Sergio Urias > Akin > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Operating out of New York, the Akin practice offers its roster of domestic and multinational corporate clients comprehensive advice in cross-border M&A and has a particular penchant for handling distressed transactions. In addition to its core expertise in corporate transactions, the team is capable of drawing on integrated firmwide knowledge of debt finance, capital markets, and executive compensation matters to handle the financial and employment aspects of acquisitions. Zachary Wittenberg leads the department and regularly handles M&A and restructuring matters in addition to advising on corporate governance. Sergio Urias focuses on leveraged buyouts, while Amy Wollensack assists with recapitalizations and divestitures.

Akin combines integrated regulatory, financial, and transactional expertise to offer clients comprehensive advice in connection with buyouts, growth investments, and strategic partnerships in regulated sectors such as energy, tech, and industrials. In addition to working with established middle-market funds and investment managers, the team regularly represents portfolio and target companies in their sales to major private equity sponsors such as Apollo and EQT. Bespoke platform deals in emerging spaces of the market represent a key specialism of the team, which has advised on the buy- and sell-side of fund mergers, IP transactions, and sports team buyouts. Sergio Urias is a key contact for these bespoke transactions and practices from the New York office, which is also home to leveraged buyout and take-private expert Amy Wollensack and practice head Zachary Wittenberg, who specialises in corporate transactions. Dallas-based Thomas Yang handles energy M&A, among other matters.

Akin specialises in representing insurance companies and other institutional investors in cross-border debt private placements and other debt financings. The practice covers the vast majority of Latin American jurisdictions, especially the larger economies. Much of the practice has recently centred on private placements by Mexican issuers, including Mexican subsidiaries of global businesses. London-based Thomas O’Connor has extensive experience in advising institutional investors in private placements, as does Washington DC’s Margaret Parker-Yavuz; both also cover debt financing and direct lending. New York partner Sergio Urias provides further expertise in debt restructuring, including the restructuring of secured notes.

Akin has a burgeoning Latin America practice, built on the firm’s expertise and experience in representing asset managers, which includes key Latin America-focused New York partner Sergio Urias. With strong activity across the region, the firm has advised private equity and financial sponsor clients on a multitude of Brazil investments, including in the food, agribusiness, sports and entertainment sectors; Urias led the team that advised Mubadala Capital on its its acquisition of IMM Holdin, the operator of the Brazilian Rio Open. The practice also has a solid history in energy transactions, particularly in Mexico, and has a fine reputation for corporate reorganisations and distressed investments. London partner Daniel Walsh also has a lengthy track record in Latin America M&A transactions, especially energy deals, as do senior counsel Cesar Gimenez Villamil (in New York), and Houston-based counsel, Eduardo Canales.