Mr Néstor Loizaga > Ferrere > Asuncion, Paraguay > Lawyer Profile

The team at Ferrere handles the full range of corporate matters, from M&A and joint ventures, to contracts, commercial matters and day-to-day advice. The firm regularly works with international clients, and has experience advising foreign companies on the establishment of operations in Paraguay. The team assists clients from a range of sectors, including agribusiness, construction and technology. Néstor Loizaga heads the team and handles complex cross-border transactions, taking a leading role advising clients such as Rabobank. Carlos Vasconsellos has experience in foreign investments, business contracts and M&A. Verónica Franco handles high-profile M&A transactions, and Eduardo Ammatuna advises multinationals on day-to-day matters, as well as specific projects in which he is praised by clients for his ‘vast experience and knowledge‘. Senior associates Raúl Pereira and Claudia Arietti come with client recommendation. Counsel Guillermo Jover focuses on corporate real estate matters, and Manfred Heyn, Dario Capurro, and Yamina Centurion are active senior associates in the team.

Ferrere has grown its dispute resolution practice recently, adding to its extensive list of national and international clients. The firm has a strong focus on complex commercial litigation, handling claims involving financial contracts, contract enforcement, consumer protection, and insolvency proceedings. The team has experience in administrative and regulatory proceedings related to customs, river transportation and maritime law, and distribution law disputes are a niche strength. Practice co-head Néstor Loizaga has experience in distribution-related cases, and advises key clients such as Cargill and AstraZeneca. He leads the team alongside Miguel Saguier, a litigation expert specialising in commercial, civil and administrative disputes, who was promoted to the partnership in January 2023. Marysol Estigarribia heads the firm’s labour litigation practice, while senior associate Raúl Pereira has international arbitration experience, and has participated in some of the team’s high-profile arbitration matters.

Ferrere handles the gamut of IP and regulatory matters, from trade mark, patent, design and domain name registry, to opposition matters and litigation. The IP team advises clients on the transfer of IP rights, and the drafting of licensing and franchise agreements, and handles the IP aspects of due diligence processes and M&A transactions. The practice’s strong international focus has led to the recent addition of several new major clients from a range of industries, including Shein, Prime Health and Bitmain Technologies. Practice co-head Néstor Loizaga focuses on contentious matters, leading the team in advising clients on IP disputes. He heads the team alongside senior associate Montserrat Puente, a highly experienced IP expert who is recommended by clients as ‘a comprehensive advisor on complex issues‘. Miguel Saguier, promoted to partner in January 2023, is an expert in IP-related contentious matters. Cynthia Sanabria was promoted to senior associate in January 2023, and has significant experience managing IPR portfolios and specialises in patent and trade mark filing and prosecution. Fellow senior associate César Benitez is involved in all of the firm’s IP-related disputes and contentious matters.

Ferrere has extensive experience in both tax and customs matters, advising on tax structures, transfer pricing reports and assisting international clients with operations in Paraguay. The group has expertise in tax litigation, handling cases from a variety of sectors, including digital services, hydrocarbon exploitation, special investment regimes, security markets, infrastructure and financial services. The firm has also been involved in the drafting of tax laws and regulations, actively assisting the Paraguayan Tax Administration, and in the implementation of free trade zones. Néstor Loizaga co-leads the team, offering advice on the tax aspects of investment regimes, M&A and corporate structures, and assistance with tax litigation. Practice co-head Erika Bañuelos is a senior associate with over 15 years’ experience advising national and international clients on tax and customs issues, including administrative processes, tax refunds, and proceedings against the tax authorities. Senior associate María Julia Méndez is an active member of the team, with experience in tax planning at both a national and multinational level. Tanya Moreno joined as senior associate in November 2022 from EY.

Ferrere‘s banking and finance team has been involved in significant capital market deals involving Paraguayan corporations and key bond programs registered in Paraguay. The team provides a wide range of financing services to local corporations, international banks and multilateral organisations, including regulatory compliance work and advice on private banking and wealth management activities. Carlos Codas leads the practice and provides legal advice on banking, insurance and financial law; he also works on the legal structuring of all types of financial products and transactions. Néstor Loizaga represents foreign banks and multilateral organisations in a wide range of banking and finance transactions, while Carlos Vasconsellos focuses on international corporate finance, acting for financial institutions on corporate and structured finance transactions. Codas will replace Loizaga as office manging partner from January 2024 onwards, in line with the firm’s policies for the development of leadership capabilities. At associate level, Claudia Arietti, Pamela Lezcano and Maurizio De Oliveira are key members of the team.