Arias > San Salvador, El Salvador > Firm Profile

Arias > The Legal 500 Rankings

El Salvador > Banking and finance

The banking and finance team at regional firm Arias continues to lead in the Salvadoran market, with significant strength in advising domestic and multinational banks and financial institutions, including Bank of America and the Bank of Nova Scotia, on high-value, often multi-jurisdictional financial transactions, including debt restructurings, asset securitisations, loan agreements and project finance. The sizeable leadership group is made up of Armando Arias, an authority in financial matters; Lilian Arias, who has over 25 years of experience in assisting multinational corporations and financial institutions with the structuring of loans and guarantees; Roberta Gallardo, who has a strong track record of advising on credit and financing deals; Ana Mercedes López, a specialist in the financing of major projects in sectors such as energy and aviation; Mario Lozano, who has expertise in the fintech and cryptocurrency fields; Luisa Rivas, who handles the financing of major infrastructure projects and transactions in regulated industries; and free trade zone regime expert Carolina Lazo. Other key figures include senior counsels Ernesto Sánchez, who assists clients with credit agreements and stock and asset purchase agreements, and Adán Araujo, whose practice covers syndicated loans, securities and venture capital agreements, and senior associate Rafael Burgos, whose clients include well-known restaurant chains.

El Salvador > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

The corporate team at regional powerhouse Arias remains a mainstay on high-value, multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions. The firm's broad client base includes financial institutions and major multinationals in sectors ranging from telecoms, financial services and tech to energy, chemicals and hospitality; some key names include Citibank, Telefónica and Chevron. The team is jointly headed by founding partner Armando Arias; El Salvador co-managing partner Lilian Arias, who brings to bear over 26 years of experience in the corporate space; M&A authority Roberta Gallardo, who also assists clients with day-to-day matters such as corporate governance and regulatory issues; Ana Mercedes López, who provides expertise on major restructurings; and energy sector specialists Luisa Rivas and Carolina Lazo. They receive capable support from senior counsels Adán Araujo, who has expertise in highly regulated sectors such as energy, telecoms and financial services, and Ernesto Sánchez, whose practice covers matters in the financial services and tech industries, and senior associate Rafael Burgos, who handles deal negotiations, the drafting of contracts and structuring of collaterals.

El Salvador > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Dispute resolution powerhouse Arias leads the way in El Salvador, frequently acting for household-name multinationals and financial institutions (such as Citibank, Philip Morris and Walmart) in high-stakes litigation, as well as alternate dispute resolution processes and out-of-court settlements. Covering the key pillars of corporate, commercial, competition, civil, administrative and environmental law, the group represents a broad client base spanning the retail, pharmaceuticals, banking, tobacco, real estate and energy sectors. In addition, the team represents clients in administrative and judicial antitrust proceedings, as well as labour and IP disputes. The team is headed by Eduardo Ángel, whose practice takes in civil, commercial, contentious-administrative and constitutional litigation (including disputes relating to labour and competition law, money laundering claims and distribution agreements). Other key figures include Jaime Rodríguez, who handles complex contractual and construction-related disputes, as well as commercial and civil litigation, and Fernando Montano, who brings added strength to matters involving competition and anti-money laundering regulations.

El Salvador > Intellectual property Tier 2

The experienced team at Arias leverages the bench strength of seven offices throughout the region to advise prominent multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris and Chevron on the safeguarding and management of their international IP portfolios. With a client base spanning the food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, retail, tech, and manufacturing sectors, the group assists with the full spectrum of trade mark and patent matters, including high-stakes infringement actions, registrations, renewals and post-registration changes. In addition, the team has notable expertise in handling the IP due diligence for major M&A transactions. Morena Zavaleta, who brings 25 years' experience in the IP space to the group and serves as the firm’s regional director of IP and life sciences, steers the team. She is supported by senior associate Marcela Canjura, whose skill set extends to cover clearance searches, trade mark registration proceedings, oppositions, trade mark assignments, licensing agreements and voluntary cancellations.

El Salvador > Tax Tier 2

Backed by the considerable bench strength of the firm's seven offices throughout the region, the tax group at Arias advises prominent multinational companies and financial institutions such as Walmart and Citibank from across the retail, oil and gas, tech, and banking and financial services sectors on a diverse range of matters, including tax compliance, planning and litigation, due diligence, and transfer pricing. Veteran tax litigator Luis Barahona oversees the practice, drawing on his experience as a former director of the Internal Revenue Services and head of El Salvador’s negotiating committee on the double taxation treaty with Spain to assists with precautionary legal audits and tax risk detection. He is supported by senior counsel César López, who specialises in customs and municipal tax matters, and also benefits from a background in the public sector.

Central America > Corporate and finance

Formed following the split of pioneering Central American firm Arias & Munoz, Arias has a well-established network of seven offices in the region, spread across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras (where it has branches in both Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The firm has a long history of handling high-profile local and international M&A and financial transactions, acting for an impressive roster of multinationals, global financial institutions and leading regional banks. Diego Gallegos, who has expertise in asset and project finance, and Vicente Lines, an expert in the infrastructure and telecoms spaces, lead the finance practice in Costa Rica and are also key figures in the corporate team, where energy specialist Melania Dittel is also noted. In El Salvador, Mario Lozano is sought after for his advice on fintech and cryptocurrency issues, while Lilian Arias, the M&A-focused Roberta Gallardo and Luisa Rivas are among the key contacts for corporate matters. In Guatemala, Luis Pedro del Valle, who has a strong track record in cross-border M&A, took over leadership of the corporate and finance practices in April 2023. The highly experienced Evangelina Lardizábal steers the corporate and finance teams in Honduras alongside Mario Agüero, while in Nicaragua Ana Teresa Rizo, a go-to partner for foreign investments, Bertha Argüello, Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas and Rodrigo Ibarra, a specialist in the energy sector, are the names to note. María Cristina Fábrega takes the lead on M&A and financial transactions in Panama.