approach’.