Dra Mariela Ruanova > Dentons Jiménez de Aréchaga > Montevideo, Uruguay > Lawyer Profile

Dentons Jiménez de Aréchaga‘s banking and finance department has a strong track record in the Uruguayan market, having been the adviser of choice for Banco Santander for over thirty years. Although the firm advises clients from a wide range of sectors, including retail and fintech, it has notably consolidated its experience in project financing transactions in recent years: it advised Grupo Vía Central on the Ferrocarril Central project, a public-private partnership railway project for which $1.1b has been raised. The practice is co-led by Nicolás Herrera Alonso, who assists local and international financial entities with structured and project financing and provides consultancy services to local and multinational companies; Mariela Ruanova, specialist in banking law with a focus on innovation and technology; and Fernando Jiménez de Aréchaga Jr, a project financings expert who has worked on some of Uruguay’s most notable PPP projects in recent years. Senior associates Mariana Lartigau, Alfredo Arocena, Carolina Bianchi and Maite Gaynicotche provide valued support to the practice group.

The team at Dentons Jiménez de Aréchaga is particularly strong in commercial litigation, and also aids clients with arbitration. It continues to assist big-name multinationals from an array of sectors, and its client base was bolstered in the last year with the additions of Amazon, Volkswagen and Adidas. Two seasoned partners lead the practice: Nicolás Brause specialises in financial litigation, antitrust and bankruptcy law and is credited with devising ‘efficient and creative solutions’ and having a ‘deep knowledge of the market’. Alongside him, Mariela Ruanova handles financial litigation and plays an important role in maintaining the firm’s relationship with major banks. Counsel Juan Andrés Urgoiti, senior associate Bruno Steneri and associate Andrés Tiscornia provide the partners with valued support.