Mr Jean Paul Farah Chajín > Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

With a practice group 17-partners strong, Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C. advises an impressive range of local and international banks and underwriters, issuers, private equity firms and multilaterals on all types of financing and collateral agreements. Clients value its ‘great experience in complex and sophisticated transactions’, and skill in ‘banking, finance and regulatory work in all their expressions’. An experienced pair leads the group with both garnering praise for being highly involved in cases: Jean Paul Farah Chajín, who advises on financings and refinancings; and Pablo Perezalonso Eguía, who works on international banking and securities transactions, and regulatory matters. Luis A Nicolau Gutiérrez and Gabriel del Valle Mendiola assist with banking, finance, capital markets and restructuring work; and Gabriel Robles advises financial institutions, public companies and private equity funds, with a special focus on capital markets. Senior associate Daniela Solis specialises in energy and infrastructure development and project finance, and associate Salvador Torres provides key support.

The bankruptcy and restructuring practice at Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C. is frequently instructed by clients in the real estate, telecoms, finance, aviation and mining sectors for its counsel on national and cross-border restructurings and insolvency matters. Noted for his skill in restructurings, Jean Paul Farah Chajín leads the practice alongside fellow co-head Pablo Perezalonso Eguía, who advises on the structuring and restructuring of secured and unsecured credit facilities for Mexican private and public sector borrowers. Advising both indebted companies and creditors, Adriana Padilla Rivas assists with restructurings and insolvency proceedings; and Luis Nicolau Gutiérrez has extensive experience counselling underwriters and issuers on debt and equity offerings.

Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C. houses an ‘interdisciplinary team with deep knowledge of the Mexican capital markets arena’ that represents issuers, international and local broker-dealers and investment banks in private and public offerings of debt and equity securities by Mexican issuers – primarily on the international markets. In the domestic arena, the group’s expertise encompasses equity, debt and structured securities offerings, including asset-backed securities, CKDs, CERPIs, FIBRAS-E (MLPs), real estate FIBRAs and bank capitalisation notes. The practice is co-led by well known figure Luis Nicolau, who is deeply experienced at assisting underwriters and issuers with debt and equity offerings; and Gabriel del Valle Mendiola, who handles private and public offerings of debt and equity securities. The partners maintain ‘excellent relations’ with clients; other key contacts include Gabriel Robles Beistegui, Pablo Perezalonso Eguía and Jean Paul Farah Chajín. Senior associate Ernesto Talamás is also noted. Partner Jose Berrueta Ochoa left the practice in June 2022.

The team at Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C., commended by one client as ‘highly knowledgeable on both theoretical and practical aspects of the law’, routinely handles a broad range of matters including private and public real estate fund formation, financings and refinancings, as well as representing real estate investment trusts in their equity and debt investments in Mexico and assisting with related tax and regulatory issues. The group demonstrates strength above all with regards to industrial portfolios, however it also deals with office and residential real estate. Practice co-head Javier Domínguez Torrado has significant expertise advising real estate investment funds and other investors on property acquisitions, disposals, financings, and the development and management of assets. Leading alongside him, Jean Paul Farah Chajín specialises in M&A, infrastructure and real estate finance. Santiago Carrillo Cattori, promoted to the partnership in January 2022, majors on financings, acquisitions and developments relating to industrial and hotel assets, representing domestic and foreign financial institutions, private equity firms and developers. Alfonso Alberto Vargas, who handles finance, M&A and real estate matters, is the key name to note at associate level. Since publication, Vargas has left the firm – effective as of December 2023.