Francisco De Rosenzweig > White & Case S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

White & Case S.C. fields ‘a very solid team with extensive knowledge and sensitivity to critical aspects of the market’ in the energy and natural resources space. The department has necessarily adapted to current market circumstances, strengthening its regulatory offering in the face of López Obrador’s policy of opposition to public investment and ownership in the sector. Practice head Francisco de Rosenzweig is highly respected in the market for both energy regulatory matters and energy transactions, and according to one client, is ‘undoubtedly the benchmark in matters of public law and energy’. Juan Ruenes, who was promoted to international partner in January 2023, is the name to note for financings and refinancings in the energy space; while Juan Carlos Llorens -in turn raised to the local partnership in January 2023- has recently been involved in energy sector M&As, financings and refinancing. Associate José Daniel Franco is noted as ‘very reliable in his help, particularly in the technical aspects related to the natural gas industry’. Since publication, Mariana Montemayor has left the firm, effective as of October 2023.

The eight-strong practice at international firm White & Case S.C. is known first and foremost for its work advising sponsors and developers on matters that span the full life-cycle of projects, as well as its activity in the renewables and oil-and-gas segments. The group is comfortable handling complex cross-border transactions, as demonstrated by its recent participation in the negotiations for the construction of a new international rail bridge connecting Laredo, Texas, USA and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Electricity regulatory specialist Francisco De Rosenzweig steers the practice and advises clients on projects in the energy, transactional, infrastructure and transport sectors. January 2023 saw the promotion of both Former Braskem Idesa GC Juan Ruenes and Juan Carlos Llorens to international partner; Ruenes handles project and asset finance, infrastructure development and general corporate matters, while Llorens majors on corporate law, and energy, infrastructure and project financing. Since publication, Mariana Montemayor has left the firm, effective as of October 2023.

The Mexico office of White & Case S.C. plays a key role in the firm’s North America presence in the field of arbitration. Practice head Rafael Llano Oddone and his team are key advisors for the firm’s international client base, particularly as regards navigating the landscape of regulatory reform under the López Obrador administration. This has involved a considerable volume of energy sector work, as well as challenging the Mexican government on contract terminations within the framework of NAFTA and successor USMCA agreement. Francisco de Rosenzweig is the name to note for clients requiring energy regulatory law counsel, and counsel Marièle Coulet-Diaz bolsters the firm’s commercial and investment arbitration offering in the region. The practice was further strengthened in August 2023 with the hire of Carlos Véjar; while perhaps best known as an international trade specialist, Véjar also has extensive investment arbitration and private commercial arbitration experience. Since publication, Coulet-Diaz has been raised to the partnership – effective as of January 2024.