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

Akin has significantly bolstered its Latin America M&A practice with the June-2022 hire of New York partner Sergio Urias from Covington & Burling LLP. Urias brings an extensive background in Latin America private equity and M&A. The wider team is drawn from the firm’s Houston and Los Angeles offices, and has a particularly strong track record in Mexico, along with experience in other key markets such as Colombia, Chile and Brazil. It is particularly known for energy transactions, including oil and gas, and renewables. Houston counsel Eduardo Canales  is another key figure. Former partner David Sweeney left the firm in June 2023.

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. Also in New York, Elazar Guttman and David D’Urso are key contacts for growth investments, while Dallas-based Thomas Yang handles energy M&A, among other matters.