The Legal 500 > Latin America > Peru > Tax

Market frontrunner Hernández & Cía. Abogados remains at the pinnacle of legal tax advice, its name partner - Luis Hernández Berenguel - long revered for his knowledge and expertise in the field. The firm consequently attracts a raft of leading companies seeking business-critical advisory and litigious representation, such as Telefónica del Perú, which the firm is advising on litigation against the SUNAT relating to income and value-add tax stretching back to 1998, with significant economic impact for both company and country. The 11-strong team includes: Milagros Bustillos, who is leading the advice to Telefónica alongside senior partner Hernández Berenguel; Leonardo López, who has over 25 years' experience in the sector; and Fernando Nuñez, previously a senior manager at EY Peru. At associate level, both Patricia Tamashiro and Roxana Terrones stand out for their experience in key matters. Moreover, the team has been further strengthened with the arrival of senior associate Julio Sáenz from Zuzunaga, Assereto & Zegarra Abogados in March 2020, and -since publication- hiring Rodrigo Flores -formerly at CMS Grau - as a partner in December 2020.

Regional heavyweight Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uria is well placed for the tax management of cross-border transactions and general tax advisory for multinationals. Indeed, the firm acts for global management consultants McKinsey & Company in this regard, advising it on trans-Latin American deals. It fields one of the largest teams in the market, with 14 advisers led by tax specialists Walker Villanueva, who acts for a stream of leading domestic and regional companies; and Dante Sanguinetti, an expert on inbound investment by international companies. The practice's tax litigation offering is also in great demand; it is led by Carlos Moreano who advises on tax inspection strategies as well as handling judicial and administrative proceedings. Experienced associate Milagros Pastor stands out for her focus on strategic planning and transaction support.

The human resources at Rodrigo, Elías & Medrano – Abogados eclipses rivals, its line-up of ten partners unmatched in the market and backed by a formidable pool of associates. The team size is indicative of the breadth of the practice, which encompasses all corporate tax needs, including complex litigation, with added expertise in individual wealth management, an area led by practice co-head Alex Morris. The firm excels in the tax strategy and implications of big-ticket transactions and financings, this year closing the Peruvian aspects of Belmond's global sale of its businesses to Louis Vitton for $3.2bn, advice led by Jose Talledo. The very highly regarded Alex Córdova is fellow co-head of the practice, and it also includes tax luminary Humberto Medrano, who remains active, albeit with a limited practice.  

Clients of Muñiz, Olaya, Meléndez, Castro, Ono & Herrera Abogados hold the lawyers' technical knowledge, 'holistic understanding’ and 'impeccable’ monitoring and due diligence work in high regard. With 18 lawyers including seven partners, the firm fields one of the largest teams in the market under the direction of Fernando Castro, who is currently leading advice to Telefónica del Perú on its colossal $1.5bn tax claim before the Supreme Court. Other landmark mandates during the year included the tax structure for client China Yangtze Power International's $3.6bn acquisition of Luz del Sur from Sempra  Energy. Daniel Ono and Jorge Otoya are also key advisers.

CMS Grau has built an 'impeccable team’ comprised of multidisciplinary and focused tax lawyers, and which is particularly strong in transactional support in the mining, oil and gas and power sectors. Another distinguishing feature is the firm's recently introduced, in-house transfer pricing service, which has led to a sizeable increase in revenue for the department. The overall tax practice is led by Rolando Cevasco, noted for his experience in M&A support, corporate reorganisations, tax planning and audits. His team of six associates includes senior Carlos Chirinos who heads up the transfer pricing practice; however, fellow seniors Eduardo Arturo Rojas and Rodrigo Flores both left the firm, moving to ONTIER Peru (in August 2020), and Hernández & Cía. Abogados (in December 2020), respectively.

Tax and labour specialists Gálvez & Dolorier Abogados handle a broad range of tax law, distinguished by its expertise in transfer pricing and more uniquely, the taxation of digital services, technical assistance, royalties, software and other e-commerce and IT-related operations. Four partners and nine associates advise a range of large taxpayers, from national and international corporates to wealthy individuals. José Gálvez heads the general tax and wealth management practice, with Silvia Muñoz-Salgado leading on transfer pricing matters. Martín Mantilla (tax controversy) is singled out by clients for his expertise, and Karina Arbulú (patrimonial planning) also recommended.

Rebaza, Alcázar & De Las Casas has a successful practice, supporting its tier-one corporate team in big ticket deals, but also earning a fair share of advisory and contentious work. An impressive and lengthy client list includes JP Morgan Private Bank, Entel Group and the Lima Stock Exchange, while others highlight the 'great dedication, service and easy access’ of the team. It is led by Camilo Maruy, whose strong track record in the sector includes considerable experience litigating against the tax authority before all instances up to the Supreme Court. Among a bench of five associates is Víctor Valdez, who 'stands out for his great technical ability. He is really what you call a specialist’.

The seasoned, standalone tax practice at Rubio Leguía Normand offers a comprehensive range of tax services, from transactional support, senior financings and tax planning, to administrative and judicial proceedings. Kelly Pérez successfully defended Huawei del Peru before the Peruvian Tax Court regarding the alleged withholding of income tax, in which the court considered the scope of 'digital services' for income tax purposes in Peru. Fellow partner César Luna Victoria brings 30 years' experience to the practice, focusing on the tax aspects of M&A, financings and cross-border transactions, while the practice can also call on the equally experienced, although somewhat less active, Luz María Pedraza.

Clients at tax boutique Gálvez, Risso, Zegarra & Asociados repeatedly applaud the availability, attention and personalised service provided by the 16-strong specialist team. The firm is particularly in demand for contentious advice at administrative and judicial level, and has niche expertise in the airline sector, acting for industry giants LATAM and Avianca Perú. The expanding practice saw two partners made up in January 2020: Karen Alegría and Christian Chávez. They join practice co-heads Ramón Gálvez, Carolina Risso and Carlos Zegarra, who focus on international taxation, transactional tax matters, and customs and international trade matters, respectively.  

Garrigues 'has a good team that is highly regarded by the market'. Led by Javier De La Vega, who is praised for his technical knowledge and availability, its typical work comprises tax planning for large-scale M&A, corporate reorganisations and restructuring, financings and capital markets matters. Two departures in 2019 involved key members of the team, however: former co-head of the practice Jose Chiarella moved to new boutique Damma Legal Advisors; and principal associate Luis Valle  to Arbe Abogados, where he has taken partnership to build the tax practice there. The Garrigues team still benefits from experienced principal associates Rosa Chevarría and Rafael Martinelli, while two hires at associate level during 2019  included Ana Sousa from ONTIER Peru.

Estudio Olaechea has a well-resourced team focused on the full spectrum of tax matters. It attracts a strong following among international companies, assisting Google, AT&T and BlackRock, to name a few, navigate evolving Peruvian tax law. Experienced practitioner Jorge Dávila leads on corporate support, transfer pricing and litigation matters, while fellow partner Carolina Rodríguez is a specialist in customs-related issues. Sectoral strengths include air and maritime transportation, telecoms, financial services, gaming technology and education. Associate Natali Huaylla is recommended for both litigation and consultancy.

Payet, Rey, Cauvi, Pérez Abogados has 'extensive knowledge’ and its lawyers are 'solid, efficient and practical in their advice’. Vanessa Watanabe leads a team of capable associates among whom Ivy García-Pacheco, Lisset López and Renzo Grández are notably active in key matters. The group's primary focus is corporate and finance transactions, where the team provides tax advice on some of the country's largest deals. However, the team also advises on some significant general advisory and litigation matters: in a case in point, Watanabe is leading advice to Scotiabank in its judicial procedure against SUNAT regarding an assessed debt of $170m related to alleged VAT non-payments.