Firm Profile > D'Empaire > Caracas, Venezuela
D'Empaire Offices
EDIFICIO BANCARACAS, P.H
PLAZA LA CASTELLANA
CARACAS 1060
Venezuela
- Go to...
- Rankings
- Firm Profile
- Main Contacts
- Lawyer Profiles
D'Empaire > The Legal 500 Rankings
Banking and finance Tier 1
D'Empaire has a strong reputation in the market for its banking and finance practice. It covers, on the one hand, transactions and financings, such as asset-backed loans, syndicated loans and foreign exchange transactions, but also advises on regulatory and compliance issues for local and foreign financial institutions. Fulvio Italiani is noted for his broad expertise in finance, corporate and energy matters; he jointly leads the practice with restructuring and sovereign debt expert Carlos Omaña. The team was enhanced by the arrival of Roland Pettersson from LEC Abogados in June 2019.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Credit Suisse
Corporate and M&A Tier 1
D'Empaire is well established as a go-to practice for complex transactions such as mergers, sales and acquisitions. Its client portfolio is predominantly made up of international companies, which also approach the firm for advice on general corporate and governance matters, joint ventures and restructurings. Practice head Fulvio Italiani has a stellar reputation in the market, Arnoldo Troconis is well versed in matters in the telecoms and aviation sectors, and Roberto Mas is also a name to note. Paula Serra left for a legal counsel position at Artelia Group in December 2019.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Henkel
Liberty Mutual
Zurich Insurance
Bayer
Alimentos Polar
Visa
Eagleburgmann
Progress Software
Circor International
Excellence Logging Limited
Dispute resolution Tier 1
D'Empaire has a strong track record in civil and commercial litigation, as well as international arbitration proceedings under various rules; one of its specialist areas is nationalisation cases. The client portfolio includes large corporations, family offices and individuals, and the team is also active in white-collar crime mandates. José Humberto Frías is the key contact in commercial and investor-state arbitration, while Pedro Perera is well versed in litigation. Dubraska Galarraga is also noted.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV)
Visa
Economic regulation Tier 1
Clients engage the team at D'Empaire to assist them with the competition law aspects of transactions and investigations. Under the leadership of the experienced José Humberto Frías, the practice also handles general regulatory advice, permits and authorisations.
Practice head(s):
Energy and natural resources Tier 1
D'Empaire has particular strength in the corporate and finance areas, which it draws on to assist various companies from the oil and gas sector. The team also advises on contract negotiations, joint ventures and bidding rounds for oil fields. Practice head Fulvio Italiani is a highly regarded practitioner in the market. Corporate specialists Roberto Mas and Arnoldo Troconis, and Carlos Omaña, who is experienced in handling banking and finance mandates, are also integral members of the team.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Maurel & Prom
Chevron
Rosneft
Eni
Repsol
Pampa Energia
Weatherford
Inepetrol
Seadrill
Labour and employment Tier 1
The team at D'Empaire is noted for covering a wide range of labour and employment matters; it has strong expertise in collective contract negotiations, conflict management with labour unions, and supporting the corporate team in transactions and restructuring. The client portfolio includes prominent names from the banking and finance, energy and consumer product sectors, among others. Practice heads Victorino Márquez and Alejandro Disilvestro have longstanding experience in the area. Associates Aixa Añez and Biba Arciniegas complete the team.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Linde-Praxair
Bimbo
Thomson Reuters
Visa
Maurel & Prom
Bristol Myers-Squibb
Tetra Pak
Syngenta
Marubeni
EagleBurgmann
Public law Tier 1
Clients from the media, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors regularly approach D'Empaire's team to assist them with nationalisations and expropriations, criminal proceedings regarding regulatory matters, general litigation cases and negotiating with the Venezuelan government. José Valentín González' broad practice covers criminal, constitutional, administrative and pharmaceutical law. He leads the team with disputes and antitrust specialist José Humberto Frías. Francisco Bolinaga is an expert in environmental law. Associate Ornella Bernabei is also an integral member of the group.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Premeca
Radio Caracas Television
Radio Caracas Radio (RCR)
Teva
Bristol-Myers
Bayer
Visa
Rosneft
Repsol
Novartis
Tax Tier 1
The team at D'Empaire is highly regarded for its capabilities in the tax arena, particularly in corporate tax and international taxation. The team also represents clients in administrative and judicial proceedings. Its client portfolio consists of international companies, financial institutions and private equity funds, and the group also impresses with a strong wealth management practice. The experienced Alberto Benshimol and Humberto Romero-Muci jointly lead the group, in which José Valecillos is also highlighted.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Bristol Myers Squibb
Weatherford
American Airlines
The Kraft Heinz Company
Mapfre
Navent Group
V6 Holdings
SNC-Lavalin
Ubii Pagos
Tenaris
Real estate Tier 2
D'Empaire's client roster includes private equity firms, real estate investment funds and companies; the team is skilled in advising on a wide range of matters, such as the purchase, sale, construction, financing, development and acquisition of commercial real estate. Led by Inés Parra, the group also handles transactions and related litigation in the sector.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
V6 Holdings
Equipo Gerencial Con Solidez
Intellectual property Tier 3
As part of its full-service offering, D'Empaire is particularly active in contentious IP matters. It handles litigation regarding patents, copyright and trade marks, predominantly for clients from the pharmaceutical and media sectors. The key practitioners are José González and Pedro Perera.
Practice head(s):
D'Empaire > Firm Profile
D’Empaire is a full-service law firm founded in 1972. It provides legal services in Venezuela’s complex business environment, with the goal of being the premier firm for clients facing the most challenging transactions, matters or disputes in Venezuela.
D’Empaire’s 35 attorneys, including its 17 partners, have completed graduate studies in diverse fields of law and some are part-time law professors at leading Venezuelan universities. All are admitted to practice in Venezuela, and several are also admitted to practice in the State of New York. Most of the partners began as associates and most of the associates have developed their entire legal careers at D’Empaire. This has allowed the firm to develop a strong sense of compromise and team work.
D’Empaire is one of the top-tier Venezuelan law firms. It is the law firm of choice for complex matters in all sectors of the economy and fields of law. Its clients include multinationals, major Venezuelan companies and international investment banks. It works for companies engaged in virtually all business sectors of the Venezuelan economy.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate; mergers and acquisitions | Fulvio Italiani | fitaliani@dra.com.ve | |
| Corporate; mergers and acquisitions | Carlos Omaña | comana@dra.com.ve | |
| Corporate; mergers and acquisitions | Inés Parra | iparra@dra.com.ve | |
| Corporate; mergers and acquisitions | Arnoldo Troconis | atroconis@dra.com.ve | |
| Oil and gas, energy, mining and petrochemical projects | Fulvio Italiani | fitaliani@dra.com.ve | |
| Oil and gas, energy, mining and petrochemical projects | Carlos Omaña | comana@dra.com.ve | |
| Oil and gas, energy, mining and petrochemical projects | Inés Parra | iparra@dra.com.ve | |
| Oil and gas, energy, mining and petrochemical projects | Arnoldo Troconis | atroconis@dra.com.ve | |
| Oil and gas, energy, mining and petrochemical projects | Roberto Mas | rmas@dra.com.ve | |
| Finance; restructuring; banking; capital markets; sovereign debt | Carlos Omaña | comana@dra.com.ve | |
| Finance; restructuring; banking; capital markets; sovereign debt | Fulvio Italiani | fitaliani@dra.com.ve | |
| Finance; restructuring; banking; capital markets; sovereign debt | Roland Pettersson | rpettersson@dra.com.ve | |
| Tax | Humberto Romero-Muci | hromeromuci@dra.com.ve | |
| Tax | Alberto Benshimol | abenshimol@dra.com.ve | |
| Tax | José Manuel Valecillos | jvalecillos@dra.com.ve | |
| Labor and human resources | Alejandro Disilvestro | adisilvestro@dra.com.ve | |
| Labor and human resources | Victorino Márquez | vmarquez@dra.com.ve | |
| Public law, competition, antitrust | José Valentín González | jgonzalez@dra.com.ve | |
| Public law, competition, antitrust | José Humberto Frías | jfrias@dra.com.ve | |
| Litigation, arbitration | Pedro Perera | pperera@dra.com.ve | |
| Litigation, arbitration | José Humberto Frías | jfrias@dra.com.ve | |
| Telecommunications and media | Arnoldo Troconis | atroconis@dra.com.ve | |
| Intellectual property | José Valentín González | jgonzalez@dra.com.ve | |
| Environmental | Francisco Bolinaga | fbolinaga@dra.com.ve |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ms Geraldine D'Empaire | Partner | View Profile |
|
Mr Alejandro Disilvestro | Specializes in labour and human resources. He has negotiated several collective labour… | View Profile |
|
José Humberto Frías | José Humberto specializes in competition/antitrust and public law matters. He has participated… | View Profile |
|
Ms Dubraska Galarraga | Specializes in litigation and ADR | View Profile |
|
José Valentín González | Specializes in constitutional, administrative, criminal, pharmaceutical and IP law, as well as… | View Profile |
|
Mr Fulvio Italiani | Specialises in corporate matters. He has extensive experience in major M&A, financing,… | View Profile |
|
Mr Roberto Mas | Specialises on general corporate law matters, oil and gas matters, mergers and… | View Profile |
|
Carlos Omaña | Specializes on Venezuelan sovereign and quasi-sovereigns international financings, corporate law, oil and… | View Profile |
|
Ms Ines Parra | Specializes in corporate law, M&A, capital markets, exchange controls, insurance and real… | View Profile |
|
Mr Pedro Perera | Specialises in litigation and ADR. | View Profile |
|
Mr Roland Pettersson | Specialises on corporate finance, financing transactions, insolvency and debt restructuring, M&A and… | View Profile |
|
Mr Arnoldo Troconis | Specializes in corporate law, telecommunications, aviation law and M&A. He represented Telecom… | View Profile |
|
Mr José Manuel Valecillos | Advises major corporations on a broad range of tax matters. He also… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Total staff : 35Other
Partners : 17Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Economic regulation
- Energy and natural resources
- Labour and employment
- Public law
- Tax