The Legal 500 > Latin America > Colombia > Labour and employment

Longstanding market presence Alvarez, Lievano, Laserna S.A.S attracts praise for combining strength, expertise and dedication, and delivering timely tailor-made advice. The sizeable 34-strong firm, exclusively dedicated to labour and social security issues, is led by four expert partners. Name partners Carlos Álvarez Pereira and Claudia Liévano, who both have particular expertise in appeals before the Supreme Court, co-lead the practice in conjunction with Felipe Álvarez Echeverry, who leads the litigation department, and María Lucía Laserna who heads up the legal audit area. Álvarez Pereira also handles arbitral matters and undertakes collective bargaining cases - a specialty for which the firm is well-known. Key support comes from senior associates María Fernanda Echeverry and Andrea Ortega.

A household name in the field, Lopez & Asociados Abogados is a leading firm, widely praised and boasting a 63-strong labour and employment practice led by five expert partners. Advisig national and multinational companies with local operations, the practice looks to provide a comprehensive service involving both corrective and preventive approaches. Managing partner Juan Pablo López excels in labour conflict management and disputes; fellow co-head Angélica María Carrión is in charge of the firm's counselling area, while Alejandro Castellanos is responsible for the litigation and judicial representation area. Rocío Lagos and Ana María Rubiano, both new partners as of December 2019, are also both recommended. Senior associates Diego Francisco Leal (who leads the knowledge unit) and Ismael Orlando Babativa (who coordinates litigation) are also key members of a team that was further strengthened with the hire of Manuel Germán Torres (after almost 15 years in various in-house labour roles), as head of the advisory practice in June 2019.

Full service Brigard Urrutia's labour, employment and immigration practice, led by the profusely recommended Catalina Santos, handles the full array of labour-related services, with particular strength in those matters deriving from M&A deals – such as labour due diligence, pension schemes, labour harmonisation and restructuring, and collective bargaining. Santos, who focuses on remuneration negotiations, restructuring processes and voluntary retirement plans, among other matters, leads a 14-strong team that includes senior associate José Alejandro Sierra (litigation and pension matters in all sectors and industries) and associate Camilo Mutis.

Barranquilla-based but operating nationwide, Chapman & Asociados strikes the right note because the firm 'understands the client's organisation and assumes the defence as its own in each process'. The sizeable, 37-strong practice, which has expertise across the sector (including outsourcing, health immunities and union protection, for example), is led by founding partner Charles Chapman, who leads on collective labour matters and is deeply experienced in collective negotiation and agreements with unions. Fellow co-head Mirna Wilches advises on administrative and tax law related to labour matters. Both partners 'stand out for their innovative ideas, without losing objectivity regarding legal compliance'. Head of litigation Heimy Blanco is also an integral member of the practice group.

Among Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría's key attributes, clients highlight 'commitment' and 'deep analysis' of their business needs. The ten-strong practice group (all of whom are bilingual) is led by Héctor Hernández, an experienced litigator who combines knowledge of commercial, civil and labour law with handling union negotiations; and fellow co-head (promoted to partnership in January 2020) Carolina Porras, who is in charge of coordinating due diligence and has considerable expertise in leading complex collective bargaining negotiations. The practice offers full-service labour and employment advice and stands out for its accompaniment of new investors arriving in Colombia; the team’s commercial acumen is also a recurring theme.

Put simply, Posse Herrera Ruiz's labour and immigration team 'are one step ahead of critical circumstances'. The 11-strong team, which also works out of the Barranquilla office, is led by 'outstanding' Carolina Camacho and has been busy recently with a caseload of collective agreements, disputes (including arbitration), collective dismissals, M&A transactions, immigration, and regulatory work. Camacho's broad practice encompasses advisory, transactional matters, collective negotiation and administrative disputes; and senior associate Hermes García handles day-to-day advisory as well as more strategic matters such as restructuring and labour policy design. The team was further strengthened with the arrival of senior associate Andrés Paz, formerly the director of DLA Piper's labour practice, in early 2019. Associates Andrea Ochoa and Natalia Villamil are also noted.

Qunitero y Quintero Asesores 'extensive experience and flexibility to adapt' are among the qualities appreciated by clients of the specialist boutique, which climbs in the tables due to the depth of its expertise and an impressive caseload. Led by Saida Quintero and Ivan Quintero, the 23-strong practice delivers strategic advice on labour issues with a focus on outsourcing processes, the implementation of labour restructuring policies, collective bargaining, labour relationship formalisation and collective agreements. The team also includes a second line of experienced senior associates including director of consulting and social security matters Álvaro Martínez; director of special projects Katherine Bello; and Dina López, director of the collective practice.

Gómez-Pinzón Abogados (GPA) impresses clients for being 'up-to-date on the latest in labour issues' in addition to the group's 'availability and friendliness'. Practice head Patricia Vergara, who 'thinks outside the box to provide creative solutions', leads a five-strong team which has particular expertise in issues including the analysis of labour legal effects derived from commercial transactions, the implications of executing employment contracts in Colombia (and homologation of labour policies), disciplinary investigations, high-level labour negotiations (particularly regarding retirement), and compensation schemes, among other services. Also noted, senior associate Mauricio Montealegre provides key support, particularly on individual and collective labour law, social security and labour litigation.

Holland & Knight's labour, employment and benefits practice is led by Vicente Umaña, who has held senior positions supervising labour relations in Colombia and regionally at Citibank and IBM, and has extensive experience developing and implementing labour legal strategies for corporations, managing relationships with Colombian labour unions, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Focusing on labour relations, senior counsel Isabella Gandini - who formerly led Norton Rose Fulbright's labour practice - is also a key member of the six-strong team. Associates Jimena Nieto, Camilo García and Carolina Castro provide relevant support.

Lloreda Camacho & Co.'s labour, employment and immigration practice offers comprehensive advice, handling the labour aspects - due diligence, employee transfers and the like - of transactional operations, as well as immigration issues and litigation. With ample experience planning labour structures for the development of clients' businesses, practice head Enrique Álvarez is particularly noted for his negotiation skills and knowledge of pension matters; he leads a four-strong team that includes associates Rafael Abuchaibe and Angélica Pico.

Contexto Legal S.A.'s employment practice primarily advises companies on their collective bargaining processes and union matters. The five-strong group is led by Guillermo Villegas Ortega, who has a lengthy track record in the sector complemented by his experience in M&A; the team also handles the development of internal regulations, management of recruitment processes and representation in courts and before administrative entities. The Medellín-based full-service firm has notable expertise advising companies from the industrial sector.

CMS Rodríguez-Azuero's labour and employment practice received positive feedback soon after formalising the integration of boutique Escobar García Abogados, with clients highlighting 'their extensive knowledge in pension law'. Adriana Escobar, who has experience as an in-house lawyer in pension and financial entities, leads the eight-strong practice that offers comprehensive advice, including representation before authorities. Also brought over from the specialised firm and bringing relevant experience are associate director Juan Carlos González, a litigator handling disputes up to the Supreme Court of Justice, and associate director Iván Jiménez, focusing on human resources and labour and industrial relations activities.

With a team that is 'committed and knowledgeable about the issues they work on', DG&A-Abogados' broad labour and migration practice serves an industrial, commercial and service-sector client base - increasingly, of late, including technology companies such as Glovo - across a wide range of consultancy, litigation and collective bargaining matters. Adriana Martínez has 'vast knowledge' in the sector and leads a four-strong team which also includes noteworthy associate Karin Rojas.

DLA Piper Martinez Beltrán's 'timely responses, technical knowledge and efficient strategies' attract praise from clients who also value the practice for getting to know the business they represent. Led by practice director Diana Zuleta, the four-strong area advises on labour legislation and the management of labour relations, in particular as a result of corporate and M&A activities, as well as undertaking judicial and administrative litigation. Associate Diego Durán provides key support, while managing partner Camilo Martínez, who leans in to the practice as required, is also noted.

Garrigues' practice has a focus on contentious issues and risk prevention; it notably handles several multinational clients’ local employment litigation portfolios. The team also has experience in M&A support matters and collective bargaining. Senior associate Carlos Silva is experienced in terminations, collective bargaining, visa and immigration advice, and social security and pension matters. He leads the four-strong practice with support from commercial partner Ignacio Londoño. The team was further strengthened by the June 2019 arrival of (Spain-qualified) labour specialist senior associate Nicolás Clark from the firm's Seville office.

With a multidisciplinary approach, Muñoz Tamayo & Asociados' labour and employment practice provides comprehensive support, particularly in relation to transactional and M&A processes. In such a capacity, the eight-strong practice led by Joe Bonilla recently advised One World Pharma on business legal structuring which included employment and immigration matters. Bonilla, who has noteworthy experience of sports law, has used this to develop a niche speciality in sports-related employment matters. The group also has strength in handling employment-related dispute resolution cases.