Enrique Espejel > White & Case S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

White & Case LLP has an intense focus on Latin America, which features a well-established white-collar crime and investigations practice led by Michael Garcia and Maria Beguiristain in Miami. The department has built a strong geographic profile, based on headline engagements in Brazil and -more recently- throughout Latin America; it continues to represent some of the biggest names in Brazil, along with other Latin American businesses and an array of multinationals with interests in the region. The team is multi-lingual and has tight cultural connections to Latin America. It has achieved recognition for its expertise in FCPA investigations, internal investigations and M&A due diligence. It is also developing its name in matters related to gaming, crypto and online platforms, and has achieved further growth in US sanctions programmes. Enrique Espejel is another key figure; based in Mexico City where he co-heads the disputes practice, he is frequently engaged in internal investigations for international clients and their Mexican subsidiaries, and also has fine record in enforcement actions.

Lauded for its ‘rapid response time, knowledge and honesty’, the team at White & Case S.C. handles both commercial litigation and financial restructuring, assisting major domestic and international financial institutions. Practice head Enrique Espejel is an experienced litigator for creditors in high-profile bankruptcies, and is recognised for his ‘outstanding counsel, in-depth theoretical knowledge and skill at devising practical strategies’; María Teresa Fernández Labardini provides counsel on the full range of matters, including loan restructurings. Diego Mora-Jensen Garza was promoted to local partner in January 2023.

White & Case S.C.‘s compliance practice is lauded by clients for the ‘exceptional quality’ of its counsel on regulatory compliance and anti-money laundering matters. In addition, it offers litigation and guidance on investigations to an array of major local and international financial institutions, routinely advising on complex cross-border matters. Longstanding clients include Morgan Stanley and domestic FMCG giant, Oxxo. María Teresa Fernández Labardini co-heads the practice and is an authority on regulatory, anti-corruption, fintech and corporate matters; she demonstrates ‘experience, skill and attention to detail’. Co-leading the team alongside her are: Juan Antonio Martín, who provides specialist fintech and payment systems’ experience; and Enrique Espejel, who specialises in white-collar investigations and litigation. The expertise of Andrés Mosqueira and Carlos Mainero lies in financial regulatory guidance. Rebeca García López focuses on the financial sector, and was promoted to local partner in January 2023. The practice has also demonstrates strong growth, with the recent hires of ‘team player’ and partner, Eduardo Flores Herrera; and of counsel Eduardo Apáez – in July and September 2022, respectively – from Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C..

White & Case S.C.’s litigation team regularly appears at the Mexican Supreme Court as counsel for major multinationals operating in the country. It has a strong reputation and caseload in administrative litigation, while also maintaining a commercial litigation practice that participates in some of the standout cases in the market. Bankruptcy cases are a further forte, while more broadly, the firm’s international footprint gives it an advantage in cross-border mandates. The department is highlighted by clients for its ‘great internal communication and teamwork’, with practice heads Ismael Reyes Retana and Enrique Espejel providing expertise in regulatory and administrative litigation, and commercial and civil disputes, respectively. Fernando García Gómez is highlighted for his ‘outstanding technical capacity’ and has a broad practice in constitutional and administrative disputes. January 2023 partner appointment Diego Mora-Jensen’s caseload includes bankruptcy disputes, insurance claims, constitutional amparos and white collar crime; at associate level, Yuriria Galicia (administrative, constitutional and commercial litigation) and Joaquín Pacheco (amparos; white collar, compliance, technology, privacy and data protection disputes) are the key figures. Since publication, Reyes Retana has left the firm – effective December 2023.