Mayora & Mayora, S.C. > Guatemala, Guatemala > Firm Profile
Mayora & Mayora, S.C. Offices
15 CALLE, 1-04 ZONA 10, 3RD FLOOR
OFFICE 301
GUATEMALA CITY, CA 01010
Guatemala
Mayora & Mayora, S.C. > The Legal 500 Rankings
Guatemala > Banking and finance Tier 1
With an expanding presence in the Northern Triangle region of Central America, Mayora & Mayora, S.C. is equally skilled in handling domestic and regional financial transactions. Praised for its ‘quality client service‘, the team advises on the gamut of banking and finance matters, from syndicated loans and regulatory issues to project finance and debt restructuring, with particular expertise in acting for international and regional banks and development finance institutions. The capital markets sphere is also a key source of mandates; the practice, which is experienced in international debt issuances and derivatives transactions, counts the National Stock Exchange among its clients. Claudia Pereira, an expert in secured transactions, trusts and project finance, leads the team. MarĂa Fernanda Morales Pellecer has significant strength in banking regulation, benefitting from her past in-house experience at several major banks, and regional managing partner Eduardo Mayora remains a leading figure in the practice. Senior associate Carlos Ortega provides support across the full range of matters.Practice head(s):
Claudia Pereira
Testimonials
‘Personal attention and professional follow-up on the issues raised.’
‘Quality client service. Empathy.’
‘Mayora & Mayora has a multidisciplinary, diverse and very strong team in the financial area. The firm also has a robust group of legal assistants which allows it to adequately respond to client requirements.‘
‘Eduardo Mayora is an expert in the stock market, and MarĂa Fernanda Morales has extensive experience in the banking and finance area. I know her work and her experience and attention to detail very well.‘
Key clients
Banco Industrial
Banco Azteca
Banco CuscatlĂ¡n
Tarjetas CuscatlĂ¡n
Bolsa De Valores Nacional
Citibank
Banco Davivienda
Kiva Capital Management
Sucden Americas/Sucden Geneva
Work highlights
- Assisted Tarjetas CuscatlĂ¡n with the constitution of bonds and corporate guarantees for loans granted abroad.
- Advising various financial institutions, including Banco Azteca, Banco Industrial, Citibank, Banco de Occidente, Banco CuscatlĂ¡n and the National Stock Exchange, on banking matters.
- Advising Sucden Americas Corporation on the drafting and issuance of promissory notes and the constitution of guarantees attached to these obligations, including the constitution of a movable security over sugar.
Guatemala > Corporate and M&A Tier 1
In addition to its presence throughout the Northern Triangle region of Central America, Mayora & Mayora, S.C. also benefits from its close links with international firms thanks to its membership of the Lex Mundi legal network, making it a strong choice for multinational clients seeking advice on complex regional M&A and the establishment of operations in Central America. The team is also consistently active in corporate restructuring, joint venture, and corporate governance and compliance mandates, leveraging the firm’s full-service offering to assist with related banking, administrative, tax and labour issues and drawing on firm-wide expertise in energy matters to advise prominent clients in the sector. Department head Sandra Castillo has a broad practice, with an extensive client roster of international companies and major domestic groups. She is ably supported by senior associates Ana Cristina Garita and MarĂa de la ConcepciĂ³n Villeda, a specialist in civil and commercial contracts. Managing partner Eduardo Mayora and Claudia Pereira continue to lend senior expertise to the team.Practice head(s):
Sandra Castillo
Testimonials
‘The team show willingness to assist and a sense of urgency. They communicate effectively.’
Key clients
SML Labels
Grupo Tradeco
Consorcio Hytsa-Cemosa
Halliburton
Ufinet FTTH
Amway Global
Diageo North America
Payless ShoeSource
Chevron
Banco Cuscatlan
Work highlights
- Advising SML Labels on its incorporation process in Guatemala and the preparation and execution of a stock purchase agreement and other corporate documents.
- Advising Grupo Tradeco on the incorporation of a branch, including related tax, regulatory and banking matters.
- Providing ongoing support to Diageo on the operation of its local vehicle.
Guatemala > Energy and natural resources/projects Tier 1
Praised by clients for its ‘agility‘ and ‘quality‘, Mayora & Mayora, S.C. fields an impressively broad energy and natural resources practice, which is continuing to expand into the renewable energy space. The department handles a healthy mix of transactional, regulatory and contentious work for a wide-ranging client base of energy distributors and generators, as well as infrastructure and construction companies, frequently teaming up with the firm’s offices in El Salvador and Honduras to advise on cross-border matters in the sector. The practice is highly active in energy-related disputes, with strong skills in administrative litigation and international arbitration, and also advises on the development and financing of power plants, government bids and PPAs. Rafael Briz, who is commended for his comprehensive energy practice, leads the team. Senior associate Juan Carlos Foncea provides capable support on the full range of energy and regulatory matters.Practice head(s):
Rafael Briz
Testimonials
‘The team stands out for its agility and quality in dealing with our matters, and the availability of partners and associates to provide us with personal attention.’
‘Warmth and empathy.’
Key clients
Energia Del Caribe
Deocsa-Deorsa (Energuate)
Grupo Cobra
Grupo Ortiz
Cox Energy
Inkia Energy
Ingenio San Diego
Extreme Energy
Operadora De Terminales
ObrascĂ³n Huarte Lain
Work highlights
- Assisting Cox Energy in establishing solar energy operations in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
- Representing Energuate in an arbitration against the National Institute of Energy relating to the payment of infrastructure costs.
- Acting for Proveedora de EnergĂa Renovable Peñaflor (Nodroc) in a dispute with an energy broker relating to the termination of a power purchase agreement.
Guatemala > Tax Tier 1
Sought out by clients for its ‘quality, empathy and agility‘, Mayora & Mayora, S.C. handles the full spectrum of transactional, contentious and compliance-related tax matters. Tax litigation is a clear forte for the team, with its recent caseload featuring a number of complex disputes over customs and transfer pricing issues. As a member of Lataxnet, the Latin American network of tax-focused firms, it also enjoys close links with international practices, which it draws upon to assist clients with cross-border tax planning and international trade matters, in addition to joining up with the firm’s offices in El Salvador and Honduras to advise on regional tax strategies. Both renowned practice head Eduardo Mayora and Juan Carlos Casellas bring noteworthy experience with the SAT to the table, Mayora as a former board member and Casellas, who specialises in transfer pricing and tax litigation, as an in-house adviser.Practice head(s):
Eduardo Mayora
Testimonials
‘The team stands out for the quality of the partners and associates and their high level of availability to attend to issues personally.’
‘Quality, empathy and agility in response to our requests.’
Key clients
Banco Industrial
Cindu de Guatemala
Ingenio Palo Gordo
Bolsa de Valores Nacional de Guatemala
Pochteca Guatemala
Elevadores Otis
Belcorp
Consolidados 807
Refractarios Nacionales (Morgan Thermal Ceramics)
Work highlights
- Acted for Pochteca Guatemala in a dispute with the SAT over the classification of the tariff for the import of sodium from the US.
- Defended Elevadores Otis against adjustments to its 2018 income tax due to a variation in the accounts in the general ledger.
- Advised Consolidados 807 on tax issues relating to the return of merchandise which was wrongly delivered to the client in Guatemala rather than its Costa Rican subsidiary.
Guatemala > Dispute resolution Tier 2
Singled out by clients for its ‘excellent attention to detail‘, the dispute resolution team at Mayora & Mayora, S.C. handles the full range of contentious matters, with a strong track record in civil, commercial, constitutional and criminal litigation and arbitration. Among other areas, the practice has recently been active in administrative and employment disputes, especially cases involving high-level executives. Practice head Paola Galich has extensive experience, both in-house and in private practice, in employment, constitutional, administrative and corporate disputes. The talented line-up of junior lawyers includes senior associates JosĂ© Ramos (a key contact for civil, commercial and criminal litigation) and Byron Deulofeu (who frequently handles IP litigation with sister firm Mayora IP), and associate Martin ChĂ¡vez. Regional managing partner Eduardo Mayora is also a key figure at the senior level.Practice head(s):
Paola Galich
Testimonials
‘Excellent attention to detail and personal availability of partners and associates.’
‘Warmth, empathy and agility.’
‘The different lawyers have a lot of specialisation and very good coordination of cases as well as communication between themselves to resolve matters. They act and proceed quickly within the constraints of following the law and making everything transparent. The good thing about this is that many government offices have respect for them.’
‘All the lawyers are very professional and specialists in their field. They fully adhere to the law, looking for solutions but ensuring the proper implementation of the law and within it. They are responsible in their actions and recommendations. Highly recommended. I deal with and admire Eduardo Mayora and Paola Galich.’
‘Mayora & Mayora has teams which work well together, with highly qualified and fair-minded people. They provide reliable advice which gives us the information we need to make decisions about resolving complex situations.‘
‘We can see how interested the partners are in our cases from the way they dive into the subject matter – not just the legal theory and general regulations, but also the specific situation, which is an ideal combination to provide advice based on experience and knowledge of the individual case.‘
Key clients
Orion
Tedagua
Kluane Guatemala
Pochteca de Guatemala
Dynasol
Emasal
Work highlights
- Continuing to defend Orion’s property rights against claims by third parties in a series of civil, constitutional and criminal matters.
- Acting for Tedagua in several disputes regarding administrative contracts for the construction of infrastructure.
- Reached a settlement agreement on behalf of Dynasol in a dispute over the termination of a distribution agreement for Central America.
Guatemala > Labour Tier 2
The labour team at Mayora & Mayora, S.C. handles a healthy mix of advisory work and litigation, with noteworthy expertise in immigration law, where it assists large international and domestic clients with obtaining temporary and permanent residency and work permits for foreign employees. The practice also covers occupational health and safety, employment contracts, internal regulations, the dismissal of employees and calculation of severance pay, and negotiations with labour unions. Department head Rafael Briz is well regarded for his strength in labour litigation and immigration matters, often advising Spanish companies thanks to his role as president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Senior associate Suzel Obiols is highly experienced in advising international clients across the full range of labour law issues.Practice head(s):
Rafael Briz
Key clients
AC Marriott (Marriott International)
IFX Guatemala
Elevadores Otis of Mexico and Central America
Ogilvy & Mather
GBM Guatemala (IBM Alliance)
Yalo
Payless Shoesource de Guatemala
Productos Roche Guatemala
RGIS
Work highlights
- Advising AC Marriott (Marriott International) on labour disputes, the hiring and dismissal of employees, work regulations and the review of internal policies.
- Handling day-to-day employment matters for Payless Shoesource de Guatemala, including updating its local labour regulations and policies.
- Advising Productos Roche on compliance with labour regulations in Guatemala.
Central America > Corporate and finance Tier 2
Mayora & Mayora, S.C. has had a presence in the Guatemalan market for over 50 years, and since then has established itself as a strong choice to advise international companies and financial institutions on cross-border transactions in the ‘Northern Triangle’ region of Central America, with offices in El Salvador and Honduras (located in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula). Clients in all three countries can also take advantage of the IP and domain name services provided by its sister firms, Mayora IP and Mayora Domains, S.A. In Guatemala, where the firm has significant expertise in the capital markets space, counting the national stock exchange among its clients, Claudia Pereira, a specialist in financial transactions, Sandra Castillo, who handles M&A and restructurings, and highly regarded regional managing partner Eduardo Mayora are the primary contacts. Manuel Telles, whose experience spans M&A, company incorporations, project finance and international bond issuances, leads the corporate and finance practices in El Salvador. OdĂn GuillĂ©n Leiva, who is well versed in corporate and commercial matters as well as handling litigation, is the name to note in Honduras.Work highlights
Mayora & Mayora, S.C. > Firm Profile
Mayora & Mayora, S.C. is a leading law firm in Central America for international business transactions and finance. The firm has existed for more than 50 years and has four offices in every country in the Northern Triangle: Guatemala (Guatemala City), Honduras (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula) and El Salvador (San Salvador). These offices work together seamlessly to provide the best possible service to clients. The firm has a team of over 38 lawyers to assist clients in a wide spectrum of legal matters. Mayora & Mayora believes in a client-centric approach, assigning specialists to each case so that the client is in the best hands imaginable. More than half of the attorneys and staff that are part of Mayora & Mayora’s dynamic team are women, including four partners and the CEO. Mayora & Mayora offers to its clients a single, entirely integrated firm, with one of the longest trajectories in the region. It is one single point of contact across multiple jurisdictions, providing the client with seamless, efficient, and robust legal services.
The firm assists clients in the following main practice areas:
Banking and finance: The firm handles all areas of banking and finance law including loan financing, insurance and reinsurance, financial transactions and guaranties, structured finance, project finance and regulation. The firm has experts Claudia Pereira, Manuel Telles, Sandra Castillo and MarĂa Fernanda Morales Pellecer on its roster. The firm represents some of the largest financial institutions such as, Banco Industrial, Citibank, and JP Morgan Chase. For years, the firm and its lawyers have been recognized by LACCA, Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000, The Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal for this practice area.
Civil: The firm handles all types of cases dealing with contract law, torts, estates and trusts, as well as real estate. In this practice area, Sandra Castillo guides clients with her expertise.
Commercial and securities: The firm deals with commercial contracts, unfair competition, and other commercial matters. Furthermore, it advises clients on law pertaining to investment funds, securities and derivatives. It also assists investment firms to structure and license their operations. Renowned experts, Eduardo Mayora A. and Claudia Pereira, assist clients in this area of practice.
Corporate and M&A: The firm is renowned as one of the best corporate firms in the region. It provides legal services for a variety of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate governance and restructurings. Partners, Claudia Pereira, Sandra Castillo and OdĂn GuillĂ©n are all experts in this practice group. For years, the firm and its lawyers have been awarded by LACCA, Chambers and Partners, IFLR1000, The Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal for this practice area.
Administrative, energy and telecommunications: The firm represents national and international companies in the transportation, commercialization, distribution and generation of energy with some of the most significant players in the energy industry, having one of the area’s foremost experts as partner, Rafael Briz. The firm is renowned in telecommunications law and has been for decades, having both Rafael and Eduardo Mayora A. at the forefront of this practice area. The firm stands alone in the highest tier for this practice area in Chambers & Partners.
Intellectual property: This practice area is exclusively handled by sister firm, Mayora IP, S.A. It specializes in the registration and protection of marks, patents and other intellectual property rights. Its counterpart, Mayora Domains, focuses on domain name registration, management and recovery of the client’s domain name.
Labour and immigration: The firm practices frequently in labor related matters including but not limited to, drafting and reviewing labor contracts, applying for labor permits, filing documents with the labor authorities, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and preparing internal procedure manuals. The firm also assists in filing temporary and permanent resident applications and applying for work permits for foreigners. The firm has expert, Rafael Briz, leading this practice group with star associates, Suzel Obiols and Jennifer MejĂa, a certified specialist in occupational safety law.
Litigation and arbitration: The firm is responsible for some of the most important commercial suits and arbitrations in the region in this practice area led by partner and expert, Paola Galich. The team has had experience litigating in courts, as well as arbitrating locally and abroad. The lawyers can be seen in all levels of the national judiciary, defending clients in the Constitutional Supreme Court as well as in the lower level trial and appellate courts. We are well-versed in the arbitral rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), among others.
Taxation and trade: The firm is renowned for its tax work in planning and negotiating with the authorities, as well as representing clients in front of the tax authorities and courts. Many of our lawyers have had specialist training in tax or have worked for the national tax authority in the past, including recognised experts Eduardo Mayora A. (who was a member of the Board of Directors of the national tax authority from 1998 until 2000) and Juan Carlos Casellas. The firm has much experience in trade regulation and international trade matters.
Representative clients: Avianca; Banco Industrial; Beiersdorf de Centroamérica, S.A.; BICSA; Bolsa de Valores Nacional; Cementos Progreso; Chevron Guatemala, Inc.; Citibank; CLARO; Cofiño Stahl; Crowley; Desarrollos MIR; DIAGEO; Dos Pinos; Energuate; First Cash Financial; Fresenius Medical Care; Gas Natural Fenosa; GBM (an IBM alliance company); Grupo Terra; Hoffmann-La Roche; Ingenio Palo Gordo; Interjet; International Finance Corporation; JP Morgan; Kimberly-Clark; Kraft; Laboratorios Vijosa; Marriott International, Inc.; Mega Pharma; Millicom International; Monsanto Company; Neon Energy; Obrascon Huarte Lainn (OHL Group); Papa John’s Pizza, Pasmo de Guatemala; Payless Shoe Source; Philip Morris, Inc.; Productos Roche; Santander Sugar; Telus; Texaco; The Kellogg Company; UFINET.
Associations and memberships: In addition to proudly being Guatemala’s exclusive Lex Mundi member, the firm belongs to other well-known associations such as the International Bar Association, Lataxnet, WTS, Euro Latam Lex and the International Fiscal Association.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Managing Partner | Eduardo A. Mayora | emayora@mayora-mayora.com | +502 2223-6868 |
Partner | Rafael Briz | rbriz@mayora-mayora.com | +502 2223-6868 |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Rafael Briz | Partner | View Profile | |
Juan Carlos Casellas | Partner | View Profile | |
Sandra Castillo | Parnter | View Profile | |
Byron Deulofeu | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Carmen Escobar | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Juan Carlos Foncea | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Paola Galich | Partner | View Profile | |
Ana Cristina Garita | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Mr Juan Pablo Gramajo | Associate Director of Knowledge Management | View Profile | |
Mr Eduardo Mayora | Managing Partner | View Profile | |
MarĂa Fernanda Morales Pellecer | Partner | View Profile | |
Suzel Obiols | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Carlos Roberto Ortega | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Claudia Pereira | Partner | View Profile | |
José Ramos | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
MarĂa de la ConcepciĂ³n Villeda | Senior Associate | View Profile | |
Ana Raquel Villeda | Senior Associate | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Partners : 7 Associates : 16 Staff : 34Languages
English Spanish Portugese Italian German FrenchMemberships
AMCHAM WTS Alliance Lex Mundi IBA (International Bar Association) IFA (International Fiscal Association)Legal Briefings
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Investment and business in Guatemala
Dr Eduardo Mayora A and Juan Pablo Gramajo of Mayora & Mayora discuss Guatemala’s legal system and the opportunities available there for foreign investors.
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Energy and natural resources/projects
- Tax
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution
- Labour
Firm Rankings
- Central America > Corporate and finance