DMK Abogados > Punta Cana, Dominican Republic > Firm Profile

DMK Abogados > Firm Profile

DMK Abogados is a full-service law firm founded in 1992 that offers comprehensive legal and business advice with special emphasis on foreign investment. The firm is highly recognised for its practice in corporate law, tourism and real estate, litigation of major cases, labour law, environmental matters, free trade zones, public-private partnerships, mining and energy. The firm also excels in the areas of contract design, taxation, intellectual property, consumer law, antitrust legislation and immigration. DMK Abogados is one of the top law firms in the country, recognized for its client-centered approach to better provide thorough legal advice and assistance in large key financial transactions, M&A operations, large tourism projects in the Dominican Republic and for handling complex litigations.

The firm’s attorneys are goal oriented efficient negotiators who truly become collaborators of their clients’ vision, concept, purpose and challenges, which allows the team to successfully deliver creative and wide-ranging legal solutions, while conducting important transactions, thus helping clients thrive at their businesses in the Dominican Republic.

Main areas of practice: DMK Abogados has a successful track record providing broad scope legal services in business and corporate law, with a strong emphasis on foreign investment, merger and acquisitions, cross-border financial transactions, tourism and real estate, complex litigation, labour law, environmental law and mining. The firm also offers advice on tax matters, antitrust legislation, intellectual property, consumer law and immigration.

Corporate finance and commercial law: DMK Abogados’ business and corporate law practice is recognized for providing timely, creative and accurate legal solutions to sensitive and complex matters. The firm provides legal advice to its clients in corporate matters and company affairs, deal negotiations, contract design, international financial transactions, cross- border M&A, taxation, regulatory matters, corporate and legal compliance, due diligence (corporate, real estate, tax and regulatory), corporate governance, securities structuring, management advice, consumer law, joint ventures and consortiums.

Throughout the years the firm has had the opportunity to assess, study and determine the legal feasibility of a large range of business models to be implemented in the Dominican Republic, it has also served large companies, multinationals and high-net-worth individuals in their incursion to different Dominican markets.

The firm has gained significant expertise in complex business transactions by offering “two steps ahead” legal and business counsel aimed to protect foreign and local investors’ interests in mergers and acquisitions and other cross-border structured transactions.

The seasoned experience in the real estate and tourism sector plus the firm’s all-time growing business and corporate practice has transformed DMK Abogados to be the “one stop shop” for both creditors and debtors on large financial transactions, international loans, project finance or any other credit facility secured by Dominican tourism related assets.

Recent caseload has seen the firm advising an investment fund, the creditor, in a US$110m international loan to secure the operations of a Dominican Hotel operation, successfully closed in a 20 day record time. Also, on the creditor side DMK Abogados advised two different financial loans over US$140m. Counseling the creditors, commercial banks, in a combined loan of US$40m, secured with local tourism related real estate assets. On the second, it advised and successfully closed an international syndicated financing, which exceeded US$100m. In addition, the firm has worked on the debtor side advising on the restructuring of local syndicated bank debt for more than US$80m. The firm focuses its efforts in providing added value solutions and advice from the conception of a business transaction to its effective closing, committing to the needs and goals of those who place their trust in the firm

Tourism and real estate: DMK Abogados is the leading firm in this field, it has represented and advised the most significant tourism projects in the country for 30 years, including many of the leading leisure property developments, hotels, airlines, tour operators, theme parks, time-share companies, vacation clubs and other hospitality-based enterprises. DMK Abogados is set apart by its deep understanding of the different tourism business models, the goals and mission of the different stakeholders in the tourism industry. The aim of the tourism and real estate practice is to offer a broad perspective along with comprehensive experience based legal and business advice. Throughout almost three decades of hard work and experience DMK Abogados’ real estate practice, has earned the recognition of being “the firm to call” for complex business transactions and government negotiations  involving real estate and tourism matters. These complex transactions have rewarded DMK Abogados with the opportunity of creating new precedents in tourism transactions, procedures and negotiations.

Litigation: The litigation and dispute resolution department is best known for its precise and timely fashion case analysis and the execution of effective litigation strategies, striving for the best results for the client facing a complex litigation process. DMK Abogados shines when it comes to large and complex civil, commercial or administrative litigations, bringing a high level of creativity and talent that allows its team to formulate winning strategies when facing several fronts. Case analysis is focused on precision and aims to allow the client to see and determine from an early stage which are their best options in each case. The firm works hand to hand with its clients to always be one-step ahead of its opposition in court, or at the negotiation table. This combination, backed by the firm’s commitment and expertise has earned the firm an impressive high win ratio.

Labour and employment: The firm’s labour department is best known for its ability to provide an efficient solution through accurate assessments, technical and legal defense strategies in labour litigations as well as effective preventive measurements to prevent legal contingencies and labour associated risks. This has allowed the firm to tilt the balance in favor of the employer in a system where law tends to offer an excessive protection in favor of the employee. Along the years DMK Abogados has represented hotels, free trade zones and other businesses that involve a large workforce of more than 5,000 employees.

Mining: DMK provides legal services for several of the main mining companies in the Dominican Republic. Strong advisers with excellent and strategic judgment and outstanding skill to effectively counsel many of the main international mining companies such as Everton Resources, Estrella Gold, Brigus Gold and Barrick Gold, who trust the firm for the development of their projects in the Dominican Republic.

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