Sebastián Pérez-Arteta > Pérez Bustamante & Ponce > Quito, Ecuador > Lawyer Profile

Pérez Bustamante & Ponce
AV REPÚBLICA DE EL SALVADOR N36-140
EDIFICIO MANSIÓN BLANCA
QUITO
Ecuador

Work Department

Sebastián Pérez-Arteta has been the Managing Partner of the firm for more than 20 years and has a longstanding commercial, investment and public and private contracts practice, with a focus on energy and projects in Ecuador. Due to his extensive track record, which includes several landmark transactions in the country, he is recognized as a leading figure in these fields. He frequently advises local and foreign investors on complex negotiations and transactions and public bids. In his capacity as Managing Partner, Sebastián has been involved in most of the relevant cases or matters entrusted to the firm.

He provides clients and PBP´s team with strategic advice based on his in-depth knowledge of the Ecuadorian market, his practical approach and business acumen. Clients value his ability to see the big picture and his dispute resolution skills.

Sebastián has had extensive experience in the government, giving him a unique insight into both international and local matters. In his role as Private Secretary and Advisor to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Integration (1982-1983) he gained a deep understanding of the Ecuadorian public sector and its interaction with private companies. He served as Counselor of the Embassy of Ecuador in Washington (1984-1987), which allowed him to work with multilateral organizations, thoroughly understanding foreign investors’ needs and how they relate to the Ecuadorian system and the country’s interest in attracting investment. He also served as Ecuador’s Deputy Minister of Finance (1992-1993), where he was involved in the preparation of several laws and regulations that organized and clarified the country’s public finances.

Position

Managing Partner

Career

  • Pérez Bustamante & Ponce (1978 – present)
  • Private Secretary and Advisor to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Integration, Ecuador (1982 – 1983)
  • Counselor, Embassy of Ecuador in Washington (1984 – 1987)
  • Deputy Minister of Finance, Ecuador (1992 – July 1993)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Pichincha Chamber of Industry, Ecuador (1992 – 1993)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Quito Chamber of Commerce, Ecuador (1998 – 2000; 2002 – 2006)
  • Arbitrator, Quito Chamber of Commerce, Ecuador (1998 -present)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Internal Revenue Service, Ecuador (1998 – 2000)
  • Member, National Securities Council, Ecuador (1999 – 2006)

Languages

Spanish, English

Memberships

  • International Bar Association
  • Ecuador Bar Association

Education

 

  • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito (Doctor of Jurisprudence, 1983)
  • Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain (Degree in Law, 1978)

Lawyer Rankings

Ecuador > Energy and natural resources

Partners Francisco Roldán-Cobo, Sebastián Pérez-Arteta, Jaime Zaldumbide and Sebastián Cortez, along with associate director María Isabel Aillón, co-lead Pérez Bustamante & Ponce‘s energy group, which ‘helps solve complex problems’ and shows a ‘solid knowledge of the management of government relations’. In addition to regularly handling mining and oil and gas work, the team has seen an uptick in the number of electricity and renewable energy matters, areas of growth for the country more widely. The group’s multidisciplinary approach means it is able to provide clients with tax, labour, environmental, finance, M&A and contractual advice. In June 2022, Patricio Albuja returned to the firm as a senior associate after a period in-house, further bolstering the group’s energy offering. Since publication, Aillón has been raised to the partnership