David Duffee > Mayer Brown > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Lawyer Rankings

Latin America: International firms > Banking and finance

Mayer Brown‘s deep commitment to Latin America has been in full evidence over the last decade with its association with Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown, created in 2009, and the launch of a Mexico City office in 2015. A large proportion of the Latin America practice centres on financings, including secured and unsecured financing, acquisition financing, project financing and structured finance. The firm has demonstrated particular prominence in bilateral loans, capital-markets driven financings and hybrid financings, and offshore oil-and-gas transactions. Clients include Banco Itau, Banco Santander, Citibank, Credit Suisse, Global Bank, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. The firm advised Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM), the multinational utilities company and leading multi-utility services company in Colombia, on a $750m syndicated credit facility. It also advised HSBC, as lender, on a $147m refinancing of a rig financing for Grupo México. Douglas Doetsch heads the Latin America practice and is at the forefront of securitisations and structured finance in the region. New York partner David Duffee is co-head of the global lending practice and has a solid record in acquisition and syndicated financings in Latin America. Washington DC partner Gabriela Sakamoto, a Spanish speaker who was born in Buenos Aires, has a major focus on Latin America and advises a range of commercial and agency lenders on financings in multiple jurisdictions. New York and Washington DC partner Christopher Erckert is a leader in project finance and structured finance, including hybrid deals, and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.  Debora de Hoyos is also highly regarded, while restructuring partner Sean Scott is ‘able to coordinate with overseas offices and is both an outstanding attorney and a tough negotiator‘. Named individuals are based in Chicago unless stated otherwise.

United States > Finance > Commercial lending

Mayer Brown has invested heavily in its commercial lending practice in recent years. The team, which includes lawyers in New York and Chicago, has made a strong impression on the market, and provides strong cross-border support to clients investing in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. On the borrower side it acts for major blue chip corporates such as General Motors, as well as private equity sponsors. On the lender front, it is especially active on mid-market loans, particularly in the direct lending space where Chicago-based partner Matt O’Meara runs the private credit group. Other key individuals include highly experienced global head of leveraged finance Scott Zemser and global head of banking and finance Paul Jorissen, as well as David Duffee (all three in New York), and Fred Fisher and Kristin Rylko in Chicago.