Holland & Knight > Mexico City, Mexico > Firm Profile

Holland & Knight > The Legal 500 Rankings

Mexico > Energy and natural resources Tier 1

Holland & Knight further bolstered its stellar energy department with the hire of former Sánchez Devanny practice co-head Gerardo Prado Hernández to its Monterrey office in April 2023. The move was part of a wider incorporation of 13 lawyers to the firm’s Monterrey office, which it inherited from a 2021 merger with Thompson & Knight, consolidating itself as a destination office for the automotive, retail, pharmaceutical and maquila industries. Prado Hernández is an experienced advisor to local and international clients on renewable energy matters and general regulatory compliance, as well as corporate and M&A for companies in the energy sector. He joins a department headed by the trio of Carlos Ochoa, who is well-versed in public bids and contracts, regulatory matters, and project financing across the energy sphere;Claudio Rodríguez Galán, an advisor to international energy, construction, and infrastructure companies doing business in Mexico and Latin America; and Monterrey-based Gabriel Ruiz who is especially experienced in the oil and gas sector. Rodolfo Rueda is a key contact for regulatory issues, while Alejandro Sánchez Mújica is frequently involved in teams of counsel on the M&A and financing side of the practice. Senior counsel Regina Legorreta stands out among the department’s pool of non-partner lawyers and has strong experience assisting clients with the energy reforms of the López Obrador administration. Since publication, Rodríguez has left the firm for DWF - effective as of February 2024.

Mexico > Banking and finance Tier 3

Under the leadership of domestic, cross-border and project financings expert Alejandro Landa, the banking and finance practice at Holland & Knight advises international banks on the negotiation, structuring and restructuring of financing terms, including the design and structuring of collateral packages and source-of-payment structures. A 2021 merger with US firm Thompson and Knight boosted the practice’s strength in cross-border financings, real estate and oil-and-gas; the team demonstrates further growth with the additions of associates Santiago Noriega and Paulina López Velasco in May and September 2022, respectively, along with senior counsel Elena Ibarrola in March 2022. Alejandro F Sánchez Mújica advises on structured, asset-backed, real estate and corporate financing from the Monterrey office; while in Mexico City, Aldo Gonzalez Melo -who was promoted to senior counsel in April 2023- is active on cross-border corporate, structured and project finance transactions.

Mexico > Capital markets Tier 3

Holland & Knight’s capital markets practice advises corporations, funds and trusts, as well as financial institutions, on public and private issuances to obtain financing through the stock market. The team has experience regarding the capital and debt issuances of REITs, FIBRAs and capital development certificates (CKDs), and is led by well-known figure Guillermo Uribe - who focuses on banking and securities law and real estate investment trusts. Adrián Gay’s practice has an emphasis on REITs, SPACs and CKDs; key associate Jorge González Carlini is active on real estate and financial matters. March 2022 saw the arrival of four lawyers from DLA Piper Mexico: ex-practice head Xavier Magnino, who handles securities law matters; senior counsel Elena Ibarrola; and associates Alejandro Briceño and Cristobal Ortiz Monasterio.

Mexico > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

Following the 2022 tie-up with the former Thompson & Knight, Holland & Knight has further demonstrated its commitment to the Latin America market – and México in particular – with the April-2023 incorporation of a sizeable multidisciplinary group (seven partners, two senior counsels and eight associates) from local firm Sánchez Devanny. As specifically regards the corporate/M&A practice, this included former practice co-head Francisco Andrés Gámez Garza, along with Humberto Morales Barrón, Jaime Israel Moreno Treviño and Oscar Quiróz Chávez, all of whom joined the firm’s Monterrey office. They join a department led by Mexico managing partner Luis Rubio (a well-known market figure who has particular expertise in the TMT segment), which is highlighted for its ‘vast knowledge and experience with respect to Mexican Law but also in complex international transactions’. Octavio Lecona (‘knowledgeable’, ‘a rounded professional’) provides additional expertise in the telecoms and tech areas as part of a broader practice that takes in M&A, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and contractual matters. Corporate partner Xavier Magnino and senior counsel Elena Ibarrola are further names to note in the Mexico City office (both having arrived from DLA Piper Mexico in March 2022), as is Selene Espinosa who was promoted to partner in January 2023; of counsel Alejandro F Sánchez Mújica and partner Alejandro A Sánchez Mújica A are, in turn, additional names to note in the Monterrey office. Recent matters include mandates in the aviation, shipping, financial services, technology & telecoms, industrial & manufacturing, and oil & gas sectors, among others.

Mexico > International trade and customs Tier 3

In April 2023 Holland & Knight hired Turenna Ramírez-Ortiz, former head of Sánchez Devanny’s international trade and customs practice, to deepen its expertise in the area. She adds over 25 years’ experience in advising multinationals on their cross-border transactions to a team that had strength regarding investment strategies, customs procedures, regulatory compliance and unfair trade practices. The department is jointly led by Carlos Véjar, a recognised lead lawyer for trade matters between Mexican and US entities; and Luis Rubio, who acts for domestic and international corporations, trade associations, and the Mexican Government on regulatory matters and international trade proceedings. Josafat Paredes is the associate-level contact to note. Since the conclusion of research, Véjar has left the firm – effective as of August 2023.

Mexico > Projects and infrastructure Tier 3

The group at Holland & Knight LLP is well-equipped to handle a broad range of project and infrastructure matters, including project financing, joint ventures, environmental permits, bidding processes, the structuring of equity and debt capital, and risk mitigation. The team is regularly sought out by clients seeking assistance with electricity, natural gas, urban infrastructure, waste water and hospitality projects. Practice head Alejandro Landa, lauded as ‘very dedicated and proactive’, specialises in project finance, capital markets and M&A with particular focus on infrastructure, energy and real estate matters. The department’s key partners include Carlos Ochoa, who focuses on energy, infrastructure and real estate transactions; and Rodolfo Rueda, who splits his time between Mexico City and Houston, where he is a certified foreign practitioner. Rueda majors on cross-border natural resources and energy transactions. Aldo Gonzalez Melo, a senior counsel as of April 2023, has focused his practice on corporate and project finance transactions relating to renewables, infrastructure and technology, while associate Adrián Ortiz de Elguea is active on renewables and hydrocarbons projects.

Mexico > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 4

Holland & Knight’s arbitration practice is particularly sought after for commercial and investment disputes with public international law or multi-jurisdictional components. Per one client, ‘its main strength is the international structure that feeds important issues to the Mexico City office’; and indeed, the team in Mexico works closely with others around the world, especially the Washington DC group. Some of its most recent Mexico-led arbitrations have come in the telecoms, technology and energy sectors; in the latter area, the team has handled several arbitration proceedings relating to infrastructure and power purchase agreements. Following the August 2023 departure of former practice head Carlos Vejar, Luis Rubio is the key name (particularly for NAFTA-related matters), while senior counsel Juan Pablo Moyano specialises in commercial arbitration and cross-border disputes. At associate level, Antonio Barrera joined from Mañón Quintana Abogados in October 2022 and bolsters the energy side of the practice, with Laura Yvonne Zielinski (who was appointed senior counsel in September 2023) and Josafat Paredes being the other younger practitioners of note.

Mexico > Real estate Tier 4

The practice group at Holland & Knight LLP specialises in cross-border real estate transactions, advising on the planning, development, financing and construction of real estate projects. It also offers tax structuring and real estate-related capital markets expertise; handles FIBRA and CKD work; and has solid experience of industrial, commercial, retail, residential and hospitality-related real estate projects and issues. Department co-head Guillermo Uribe handles real estate acquisitions, rights and follow-on offers, debt deals and FIBRA-related matters. Alongside him, Adrián Gay Lasa focuses on the IPOs of REITS, as well as construction, funding and investment vehicles designed to fund the development and acquisition of real estate portfolios. Associate Jorge González Carlini is noted for his active participation in real estate financing and corporate matters, and the team was further consolidated in September 2023 with the hire of Glafira Mercado -as senior counsel- from developer Grupo Delta in September 2023.

Mexico > Tax Tier 4

As a cog in the firm’s international network of offices, the tax team at Holland & Knight LLP assists multinationals operating in Mexico with both domestic and international tax services. The practice also has tax-controversy capability that is experienced in supporting clients through audits by the Mexican tax authority. Co-leader of the practice Eugenio Grageda receives considerable praise from clients who highlight that ‘his practice is very strong in international issues’. Fellow practice co-head Mario Barrera has experience in both tax advisory and contentious matters. The team was strengthened in April 2023 when - as part of the firm’s hire of a sizeable group to its Monterrey office - tax consultancy and litigation expert Jose Ricardo Ibarra Córdova joined from Sánchez Devanny. Key associate support comes from Catalina Mandujano and Miguel Rosas.

Mexico > TMT Tier 4

Holland & Knight LLP’s multinational client base includes a host of blue chip companies across the TMT sectors. The team is regularly sought out for its financial and regulatory assistance with telecommunications projects, including M&A, restructuring processes and high-profile litigation. The practice is jointly led by Luis Rubio, who has a niche speciality in dispute resolution relating to NAFTA; and Octavio Lecona, whose broad practice includes media distribution matters and tech regulatory analysis.

Mexico > Intellectual property Tier 5

Led from its Monterrey office by senior counsel José Luis Villareal, Holland & Knight’s intellectual property practice is a component of the wider firm’s global service across trade marks, patents and copyright. The team handles the full range of registration, protection and enforcement matters, as well as being a reliable support on transactional work and counsel in IP dispute resolution.

Mexico > Compliance

Mexico > Environment