Mrs Verónica Franco > Ferrere > Asuncion, Paraguay > Lawyer Profile

International clients continue to seek out Ferrere as a one-stop shop for all corporate matters, and the firm has a successful track record advising on the establishment of operations in Paraguay. Its impressive roster of national and multinational clients spans the full range of sectors and the firm participates in transactions at the top end of the market, including M&A and JVs, as well as handling general corporate matters, such as contracts and compliance. Practice head Néstor Loizaga leads on major transactions in the financial sector, often on a cross-border basis. Carlos Vasconsellos is also active in sector-significant mandates, handling foreign investments and complex commercial contracts and business agreements. Verónica Franco brings international experience to the team, as well as experience in regional M&A. Eduardo Ammatuna focuses his practice on the fluvial and logistics sector, advising significant players on acquisitions, restructurings and key projects. As head of the firm’s real estate and environment practices, counsel Guillermo Jover broadens the team’s sector-specific offering, advising on investment and acquisitions in the real estate industry. At the senior associate level, Claudia Arietti is regularly called upon by multinational corporations to advise on day-to-day corporate matters, while Manfred Heyn boasts a clientele of private, public and multilateral entities that he advises on M&A and debt restructuring. Raúl Pereira is another key contact in the team.

Merger control forms the basis of Ferrere’s competition practice and it remains at the forefront of the market in terms of notifications filed; the team has a proven track record in merger control transactions cleared by the competition authority. Anticompetitive conduct is another area of expertise, and the team is well-equipped to handle large-scale investigations, as well as claims related to abuse of dominance. The group has an impressive roster of local and international household names, from Grupo Vasquez to Disney, that it advises on best practices on a day-to-day basis. Practice head Verónica Franco ‘stands out’ as an active and established figure in the sector, boasting an extensive portfolio of notifications and filings on behalf of both national and multinational companies. Senior associate Fernanda Benítez participates in merger control procedures and advises foreign and local clients on the prevention of anticompetitive practices.

Operating at the forefront of the sector, Ferrere advises a stellar list of international banks, local corporations and multilateral organisations. The team is active in the fintech space, assisting with the development and launch of fintech products. As well as its strong transactional capabilities, the practice has a successful track record in obtaining banking licenses on behalf of financial institutions and has played a key role in the drafting of anti-money laundering legislation. Carlos Codas leads the team and his broad practice spans all financial products, financings and transactions, including structured, syndicated, bilateral and multilateral transactions. Carlos Vasconsellos advises financial institutions on corporate and structured finance transactions, as well as boasting a strong project and infrastructure financing practice. Néstor Loizaga remains a go-to advisor for foreign banks and multilateral organisations, while Verónica Franco heads the firm’s international capital markets team, covering significant bond programs and the issuance of sustainable bonds. At the senior associate level, Claudia Arietti is active in fintech matters, and her expertise encompasses e-money, payment services and crypto assets, while Maurizio De Oliveira brings extensive public-sector experience to the team. Beatriz Recalde joined the team from Greenberg Traurig LLP in April 2023, with a focus on bilateral and syndicated lending, secured and unsecured. Pamela Lezcano left the firm in May 2023.