Mr Jose Valera > Mayer Brown > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Mayer Brown is a leading name in energy (including oil and gas), mining and infrastructure M&A. Much of the firm’s Latin America M&A capabilities sit in Houston where Argentina native Pablo Ferrante and Peruvian Jose Valera have decades of experience in big-ticket transactions. They work closely with the firm’s growing Mexico City office and Brazilian partner firm Tauil & Chequer Advogados; global head of oil and gas, Alexandre Chequer splits his time between the Houston and Rio de Janeiro offices and has an outstanding record in inbound and outbound Brazilian M&A. Carlos Motta  is another key figure in Sao Paulo; he was part of the team that advised Brazil-based footwear company, Alpargatas, on its $475m Series B investment in online eco-friendly footwear retailer, Rothy’s. Along with the firm’s prestigious background in conventional energy, the Latin America M&A team is increasingly active in green energy and mining deals; it advised LSC Lithium on the sale of all of the outstanding shares of Lithea Inc, the owner of the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes lithium mining properties located in Salta, Argentina, to GFL International. Energy and mining deals in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru are also a forte for the team, which is additionally building its presence in Guyana’s developing oil and gas sector. Mexico oil and gas M&A specialist Gabriel Salinas rejoined the Houston office as a partner from Shearman & Sterling LLP  in April 2023.

Mayer Brown has an outstanding reputation for project development and M&A in the energy (including oil and gas), mining and infrastructure sectors. The Houston office features senior practitioners, Argentine-born Pablo Ferrante and Jose Valera , who is from Peru. The firm represents a wealth of Latin American businesses in the energy sector and has seen further growth in green energy and mining engagements; it advised LSC Lithium on the sale of all of the outstanding shares of Lithea Inc, the owner of the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes lithium mining properties located in Salta, Argentina, to GFL International. The group frequently works alongside other offices including its partner firm in Brazil, Tauil & Chequer Advogados, which provides a steady flow of inbound and outbound Brazil transactions; Alexandre Chequer is global head of oil and gas, and splits his time between Houston and Rio de Janeiro. The Houston team also works closely with the firm’s Mexico City office, and has an outstanding record in energy deals in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. Notably, it is also increasingly active in Guyana’s developing oil and gas sector.