DLA Piper Mexico > Mexico City, Mexico > Firm Profile

DLA Piper Mexico > The Legal 500 Rankings

Mexico > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 2

DLA Piper Mexico is a critical cog in the firm’s global dispute resolution offering. The offices arbitral practice is coordinated by Kate Brown de Vejar, who is ‘at the top of her game’ and acts of co-chair of the global international arbitration practice, as well as deputy managing partner of the Mexico office.  While remaining active internationally, Brown de Vejar and her team have enhanced the practice’s visibility in the domestic Mexican market in recent years and have become particularly well-established in the energy space, including electricity generation and renewables. Co-head of the firm’s Latin America dispute resolution practice Gabriela Álvarez-Ávila ‘brings a truly international wealth of knowledge’ and focuses on international arbitration particularly in relation to investment law. Additional figures of note include Antonio Cárdenas, who specialises in obtaining amparos suspending government measures ending resolution of the merits of arbitration; and younger partner Daniel González Estrada who has extensive experience in obtaining provisional measures and the enforcement of arbitral awards before Mexican courts. At associate level, Fernando Osawa E provides dedicated support. Senior figure Gerardo Lozano Alarcón departed the firm in 2022 to establish a practice as a solo arbitrator.

Mexico > TMT Tier 3

Telecoms law is a standout strength for DLA Piper Mexico, its specialist team adept at assisting with some of the most complex regulatory issues in the market. Members of the department has more than 25 years’ experience in the area, assisting clients with licences and authorisations, negotiating interconnection agreements, and implementing new technologies. The team also supports clients in public tenders for concessions to use radio-spectrum frequency bands and to operate public telecommunications networks. On the media and technology fronts, the firm often advises on transactional, antitrust, and IP matters. A duo of lawyers jointly lead the group: Antonio Cárdenas, a specialist in bringing amparo proceedings and in administrative disputes, as well as counsel on regulatory matters and government relations; and Jorge Benejam, a corporate and M&A lawyer with numerous clients in the TMT space. Eduardo Gallastegui is no longer at the firm.

Mexico > Banking and finance Tier 4

The Mexico City-based banking and finance practice at global firm DLA Piper Mexico is known for its handling of local and cross-border finance transactions including bilateral and syndicate financings, leveraged buyouts, refinancing and capitalisations, and asset-based loans. Domestic and international banks and SOFOMES feature heavily on its client roster. Practice co-head Diego Martinez, who is experienced in banking and securities financings, is hailed as ‘an expert in his field’; the ‘extraordinary’ Edgar Romo also co-leads, and focuses on transactional finance matters, namely those involving the energy and hospitality sectors. Roberto Ríos adds expertise in project financing and public works, and associates Melissa Martínez and Javier Pichardini provide additional support. Since publication, the practice has been notably strengthened with the January 2024 hire of Álvaro Sarmiento - formerly of Kuri Breña, Sánchez Ugarte y Aznar.

Mexico > Competition and antitrust Tier 4

Competition and antitrust has been a focus of growth for DLA Piper Mexico in recent years and the team now handles a share of COFECE’s sector investigations, as well as being a valuable asset for the firm’s corporate and M&A practice. Illustrative of that link, corporate partner Jorge Benejam co-heads the department; he is especially familiar with the technical and regulatory aspects of the life-sciences, telecoms and technology sectors, as well as analysing potential antitrust issues for M&A transactions. His partner in leading the team is Antonio Cárdenas, a litigator with increasing involvement in antitrust and competition matters. At the associate level, Ana Marietta Rivero is also involved in a contentious capacity, while Regina Esparza, hired from Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C. in September 2022, is an antitrust advisory specialist.

Mexico > Corporate and M&A Tier 4

DLA Piper Mexico fields a compact 10-strong team in the corporate and transactional area, handling public and private M&A, the division and/or sale of assets, cross-border transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, the conducting of due diligence processes; preparation of MOUs, obtaining of governmental approvals and post-merger integration; the office can also handle relevant tax planning and structuring matters. Not insignificantly, the group also enjoys the benefit of sitting as part of -primarily- the firm's largely unparalleled regional network of offices, and beyond that has access to the firm's global capabilities. A trio of partners jointly-lead the practice: Diego Martinez focuses on general corporate matters with an emphasis on corporate finance, corporate governance matters and M&A - notably in the regulated sectors (he also has strong expertise in financial regulatory matters); while Álvaro Garza-Galván handles M&A, bankruptcy, restructuring, banking and finance, and securities transactions; the pair are also the office's co-managing partners. The leadership group is completed by younger partner Mauricio Valdespino, whose practice is centred on M&A, private equity, corporate and commercial law. Additional partner level experience is provided by veteran practitioner María Eugenia Ríos Espinosa, who has particular knowledge of the labour aspects of corporate transactions and private equity deals; and Jorge Benejam, who has notable experience in competition matters as part of his broader corporate/M&A practice oriented towards the regulated sectors - particularly life science, telecommunications and technology. A solid associate bench includes seniors Jaime Ancer Fortea (complex corporate transactions and  general corporate and commercial issues) and Andrés Calderon (M&A, bankruptcy and corporate matters related to real estate and capital markets); intermediate José Luis Gutiérrez Ramírez, an April-2022 arrival from Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C., is also noted.

Mexico > Energy and natural resources Tier 4

The energy practice at DLA Piper Mexico acts for international clients on power generation project development and is also a strong choice for corporate matters relating to the oil and gas industry. The latter is a noted area of strength for the team and it has assisted clients with crude oil and extra-heavy oil projects; incorporating new joint ventures; upstream onshore and offshore natural gas licensing; and the financing of significant oil projects. Renewable energy is also an area in which the team has been active recently, assisting various multinationals with investments therein. Roberto Ríos is one of three department heads and has been involved in a number of energy project financings recently. He leads the team alongside Marcelo Páramo, a dedicated oil, gas and electricity lawyer who started his career in-house at Pemex; and Edgar Romo, whose focus is on project financing and the corporate elements of energy sector matters.

Mexico > Tax Tier 5

DLA Piper Mexico’s revamped tax offering is gaining a foothold in the market since the hire of Guillermo Aguayo from White & Case S.C. in January 2022. He brings experience in complex tax matters relating to cross-border and domestic M&A and corporate reorganisations to a firm whose international footprint draws a high-profile multinational client base. While best known for its non-contentious offering, the team is also gaining profile with regard to tax investigations. Associate Ricardo Mendoza supports Aguayo on the full range of matters; lawyer and accountant Fernando Velázquez is an additional associate contact.

Mexico > Projects and infrastructure

Latin America: International firms > International arbitration

DLA Piper LLP (US) has rapidly expanded its Latin America-facing international arbitration practice in recent years; co-global chairs Michael Ostrove and Kate Brown de Vejar sit in Paris and in Mexico City, respectively - with the latter particularly known for her work in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm has achieved ever greater prominence in the Mexico market, particularly in the energy sector (notably power and renewables). It has also seen further growth in tech, life sciences and pharmaceutical disputes. The team has a strong mix of investment and commercial arbitration engagements, and represents a number of big-name multinationals. Mexico City co-practice head Gabriela Álvarez Ávila , whose past experience incudes seven years as senior counsel at ICSID, is another key practitioner. Bogota's director of international arbitration, Ricardo Alarcón, is also noted. Former Mexico-office senior partner Gerardo Lozano Alarcón left the firm in November 2022 to become a sole arbitrator and counsel; former Buenos Aires-based senior associate Sabrina Ramos also departed - in her case to undertake an LLM in Stanford.

Latin America: International firms > Banking and finance

DLA Piper LLP (US)’s sizeable Latin America team in the US alongside practitioners in the region itself, provides a solid platform for a growing banking and finance practice. The firm has built an enviable client base, particularly Latin American borrowers, and is widely recognised for its geographic spread of engagements in project finance and large restructurings. The team was further strengthened by the hire of Latin America banking and finance specialist Robert da Silva Ashley from McDermott Will & Emery LLP in April 2023; splitting his time between New York and Miami, he brings wide-ranging experience in project finance and corporate lending, including wind and solar projects. Margarita Oliva Sainz de Aja is co-regional head of Latin America banking and finance, and is another experienced figure in project finance and general corporate lending. Mexico City partner Edgar Romo and Lima’s Sergio Barboza, are also co-regional heads of the group, and are key figures within the team, along with José Sosa-Lloréns in Puerto Rico. Raul Farias, who splits his time between San Diego and New York has made a big impression in cross-border financings and refinancings, and has also led on a series of large-scale restructuring engagements; he was the lead partner in advising Mexico-based Crédito Real on its $2.9bn global debt restructuring encompassing six different jurisdictions and more than 45 different creditors.  

United States > Dispute resolution > International arbitration

DLA Piper LLP (US) scores highly with clients for its advice that ‘marries legal acumen to business sophistication‘. The growing practice recently added new clients across a diverse spread of sectors, including energy, financial services, and manufacturing. Global group co-chair Kate Brown de Vejar splits her time between New York and Mexico and acts on a broad range of commercial and investment arbitration cases; she successfully represented the Republic of Lithuania in an investment treaty case brought by a Russian fund in respect of the nationalization of Bankas Snoras. New York-based Kiera Gans is noted as ‘incredible in her focus on the client‘.