Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 1

The department at Hogan Lovells has successfully harnessed its impressive global footprint to offer clients one of the finest international arbitration practices in the country. The Mexico City office displays robust experience across a comprehensive spread of cases, routinely handling both local and international -primarily commercial arbitration and associated litigation, damages and administrative matters. Practice co-head Omar Guerrero is currently acting as lead counsel to a major north American gas pipeline company in three LCIA arbitrations (and related court proceedings), against a state-owned entity in relation to contract termination and force majeure clauses. His fellow co-lead, Luis Enrique Graham is also currently acting as party counsel, as well as a chairman and co-arbitrator in ICDR and ICC arbitral proceedings. Other key practitioners include Monterrey-based Alejandro García González, who has two decades' arbitral experience, and also undertakes civil, commercial and administrative arbitration; and younger partners Jorge Valdés King (arbitration, litigation and bankruptcy), and Luis Ernesto Peón, who was promoted to partner in January 2020. The department represents a varied client roster from industries including insurance, manufacturing, oil and gas, construction and infrastructure, and technology. Senior associate Carlos Alvarado Moreno is also noted as one to watch.

Life sciences Tier 1

Full-service firm Hogan Lovells fields a knowledgeable, four-strong team which advises across a broad array of work within the life sciences field, ranging from Mexican official standards (NOMs), consumer protection, product liability and sanitary registrations, to overland transport, foreign trade, contracts and patents. It also advises on highly sensitive compliance matters, and the planning and adoption of complex strategies for the regulatory restructuring of business operations. Practice head Ernesto Algaba Reyes (health law and regulatory compliance matters for the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries;) has twenty years in the sector. Key support comes from Cecilia Stahlhut (life sciences and health; particularly the regulation of cosmetics, food, alcohol, tobacco, and consumer products), who was appointed counsel in January 2020.

Competition and antitrust Tier 2

The local office of international player Hogan Lovells enjoys a strong pipeline of work handling the local aspects of major global mergers. Its well-known competition and antitrust practice is equally solid handling contentious and non-contentious matters thanks to its experienced department co-heads: Ricardo Pons, who handles merger-clearance work, antitrust and abuse of dominance cases, as well as preventive consultation and training programs for clients; and Omar Guerrero, who is recommended for litigation and investigations, especially in relation to a broad swathe of regulated industries, construction and agro-business. On the transactional front, the department continues to advise 21st Century Fox in Mexico regarding its worldwide merger with Disney, requiring notifications before both the COFECE and IFT.  On the contentious side, the team is advising Union Nacional de Avicultores and Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancún, among others. Experienced associate-level support comes from Alan Ramírez and Marianne Windirsch.

Energy and natural resources Tier 2

International full-service firm, Hogan Lovells, has an established profile in the energy sector, both the length of the oil and gas production chain, and also on the power generation side, particularly of late, regarding renewables projects and wholesale electricity market issues. At partner-level, the eight strong team includes Carlos Ramos Miranda (corporate M&A, insurance, energy and infrastructure, along with niche expertise in water matters); and Miguel Ángel Mateo Simón (oil gas, power -both renewable and conventional- and water infrastructure projects), along with managing partner Juan Francisco Torres Landa (general corporate, M&A, foreign investment and energy law). The team has been active in a range of matters, including the negotiation of PPAs and clean energy certificates (CEL) for Becquerel, Harman International Industries, and ENEL; assisting Jaguar Energy become a registered power trader in the Mexican wholesale electricity market; and on the hydrocarbons side, assisting Equinor Upstream with contractual and regulatory compliance for the start-up of its two deep-water contracts. Key support comes from Mauricio Fuchs Tarlovsky (corporate M&A, energy and infrastructure, structured finance and regulation), who was raised to counsel in January 2020; senior associates Perla Díaz Taracena (transactional and regulatory matters across the oil, gas and power segments); Venezuela-qualified Víctor Barrientos (project finance, cross border commercial transactions, EPC contracts, international financing, regulatory and compliance), formerly head of the international legal department at Petroquímica de Venezuela (PEQUIVEN); and Adriana Pavon, a contracts and administrative law specialist with a focus on the oil, gas and power sectors who formerly worked at both the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH).

Intellectual property Tier 2

Multidisciplinary firm Hogan Lovells boasts a group of lawyers who are well recognized in the market for their trade mark and copyright prosecution practice. Under the guidance of partner Bernardo Herrerías, the team is highly valued for its anti-counterfeiting work and skills in litigation and enforcement regarding trade marks, patents and copyrights. Recent work highlights show the firm representing EMI Music in an infringement action related to the use of a “sampler” from a well-known artist in a song included in a new album. Other key practitioners include senior associates Valentina Schmid, who specializes in trade mark portfolio management for international clients, and José Armando Casillas, who is very experienced in the health care, technology, media, telecom, and consumer sectors.

TMT Tier 2

Unusually for a full-service firm, the practice at Hogan Lovells is as strong on regulatory telecommunications matters as it is on the transactional front (where the firm's multijurisdictional footprint allows involvement in regional and international matters), while also providing advice on media, technology and data privacy issues. The team is led by Federico Hernández Arroyo, who has over 15 years' experience offering private practice TMT advisory, and can also draw on experience as a former head of regulatory affairs at the (then) Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones. Senior associate Ana Paula Rumualdo provides complementary expertise in cyberlaw, legal AI, privacy and data protection; and competition-focused associate Marianne Windirsch -who has a background working with tech start-ups- also participates in the sector. Recent matters include day-to-day regulatory advice regarding compliance with spectrum concessions and authorisations, telecoms regulatory advice, software licensing agreements, cloud and online services, and the MVNO market.

Bankruptcy and restructuring Tier 3

Both creditors and debtors turn to Hogan Lovells looking for expert advice on restructuring transactions, voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy proceedings, and on judicial and out-of-court reorganization plans and separation of assets claims. The 14-strong department, which has combined expertise in finance and litigation, fields noted partners Federico de Noriega and René Arce along with skilled litigators Omar Guerrero and Jorge Francisco Valdés. Luis Ernesto Peón, who also acts on the dispute side of matters, is another key partner of the team.

Compliance Tier 3

The local Mexican office of international firm Hogan Lovells has seen considerable growth in its compliance practice over the last few years, and the ten-strong practice today advises on matters ranging from targeted investigations to compliance implementation audits and training in relation to Mexico's anti-corruption system. The practice is led by a senior group consisting of managing partner Juan Francisco Torres Landa, Carlos Ramos Miranda  and Federico De Noriega, all corporate and finance practitioners (De Noriega has particular expertise in data privacy issues, including data processing, data transfers and security breaches); and experienced contentious partner Luis Enrique Graham, who has expertise in investigations and local anti-corruption regulations – as well as FCPA matters – across the wider Latin America region. The team can also call on the highly specialized support of the firm's cross-office investigations, white-collar and fraud group. Recent matters include risk assessment and best practice implementation; public-sector-negotiation training; internal investigations and forensic analytics; and sensitive advice related to a potential US foreign trade regulations infringement. Key support comes from Mauricio Fuchs Tarlovsky, who was appointed counsel in January 2020; and associates Julio Zugasti (compliance and government contracts) and Karina Galicia are also active in the area.

Corporate and M&A Tier 3

International player Hogan Lovells has invested heavily in its practice, not just in Mexico City, but also in Monterrey, where Guillermo González Frankenberger (M&A, real estate, corporate governance, commercial, and corporate matters), and Jorge Yañez (M&A and corporate matters as part of a broader practice), are both very active. In the capital, key partners in the 21-strong team include highly-rated managing partner Juan Francisco Torres Landa, who handles civil, commercial, and corporate matters; project finance, foreign investment, competition and arbitration (among other areas); Ricardo Pons (corporate reorganizations, antitrust and competition, M&A and corporate law); Federico de Noriega (financial transactions, M&A and data privacy), and Carlos Ramos Miranda (general corporate, M&A, insurance, infrastructure and energy law). Recent matters include advising BIA Foods Investments on the $113m acquisition of Grupo Industrial Suarez, which in turn holds canned products manufacturer Empacadora San Marcos.

Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 3

The 20-strong disputes department at Hogan Lovells has a robust track record handling a comprehensive array of litigation work, and routinely undertakes civil, commercial, administrative (including constitutional) matters. It is co-led by the well-known Omar Guerrero (who also heads up the competition and antitrust practice) and Jorge Francisco Valdés King (whose practice also takes in bankruptcy litigation) in Mexico City, in conjunction with Alejandro García González in Monterrey, who has particular knowledge of real estate and construction disputes. Indeed, the practice is increasingly active in a number of niche market segments including in relation to the environmental, financial services, insurance, mining and IP sectors. Recent mandates include partnership disputes related to compensation benefits; contentious matters concerning 'amparos', judicial cases, and real estate-related disputes involving community and 'ejido' issues; recovery actions, damages claims, product liability, class actions and commercial litigation. Further experienced input comes from veteran disputes specialist Luis Enrique Graham, who has over 35 years' contentious experience and also handles compliance, anticorruption and investigations' matters; and Luis Ernesto Peón - promoted to partner in January 2020, he focuses on civil, commercial and administrative litigation (including constitutional issues) and contentious bankruptcy. Commercial litigation-focused senior associate Juan Arturo Dueñas is also noted.

Insurance Tier 3

A respected presence in the Mexican insurance arena, Hogan Lovells shows good skills in both the transactional and regulatory aspects of the sector, and has notable expertise in the formation and acquisition of insurance, reinsurance, surety, and brokerage companies and agents, as well as in day-to-day compliance and regulatory issues, including the development of insurance products, policies, and contracts, and the representation of clients in audit reviews by the authorities. The team of five lawyers is led by partner Carlos Ramos, who is well-known for his regulatory advice, and includes partners Omar Guerrero and the recently promoted Luis Ernesto Peón, who offer key support. The practice lost partner Eduardo Siqueiros, who left the firm in 2019.

International trade and customs Tier 3

A regular advisor to clients across a wide range of industries -including food and beverage, automobile, electronics and aviation- the practice at Hogan Lovells is divided into two main areas. Managing partner Juan Francisco Torres and the talented Jorge Yañez (who is notably strong on trade compliance and anti-dumping), focus on the international trade (dumping and subsidies) side, while fellow practice co-head Arturo Tiburcio is at the helm of customs matters (supported by Yañez). The solid team of five, which includes active senior associate Mario Lara, handles consultancy, litigation and administrative procedures, more specifically focusing on anti-dumping matters, tariff classification, customs compliance and regulations, rules of origin, tax audits related with customs compliance and import regulations established in tax legislation, customs/tax strategies, IMMEX/maquiladora activities, PROSEC matters, bonded and strategic tax warehousing and temporary importation regimes.

Labour and employment Tier 3

The Mexican office of Hogan Lovells fields a 15-strong team that provides a comprehensive labour offering to clients from  a broad range of industries; this includes corporate support, as well as representation on individual and collective disputes before both federal and local conciliation and arbitration boards. Key partner Hugo Hernández-Ojeda has over 25 years' experience across consultancy and litigation (individual and collective), union negotiations, pensions, social security and restructuring, among other matters. First line support comes from 40-year labour law veteran Luis Ruiz Gutiérrez (consultancy and litigation, both individual and collective); along with experienced counsels Luis Adrián Rosas Ortega and Mary Carmen Fuertes - primarily litigation and consultancy focused, respectively. Recent mandates have predominantly involved labour restructuring processes -in part as a result of 2018 labour legislation reform- with other matters including union certification disputes, discrimination complaints, termination processes and day-to-day advisory.  Senior associate Oswaldo Chávez Uribe is also noted.

Real estate Tier 3

The Mexican real estate practice at international full-service firm Hogan Lovells, fields a local team of 11 lawyers who provide expert legal advice regarding hospitality, industrial, commercial, hotel, leisure, retail and residential real estate projects, as well as, infrastructure and automotive development projects. The firm has been very active over the last year in the negotiation of lease and purchase agreements for developers, investors, investment funds, and other companies. The department is co-led by Mexico City-based partners Ángel Domínguez de Pedro and Juan Francisco Torres Landa, in conjunction with Guillermo González Frankenberger, in the firm's Monterrey office.

Banking and finance Tier 4

Hogan Lovells' banking and finance team is recommended for its expertise in regulatory and transactional work, with a particular emphasis on sub-sovereign finance. Backed by the firm's international network, the practice –which operates from its offices in Mexico City and Monterrey – regularly advises foreign banks; states and municipalities; and non-traditional lenders such as funds and SOFOMs, and has reinforced its presence in the fintech sector. The 14-strong department includes René Arce, who is highly reputed for his skills in sub-sovereign finance; Federico de Noriega, who focuses on cross-border financing, project finance and asset-backed loans; and Aldonza Sakar, who was promoted to counsel in January 2021.

Environment Tier 4

The environmental practice at Hogan Lovells has particular expertise in water-related litigation, soil and sub-surface contamination (and associated remediation strategies), air emissions, hazardous substances and chemicals (handling, labelling and transportation), facilities expansion and new project development, and transactional support, as well as issues related to Mexico's energy reform. Co-led by partner Brenda Rogel Salgado and counsel Jeanett Trad, its recent mandates have involved issues concerning water-extraction rights; environmental impact; compliance, regulations and technical environmental and energy efficiency standards, enforcement procedures in relation to new air emission standards, and general environmental advisory.

Tax Tier 4