Serrano Martínez CMA > Bogota, Colombia > Firm Profile

Serrano Martínez CMA > The Legal 500 Rankings

Colombia > Competition and antitrust Tier 2

The result of the October 2023 merger of Medellín-based Correa Merino Agudelo Abogados and the corporate-and-competition focused Serrano Martínez in Bogota; Serrano Martínez CMA boasts an office in the country's two leading markets, a strengthened corporate practice and a newly broadened service offering. In the competition sector, the practice strikes the right note with sources due to its ‘great practical knowledge and approach to regulators’. The thriving boutique added a string of major multinational clients to its roster over the past year, including Kelloggs de Colombia and Bloomberg, while its growing prominence in merger review cases saw it rank among the top three merger filers in the country during 2022. Felipe Serrano fronts the group and is considered by many as ‘an expert in his subject’. Serrano provides ongoing competition advice to Amazon, including recently advising the technology giant on the merger-control process regarding its acquisition of iRobot Corporation. Associate director Andrés Jaramillo Sanz, who has a focus on litigation and procedural law, is also recommended. In May 2022, the group welcomed new senior associate Juan Diego Mojica, who joined from the Constitutional Court of Colombia.

Colombia > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

The mid-October 2023 merger of Correa Merino Agudelo Abogados and Serrano Martínez saw the emergence of Serrano Martínez CMA, which – with offices in the key Bogotá and Medellín markets – is undoubtedly at its strongest in the corporate/M&A sector. Additionally able to draw on the firm’s capabilities in competition, labour and employment, real estate and tax law (among other areas), the corporate practice impresses with it’s ‘experience‘, ‘expertise’ and ‘unique and refined strategic approach’. The former CMA team has long been sought after for its specialist knowledge in the emerging market and venture capital spheres, and expertise representing start-ups and investors, while the group from the former SM has developed a reputation for sophisticated mid-market transactions; the combined team also has extensive experience acting for mature domestic and multinational corporations in traditional M&A transactions and general corporate matters. Co-leading the practice, Camilo Merino is recommended for his ability to ‘artfully adapt to complex situations which gives him an excellent strategic edge’, while Juan Diego Martinez provides advice that is ‘clear, to the point and practical’, and is noted for a practice  that spans M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and contentious matters. At associate level, key support comes from seniors Sebastián Morales Agudelo, who joined in April 2022 from pension fund, Protección; and Alejandro Medina, a November-2022 hire who joined from Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría and has a focus on domestic and cross-border M&A. Corporate and M&A-focused intermediate, Valentina Castillo B, is also noted.

Colombia > Labour and employment

City focus > Medellín

Mid-October 2023 saw the Medellín-based Correa Merino Agudelo Abogados merge with the corporate-and-competition focused Serrano Martínez in Bogota; as a result, the new Serrano Martínez CMA boasts an office in the country's two leading markets, a strengthened corporate practice and a newly broadened service offering. The firm's interdisciplinary and collaborative approach scores highly with sources, with one opining ‘problems are analysed as a team and solutions are presented as a team’. Moreover, the now firm houses prominent national offerings in corporate and M&A, labour and employment, real estate and competition law, as well as handling dispute resolution —with an emphasis on real estate litigation— and tax. In Medellín, Camilo Merino is commended for his ability to ‘quickly and artfully adapt to complex situations’; he spearheads the corporate, M&A and venture capital practice and recently advised Grupo Patmos on the $10m sale of its shares in two chemical and feedstock companies. Real estate lead Juan Esteban Agudelo is lauded as a ‘great expert’ and is advising Almacenes Éxito on the expansion of the Centro Comercial Puerta del Norte shopping mall. Other key practice contacts include labour and employment head Darío Ramírez; tax head Sebastián Correa Ruíz; and senior associate Darío Ramírez Montoya, who co-heads the litigation practice alongside Agudelo. Senior associates Dayana Parra (labour and employment) and Sebastián Morales Agudelo (corporate, M&A and venture capital) are also noted.

Bogota, Colombia

Bogota, Colombia