Sergio Michelsen Jaramillo > Brigard Urrutia > Bogota, Colombia > Lawyer Profile

Widely recognised as a corporate powerhouse in Colombia, Brigard Urrutia is commended by clients for its ‘extensive knowledge of the law, strong experience and pro-transaction business approach’. Fielding one of the largest corporate benches in the market, the group is a popular choice to handle large-scale domestic and cross-border M&A — including private equity-sponsored deals — as well as wider corporate matters, such as shareholder conflicts and business reorganisations. As one of the country’s most prominent corporate specialists, M&A co-head Sergio Michelsen is highly sought after for his record in high-stakes transactions; he recently advised Blu Logistics on the sale of all of its logistics companies in Colombia to Rhenus. Fellow department co-head Jaime Robledo utilises his dual-qualified (Colombia/New York) status to excel in cross-border deals. In a recent example of his international prowess, Robledo teamed up with Michelsen and Fernando Alfredo Castillo to advise Casino Guichard-Perrachon (and certain affiliates), on the Colombian aspects of the sale of their 47% stake in Almacenes Éxito to Grupo Calleja. Other recommended partners include Tomás Holguín, who honed his international skills working at firms in the USA and Brazil; Carlos Fradique-Méndez, who is a force in the private equity sphere; Álvaro Cala, who combines strength in corporate, aviation and real estate; and senior partner Carlos Urrutia. A strong second line of non-partners includes directors Ángela García Páez and Mónica Gutiérrez Velasco; as well as senior associate Andrea Camila Cruz and associate Laura Ricardo Ayerbe. Former corporate and M&A practice chair Dario Laguado Giraldo and director Paola Ordoñez left the firm in April and August 2024, respectively.

A destination practice for TMT in Colombia and the wider region, Brigard Urrutia’s clients attest that ‘the regulatory consultations this team provides are the best in Latin America’ — the full-service group also handles transactional and contentious work. Significantly, the practice continues to extend its lead over the market and it added 11 new clients during 2023/24 — across the full range of technology, media and telecoms — including major domestic and multinational names such as Hyland Software, Dynamo Producciones and Capcom. High-profile corporate and TMT expert Sergio Michelsen Jaramillo heads the department and ‘understands business’; he recently advised Dynamo Producciones on all legal matters related to the production of a film produced in Colombia. Juan Nicolás Laverde serves as associate director of the TMT unit, where he specialises in work relating to telecoms, privacy, data security and technology. Also singled out for praise by clients are TMT-focused junior associates Laura Huérfano (‘communicates effectively with authorities’) and Juan Manuel Pacheco (‘good judgement’).