ECIJA Colombia > Bogotá, Colombia > Firm Profile

ECIJA Colombia Offices

ECIJA Colombia
CARRERA 11A, Nº97A-19, OF 401
BOGOTÁ
Colombia
Visit website 0057 3108168169

ECIJA Colombia > The Legal 500 Rankings

Colombia > Competition and antitrust Tier 2

The former MBCR - Márquez Barrera Castañeda & Ramírez became ECIJA Colombia in April 2021, and continues to consolidate its impressive capabilities in the sector - albeit now with the regional -and indeed global- backing facilitated by the firm's international network. The eight-strong practice is co-led by former SIC antitrust superintendent Pablo Márquez (who has also held the role of chief executive director of Colombia's Communications Regulation Commission); and Julio Castañeda, whose various positions at the SIC include as head of department for the protection of competition, the promotion of competition, merger control, and jurisdictional unfair competition, as well as deputy superintendent for competition and  deputy director of surveillance and control at the National Spectrum Agency. As this would suggest the pair not only have a detailed and strategic grasp of competition and antitrust matters, but also particular expertise on these issues as related to the highly-regulated telecommunications sector and the digital sphere in general. Recent matters include advising American Towers Corporation in an unfair competition case brought by Comcel concerning access to telecom passive infrastructure; representing SoftManagement in an antitrust case related to the vehicle control and surveillance market segment; and acting as local counsel in the merger control procedure for the Colombian aspects of Veolia's €14bn takeover of Suez. Key support comes from Pablo Onofre, who was recently promoted to of counsel - his practice ranges across merger control, antitrust, information and communication technologies and privacy & data protection; and senior associate Diana Lucía Castiblanco, a lawyer and economist who specializes in economic analysis, antitrust, regulatory and government affairs, and public policy. Associate Jorge Mario González, who undertakes litigation and arbitration in relation to competition law, unfair competition and sector-based regulation, is also noted.

Practice head(s):

Pablo Márquez

Key clients

Terpel

Airbnb

Celsia

Telefónica

Argos

MercadoLibre

Bancolombia

Chilco

SoftManagement

Davivienda

Talma

Inmadica

Essilor

American Towers

ACN Inc / Flash Mobile

Veolia

Work highlights

  • Adivsed Veolia on the merger-control procedure before Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce regaridng its (initially hostile) takeover of Suez in the water and sewerage utility services market; this is the second hostile takeover merger advised on by the team and the second hostile takeover merger control analysed by the SIC.
  • Advisors to (and representatives of) Inmadica in an exploitative price procedure initiated against the company -a mask distributor in Colombia- broiugh by the SIC on grounds of excessive pricing.
  • Represented Flash Mobile in an unfair competition case brought by Claro (which sought some $40m in damages); the case was won in March 2021 and the team is now representing the company in a damages claim for frivolous litigation.

Colombia > TMT Tier 3

The former Márquez Barrera Castañeda Ramírez (MBCR) became ECIJA Colombia  in May 2021 following its association with Spanish firm -and telecoms heavyweight- ECIJA, which now has a presence in 14 jurisdictions across the Latin American region. MBCR had already made a name in the market on the back of its regulatory expertise in TMT and entertainment law, but had experienced personnel movement prior to the tie-up. Former practice co-head Natalia Barrera Silva moved in house as regional director of business and legal affairs at Netflix in October 2020, which also saw the arrival of IP and entertainment law specialist Patricia Renjifo (former founder of specialist consultancy Ley en Moviminento) as partner and practice co-head; and Victor Cuéllar Olarte (fomerly legal and public affairs director for Colombia at American Tower) as of counsel. Renjifo co-heads  team with competition specialist Pablo Márquez (a former chairman of Colombia’s Commission for Communications Regulation), and contentiois specialist Julio Castañeda who handles both litigation and representation before regulatory authorities in the sector. Key support is provided by of counsel Pablo Onofre (merger control and antitrust, ICT law, and privacy & data protection); and senior associate Andrés Paillié (consumer protection, media, IP and entertainment law). As evidenced in a client roster that includes Foxtelecolombia, CMO Producciones and MediaPro, the practice has particular strength in media and entertainment. Recent matters include advising MercadoLibre (and payment processor MercadoPago) on regulatory matters, e-commerce regulation, privacy law and consumer law, among other matters.

Practice head(s):

Pablo Márquez ; Patricia Renjifo

Key clients

Telefonica

ACN

SoyYo

Mercado Libre Colombia

American Towers Corporation

Samsung Colombia

Celsia

Airbnb

Jaguar Bite

CMO Producciones

MediaPro-Televideo

Camino

1TPE Comunicaciones Colombia

ECIJA Colombia > Firm Profile

ECIJA is a European law firm with headquarters in Spain and offices in Portugal, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and El Salvador. ECIJA has a multidisciplinary team of over 800 professionals with exceptional experience in their fields of practice, working in different jurisdictions, with extensive knowledge of the various industries and international markets. ECIJA is a client-focused law firm with the agility and personal service of a high-end boutique firm and the multidisciplinary experience of a large firm. ECIJA is a full-service firm with significant experience and specialized in the practice areas required by international clients to invest and operate globally.

ECIJA’s international capacity is outstanding, and the firm offers integrated cross-border advice. Since 2019, ECIJA has merged with 16 law firms and has become the largest Spanish law firm in Latin America. Nowadays ECIJA has 29 offices in 16 countries. Furthermore, in 2019 ECIJA signed the most significant strategic joint venture agreement with the 4th largest Chinese law firm (Grandall Law). The agreement brought together 3,500 lawyers and 54 offices in Iberia, Latin America, and Asia.

“To put that in perspective, that is comparable with CMS and Norton Rose Fulbright, some of the biggest firms in the world by headcount.” Law.com.

 ECIJA Colombia and various of its partners are recognized as leaders in their fields of practice by the most prestigious international legal ranking platforms such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal, among others. ECIJA Colombia has a team of over 20 capable lawyers in Bogotá, with wide experience in various legal fields.

 Main areas of practice
 Antitrust: ECIJA Colombia advises large companies at a national and international level in antitrust, merger control and unfair competition cases. Our clients come from a wide spectrum of economic sectors, including finance, oil and gas, energy, retail, telecommunications and media, healthcare, agriculture, among others. ECIJA’s practice in antitrust has been consistently ranked as a leading firm in Colombia, by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and Who is Who Legal. Moreover, its leading partners, Pablo Márquez and Julio Castañeda, have been ranked as some of the best antitrust lawyers in the country.

Corporate: ECIJA Colombia provides corporate and M&A services for both local and international clients. The firm’s practice in M&A, led by Carlos Hugo Ramírez, is multijurisdictional, focused on transactions with a regional component in Latin-American markets.

Dispute resolution: ECIJA Colombia has a strong practice for dispute resolution both in local and arbitration courts, including commercial, civil, investment and public law cases. As for arbitration, the firm has a regional practice of several partners with strong experience and skills in international arbitration, using the ICC, AAA and UNCITRAL rules.

 Labor law: ECIJA Colombia has a specialist team led by Carlos Hugo Ramirez, with extensive experience in providing labor law advice on all aspects related to the company, management, and employees, both at a national and international level. The firm has a strong practice on employment matters form the employer perspective. The practice includes litigation, technology issues related to employment, company’s restructuring, compliance, among others.

 Media and intellectual property: ECIJA Colombia is one of the leading firms in Colombia in the media and entertainment law field. The team, led by Patricia Renjifo, advises national and international participants of the entertainment industry on a daily basis, especially regarding audiovisual productions. The lawyers of this team have acquired specialized practice and knowledge in copyright, business affairs, government incentives and clearance for productions held in Colombia. Our clients vary from international production companies and distributors to local and arising talent, which has allowed the team to get to know the entertainment industry from all perspectives. In addition, the team has broad experience in IP matters and the prosecution of trademarks and other distinctive signs in Colombia.

 Real estate: ECIJA Colombia is a well-known player in the Latin-American real estate market. The firm has a specialized legal practice in urban real estate law, arbitration and dispute resolution led by Camilo Ramirez, professor at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana of Bogotá and a renowned lawyer in arbitration, acting as attorney, arbitrator and secretary of Tribunals. Clients include the construction, industrial, extractive and services sectors, tourism and investment funds.

 Telecommunications: ECIJA Colombia has a strong practice in telecommunications and information technologies, led by partners Pablo Márquez and Julio Castañeda. The firm has specialized knowledge in radioelectric spectrum matters. The firm’s ongoing activity in this market and close relationship with regulatory entities enables it to offer the best possible solution for each case.

 Technology and data privacy: ECIJA Colombia is one of the leading firms in LatAm for technology and data privacy practices. The team, led by Pablo Márquez, focuses on complex transactions pertaining to the technology industry, including M&A and software developments.

 Regulatory and government affairs: The public and regulatory law department provides its services under the guarantee of consolidated experience, giving advice on matters such as the processing of licenses and permits in regulated sectors, attainment of grants and subsidies, due diligence, protection of fundamental rights, administrative sanctions and infringements, tenders and contracting committees, relations with public administrations and other bodies. More specifically, the firm has been directly involved with the national government in the design of public policies and regulations associated with land-use planning that are currently being implemented.

Agrarian law: ECIJA Colombia has a specialized legal practice and reputable knowledge in agrarian law (or rural real estate law), including regulation on the financing of investments in rural areas. The leading partner in this area is Lorena Garnica de la Espriella who, due to her expertise, is a consultant for the design of rural public policies and regulations for government entities and multilateral banks. Clients include the financial sector, agribusiness, extractive sector, tourism, and investment funds.

Main Contacts

DepartmentNameEmailTelephone
Managing Partner- Antitrust, Information Technology, Dispute Resolution: Litigation & Arbitration, Regulatory and Government Affairs Pablo Márquezpmarquez@ecija.com+ 57 310 816 8169
Partner – Corporate / M&A, Advisory and Labour Law at ECIJA Colombia Carlos Hugo Ramírezchramirez@ecija.com+ 57 1 7551352
Partner- Antitrust, Litigation and Telecommunications Julio Castañedajcastaneda@ecija.com+ 57 1 7551352
Partner of Media, Intellectual & Industrial property; Entertainment Law; Startups, innovation and entrepreneurship Patricia Renjifoprenjifo@ecija.com+ 57 1 7551352
Partner Agrarian law, Real State, Public policy, Public and Regulatory, Human Rights Lorena Garnicalgarnica@ecija.com+57 1 7551352
Partner - Dispute Resolution:Litigation and Arbitration , Real Estate, Private Client & Trust Camilo Ramírezcramirez@ecija.com+ 57 1 7551352

Languages

Spanish
English

Memberships

ABA (American Bar Association)
MCIArb

Press Releases

ECIJA GPA strengthens its presence in Ecuador with the opening of a new branch in Cuenca

23rd June 2022 ECIJA GPA expands its team by integrating the law firm Estudio Central of Cuenca.

ECIJA GPA strengthens its presence in Ecuador with the opening of a new office in Manta

3rd February 2022 ECIJA GPA starts the year reinforcing its team with Ingrid Rodriguez as the new partner of the Manta office.