The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

The banking and finance team at Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal has an unrivalled capacity in the Argentine market. The ‘wonderful and professional team' counts on ‘very capable people in all areas of banking and finance law', and offers ‘full support in all areas' and ‘service at an international standard'. It provides advice on structured finance, project finance, loans, foreign exchange and regulatory matters, as well as advising on highly complex banking litigation. The firm has enviable experience in capital markets, with expertise in debt and equity transactions including bond issuances and IPOs. It acted as Argentine counsel for Adecoagro, a leading agricultural company in Argentina, on its $314.2m initial public offering of common shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm also acted as Argentine counsel to the lenders – Banco Itaú, BBA International, Credit Suisse (New York Branch), Citibank International, Secursal en España, Standard Bank and BNP Paribas – in one of the largest financial transactions in Argentina in 2011 and one of the few acquisition finance transactions. The lenders implemented a $700m senior loan credit agreement to Peterson Energia Inversora for the purchase of almost 40 million class D YPF shares, owned at the time by Repsol. The extremely highly regarded Santiago Carregal advised JPMorgan and Banco Itaú as dealers and placement agents in a $100m international offer of negotiable bonds by real estate developer Raghsa. Praised for his ‘broad knowledge of business and banking and exchange regulatory matters,' Juan Manuel Diehl Moreno is advising Telecom Personal on the establishment of a global negotiable bonds programme up to a maximum of $500m. The team promoted Fernando Hernández, a financial lawyer with 17 years' experience, to partner in August 2011. Also recommended is Fermín Castro Madero who is praised for his ‘deep knowledge of banking and regulatory issues' and ‘exceptional expertise in litigation and exemplary professional behaviour'.

Within Competition and antitrust, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

A ‘great firm', Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal provides an ‘excellent service' and fields ‘several dedicated experts' in competition and antitrust matters. Arguably the preeminent Argentine firm in the area, the competition team handled 30% of all merger filings in the country in 2011. Clients include Zurich, Pfizer, Microsoft, Petrobras, Cargill, Kraft Foods and Volkswagen. The practice provides advice to a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical, insurance, retail, technology, agribusiness, media, oil and gas and the automotive sector. The team of ‘top attorneys' features the highly respected managing partner Alfredo O'Farrell at its head, while the daily running of the department is left to Miguel del Pino, who ‘knows his area of the law completely' and ‘responds to every enquiry succinctly and on time.' He recently represented Sony Corporation and del Pino represented Cargill on the Argentine leg of the client's acquisition of sole control over KoroFrance SAS and indirect control over Provimi, a global manufacturer and distributor of animal health and nutrition products. The team is praised for its ‘thoughtful and complete' service, and also advised Zurich Insurance Company on the Argentine aspects of its Latin America-wide acquisition of 51% of Santander's insurance business for $1.7bn. Fernando Aranovich, who acts as of counsel for the practice, is also a leading competition expert, academic and an integral part of the group's success.

Within Corporate and M&A, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

The ‘foremost practice in Argentina', Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal's leading corporate group has ‘strong local knowledge and important connections'. No other firm in the country has the capacity to simultaneously assemble the number of separate teams necessary to handle such a volume of concurrent matters. The 21-partner group is led by senior partner Héctor Mairal, a leading figure in Argentine corporate law. He has been described by one client as ‘one of the best lawyers we have ever had, and we have operations in over 50 countries, using hundreds of attorneys'. The group acted as Argentine counsel in three transactions related to Dufry's acquisition of Interbaires, a leading airport retailer in Argentina. It also coordinated the due diligence process in six jurisdictions across the Americas and Eurasia, and drafted and negotiated the subconcession agreements for Argentina's international airports, as well as four others elsewhere in South America. The deals were worth a combined purchase price of $950m, and all transactions were fully debt financed, with Dufry structuring an additional credit facility of $1bn. A leading partner on this deal, the ‘extremely responsive and knowledgeable' Santiago Carregal, who has ‘an exceptional knowledge of business'. Elsewhere, the ‘particularly good' Pablo Artagaveytia acts for clients including Goodyear, Diageo, Budget-Avis, Volvo and Lemcon Networks. In one of the largest M&A transactions in Argentina's recent history, the ‘timely and accurate' team represented ExxonMobil International Holdings in the sale of Esso Argentina to Bridas Corporation, and also handled the subsequent transfer of the oil refinery and downstream business in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Private equity and venture capital specialist Pablo Viñals Blake has developed a thriving agribusiness practice and is recognised as one of the country's leading experts. He has advised on some of the largest agribusiness deals, including advising Liberton, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adecoagro, on the acquisition of the capital stock of Simoneta; this was a two-tiered transaction involving the spin-off of certain real estate assets from the target company as well as further acquisition of its capital stock. With twice the manpower of its nearest competitor, the corporate department at the firm has a strength-in-depth which allows it to handle many of the most complex and important transactions in Latin America, clearly cementing its place at the forefront of corporate law.

Within Dispute resolution, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

Fielding one of the largest dispute resolution teams in the country, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal can count on ten partners, four of counsel, and over 50 associates with specific litigation and arbitration expertise, allowing the firm to assemble distinct teams on a case-by-case basis. The group is currently handling around ten thousand on-going cases ranging from foreclosure summary proceedings to complex multi-party litigation, giving the firm a capacity for volume work which is unrivalled in Argentina. It handles disputes across a wide range of sectors, including banking and finance, construction, oil and gas, electricity, real estate, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and agribusiness. Practice head Alberto Molinario has over three decades' experience and is a specialist in complex litigation and arbitration, including antitrust cases; he also has an exceptional level of expertise in product liability work. He is representing Air Liquide in a $20m cartel case and is currently deputy member for Argentina in the Court of Arbitration of the ICC. A team, led by experienced arbitrator and senior figure in Argentine law Héctor Mairal, and financial law expert Facundo Viel Temperley, is representing Credit Suisse as a defendant in a class action related to the Ponzi scheme fraud carried out by Bernard Madoff. The case, valued at an estimated $40m, involves eventual liability of the client for negligence in its advisory services to clients. Mairal is also representing Shell Compañia Argentina de Petroleo and Esso Petrolera Argentine in a case against the Argentine government and YPF related to the validity of a surcharge on the price of jet fuel sales for international flights during the 1980s. The $90m case is currently awaiting final judgement from the National Supreme Court of Justice. Also recommended is Ricardo Ostrower, who is acting as counsel to a major agri-business client in a high-value dispute between exporters of agricultural products and the Argentine government over alleged debts of export taxes. Ostrower is also representing Bristol Myers Squibb Argentina in a high-profile product liability claim. Martín Campbell is currently representing Alpargatas in a shareholder claim filed before the Arbitration Court, and he also represented Danone Argentina and Goodyear Argentina in environmental claims, as well as representing the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a $200m high-profile case brought by Argentine importers.

Within Energy and natural resources: electricity, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal advises on electricity generation and supply matters, from public tenders for generation projects to international and local PPAs and regulatory and judicial disputes. Experienced energy expert Francisco Macías leads the team, and specialises in international and local power transactions, contracts and regulatory matters. The team includes respected senior associate Nicolás Eliaschev, who has experience in electricity sector regulation and is fast becoming a name to note in this field, regularly advising on international matters and large energy-related disputes. He recently advised power generation company Soenergy in connection with several PPAs executed by state-owned company ENARSA and estimated to exceed $212m. The team also has a recognised expertise in biomass, and it is currently advising San Martín del Tabacal, a sugar cane producer and co-generator, in work related to a public tender for a sugarcane biomass cogeneration project with estimated investments of $50m. The team is also advising Emgasud and its affiliates in connection with several public bids called by ENARSA for the award of PPAs worth over $300m to be supplied by facilities powered by renewable energy sources such as biofuels, biomass, wind and photovoltaic solar technology. The practice reviewed the bidding terms and conditions, advised on the drafting and negotiation of the PPAs, and assisted on all electricity regulatory matters, as well as advising on all of the financial and corporate work related to such a complex series of transactions.

Within Energy and natural resources: mining , Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

‘Leading the way in mining matters in Argentina', the ‘reliable and quick' team at Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal has ‘vast expertise in the different areas of the industry'. It advises clients on all aspects of mining projects and transactions, including options, purchase agreements, structuring joint ventures, and the co-ordination of registration proceedings for mining rights. Practice head Luis Lucero has a ‘focused knowledge of the industry at international and national level'. Lucero has experience of the ‘most important deals in the country', and he leads an ‘extremely able and trustworthy team'. He is currently providing advice to Vale regarding the legal issues surrounding the construction of a 365km railway to provide transport links to the Río Colorado potassium project; it is the first railway project in Argentina for many decades. He also led a team that advised Goldcorp subsidiary Oroplata on all stages of the development of the Cerro Negro project (which was sold to Goldcorp for CA$3.6bn), including corporate, construction and mining matters. The team is praised for its ‘experience, teamwork, and ability to inspire confidence in clients'. It provides a range of legal services to Minera Hochschild Argentina, one of the country's most active exploration companies, including advice on the acquisition and maintenance of mining properties and rights, exploration operations, landowner issues, and environmental matters. Other clients include Xstrata, Anglogold Ashanti, Coeur De'Alene, Comeco Corporation and La Mancha Resources.

Within Energy and natural resources: oil and gas, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

The oil and gas group at Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal advises clients on issues spanning the entire hydrocarbons supply chain, from exploration and production, to the full range of downstream services, as well as work related to liquefied natural gas. The practice has particular expertise in handling complex, sophisticated and highly sensitive transactions and disputes involving the Argentine government. It has an impressive roster of international clients and often advises on matters throughout Latin America. This was demonstrated when the team advised GDF Suez on projects in Chile and Uruguay, and Petrobras in connection with energy assets in Uruguay. The team is led by Francisco Macias, an expert in energy and infrastructure transactions with significant expertise in regulatory matters. In 2011, the team advised a major oil company in arbitration over damages relating to export duties on gas supplies. Ricardo Beller, who has experience in oil and gas financing and M&A work and splits his time between the natural resources and corporate departments, is representing ExxonMobil International Holdings in the sale and transfer of its shares in Southern Cone International Holdings (a conglomerate of various regional Esso subsidiaries) to Bridas Corporation. After approval by the antitrust authority, the client will have divested all its oil refining and downstream assets in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The team is also representing a gas company in a damages claim for an alleged breach of an international gas supply agreement.

Within Environment, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a third tier firm,

Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal fields a team of professionals singled out for their ‘professionalism, dedication, availability, and deep knowledge of the regulatory framework'. The team is currently defending Compañía Mega in a lawsuit brought by a group of fishermen claiming damages against petrochemicals companies operating near Bahía Blanca, alleging contamination of the water and surrounding environment. The team is led by Francisco Macias, a lawyer whose ‘advice is always appreciated'. Senior associate Federico Deya devotes his time exclusively to environmental matters and is praised for his ‘knowledge, response times and appropriate advice'.

Within Insurance, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

The insurance practice at Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal provides ‘broad, excellent and in-depth knowledge of the laws and regulations' related to the insurance and reinsurance industries. The team advises on regulatory issues, administrative proceedings, product liability, class and collective actions against insurance companies, marine insurance, financial lines insurance, and on the regulatory and commercial aspects of marketing insurance products. The team is led by Pablo Cereijido, who impresses clients with his ‘ability to explain the particularities of the issues in a customer-friendly way'. With over 18 years' experience, Cereijido has notable expertise in insurance and reinsurance regulations, disputes, and claims related to most lines of business in Argentina. The team represents companies and insurers, including banks and major multinational companies such as Zurich, Mapfire, Marsh, RSA Group, Shell and Danone. It recently acted as counsel to Zurich in the acquisition of a 51% stake in the insurance operations of Banco Santander in Latin America, and in the resulting 25-year strategic distribution arrangements. The total purchase price was $1.7bn and involved the corporate, antitrust, tax, banking and intellectual property teams at the firm. Leandro Castelli specialises in procedural and insurance law and has experience in complex litigation, including general liability matters, product liability and environmental claims.

Within Intellectual property , Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

Argentine powerhouse Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal fields a ‘strong and deep team of professionals that stands above and beyond other firms' in the IP arena. The ‘very timely and cost-effective' group is equally strong in handling patents, trade marks and litigation, and also advises on due diligence, technology transfer, data protection, advertising and entertainment law, internet and information technology, and unfair competition. The firm has a specialist enforcement unit focused on combating counterfeiting activities, and also runs a surveillance programme designed to monitor online copyright infringements throughout South and Central America. Clients in this area include Honda, Hasbro and Gucci. Working closely with national and international customs authorities, the team helped seize almost 30,000 counterfeit mobile telephones, as well as almost 200,000 counterfeit sunglasses in 2010/11. The 45-lawyer department is comfortably the biggest in Argentina, and it has a capacity for complex, multi-jurisdictional work which is unrivalled in the country. Clients ‘think the world of the firm and its IP department'. The team manages the world-wide portfolio for global wine producer Hess Family Estates and confectionery company Arcor, as well as the continent-wide portfolio for Virgin Enterprises. Other clients include Bristol-Myers Squibb, adidas, Pfizer, McDonald’s, Avon, Warner Bros and Coca-Cola. The team is divided into three separate but integrated practices: trade marks, patents and contentious IP. The ‘particularly good' Iris Quadrio and Sergio Ellmann have a wealth of experience in trade marks registration and filings for local and international clients, and the duo currently handle trade mark matters for Nike, Deutsche Telecom, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson. The patents team is led by the ‘excellent' Martín Bensadon, a well-respected academic and practitioner, and Ivan Poli, who advises many international clients including Novartis and Eli Lilly on prosecution and enforcement. In litigation matters, Miguel O'Farrell, one of Argentina's best-known IP experts, leads the practice with Gustavo Giay, who also leads the enforcement unit. Both lawyers serve as panelists at the WIPO Arbitration and Domain Name Dispute Resolution Center.

Within International trade and customs, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

Demonstrating a ‘deep knowledge of the law and economics', Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal ‘provides experts to deal with any international trade issue' and offers ‘extremely useful advice' to clients. The team has expertise handling a range of international trade issues, including international trade remedies, customs law, tariff code interpretation, rules of origin, non-tariff trade barriers and international trade litigation. The team is particularly noted for its anti-dumping experience, and it advises on more anti-dumping cases than any other firm in Argentina. Recently it represented the producer and exporter, Sun Chemical do Brasil, and the importer, Sun Chemical Ink, in an anti-dumping investigation concerning printing ink from Brazil. Working on this case were the two practice heads: Patricia López Aufranc, whose ‘experience in a wide range of legal fields is very useful when having to make important and complex strategic decisions', and the ‘very efficient' Horacio García Prieto. The team also fields senior associate Pablo Gayol, who is singled out for his ‘very good industry knowledge and deep understanding of the law' and for his ability ‘to make both legal and economic arguments clearly: qualities rare in a lawyer'. In 2010, he represented global sportswear giants Nike, adidas, Puma and Reebok as well as several manufacturers, exporters and importers in an anti-dumping investigation regarding footwear imported from China. The investigation was the largest and most complex anti-dumping investigation in Argentine legal history. Clients praise the ‘extremely proactive' anti-dumping team for 'taking the initiative instead of waiting for the development of the investigation'. The team can also call on the firm's other areas of strength, including the public law and tax practices, to assist clients in all relevant matters.

Within Labour and employment , Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

The ‘solid knowledge of labour matters, speed of response, and impressive quality of service' mark Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal out in labour law matters. ‘In Argentina, it is difficult to always interpret the complex and numerous employment regulations correctly. It is therefore important to be able to rely on an experienced firm such as Marval', which is equally strong across the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious work. This includes social security matters, planning and strategy, restructuring, collective bargaining, negotiations with unions and the government, as well as participating in some of the country's largest and most complex litigation proceedings in recent years. Active clients include Microsoft, General Motors, Pfizer, General Electric, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and Barclays. The team is led by Javier Patrón, who ‘stands out in labour matters due to his combination of experience, knowledge, and the quality of his work'. The ‘highly motivated' Enrique Stile is a ‘great strategist', forms ‘close client-lawyer relationships' and has ‘superb labour law knowledge'. The team recently represented Swiss Company Services in connection with a major collective conflict negotiation where various unions were arguing to be entitled to represent the employees of Gate Gourmet, an airline catering company and subsidiary of the client. The team was involved in the negotiation with the unions as well as the preparation of extraordinary actions and proceedings to protect constitutional rights.

Within Public law , Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal provides a ‘remarkable level of service' to clients and handles a variety of public law matters related to regulated activities, infrastructure projects, trade restrictions, administrative law disputes, and administrative contracts and procurement proceedings. The team advises an enviable list of international clients including Cargill, Shell, Esso, Dufry, Pfizer, Soros Group, Phillip Morris, Vale, Xstrata Copper and Walmart on administrative and regulatory issues. The public law department is led by Héctor Mairal, a recognised expert in administrative law matters. Leading the department alongside Mairal is María Lorena Schiariti, an administrative lawyer with 14 years' experience and a ‘remarkable attitude and flexibility towards understanding client needs'. Both are praised for their ‘excellent communication skills, perspective, strategic thinking and business knowledge', and are currently representing Shell Compañia Argentina de Petroleo in litigation against the Argentine government. The cases relate to administrative decisions that controlled the prices of hydrocarbon by-products. The team also advises and represents Fundación de Investigaciones Economicas Latinoamericanas (FIEL) in proceedings conducted by the government against private consultancy agencies which have issued and published inflation rates that differ from those published by the government statistics agency.

Within Real estate, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a third tier firm,

Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal specialises in purchase, sale and lease transactions, development, construction and financing in the real estate sector. Noted corporate expert Santiago Carregal leads the team, along with Hernan Slemenson, a lawyer who focuses on real estate, corporate and finance work. The team recently advised Hilton Hotels Corporation regarding the development and operation of a $60m hotel in the city of Santa Fe. It also assists various agribusiness companies on purchase, sale, lease, construction and other real estate-related transactions, particularly land acquisitions. Other active clients include Safra Group, Adecoagro, JPMorgan Chase, Faena Hotel, Guggenheim Nicklaus Partners, and InterContinental Hotel Group.

Within TMT , Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a second tier firm,

‘A pleasure to work with', the team at full-service firm Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is active in the telecoms, broadcasting and television production industries. The team handles matters spanning transactions, disputes, regulation, restructuring and project finance, and is led by Alberto Rivera, a regulatory expert with over 15 years' experience in the telecoms sector. Rivera engages with ‘clients' understanding of the issues' and ‘really adds value'. The team has witnessed a recent increase in work in the registration of cable television channels before the Argentina Federal Audiovisual Communications Services Agency, acting for clients including ESPN, Disney Channel and Hustler TV. The team also advised Shell Argentina on the negotiation and regulatory implications of a telecoms services agreement with AT&T Argentina. Other clients include Endemol International, Microsoft, AMX Argentina, Tekelec International and British Telecom. The team's ability in the broadcasting sector is highlighted by its handling of all the local regulatory work for the world's largest Spanish-language radio broadcaster, Prisa.

Within Tax, Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is a first tier firm,

The ‘excellent' Marval, O'Farrell & Mairal is praised for its ‘solid business acumen, excellent value and insightful and practical advice' in the tax area. Fielding the largest tax team in Argentina, it is equally strong advising on issues of tax planning and transactional matters, as in litigation before the courts at all levels. Clients single out Gabriel Gotlib, who is immensely experienced in international work and acted as an advisor to the federal government. Also recommended is Horacio García Prieto, a respected litigator and an expert on customs taxation. With a ‘great ability to understand the specific needs of clients', Walter Keiniger is praised for his ‘deep knowledge of both Argentine and international tax provisions that might affect the profitability or feasibility of a project'. The team recently provided tax advice to Corporación América, Industria Metalúrgicas Pescarmona (IMPSA), and Camargo Corrêa on the $16bn construction of the Condor Cliff Hydroelectric dam in Santa Cruz province. It also represented various leading national and international companies in cases before the National Tax Authority. Active clients include Barclays Capital, Procter & Gamble, Danone Argentina, Cablevisión, Motorola Argentina, SABMiller and Adecoagro.