Labour and employment Tier 1

Santamarina y Steta fields a 20-strong labour department that operates form the firm's Mexico City, Monterrey and Querétaro offices. Juan Carlos de la Vega (Monterrey and Mexico City) and Andrés Rodríguez - considered by some as ‘one of the best labour lawyers in Mexico'- co-head the team, which provides high-level expertise regarding transactional matters, collective bargaining agreements, health and safety, social security and litigation. The firm is currently representing a number of clients (in various sectors), against a series of cases by national unions seeking to obtain recognition as representative of significant employee numbers, and hence party to the respective collective bargaining agreements. Employee / union conflict specialist Pedro Velasco and Francisco Udave (who specialises in representing management in high-profile cases filed by top executives) are also key practice partners. A strong associate group includes Álvaro Álvarez (collective and individual labour matters, both advisory and contentious), who was promoted to counsel in January 2020; senior associates Víctor Hugo Coria (in Querétaro) and Ernesto de la Puente; and associates Raquel Ortiz and Nicolás Acevedo in Monterrey. However, former senior Miguel Ángel Cantú moved to Chevez, Ruiz, Zamarripa y Cia SC as practice director in March 2020.

Banking and finance Tier 2

The practice at veteran full-service firm Santamarina y Steta receives sterling praise for its ‘vast knowledge’ as well as for its ‘excellent ability to solve unexpected problems’. The 16-strong team, which has broad experience advising on the full gamut of traditional financial matters, fields some outstanding lawyers including practice head Juan Carlos Machorro, who specializes in project finance; former managing partner Alberto Saavedra; Sergio Chagoya; and Ricardo Orea, who made partner in January 2020 and has a strong focus on structured finance. Support comes from senior associate Gustavo Mendoza, who has a focus on fintech.

Competition and antitrust Tier 2

Comprising a group of ‘excellent lawyers’, the practice at Santamarina y Steta has extensive experience advising clients on merger authorizations and antitrust investigations, regularly representing clients in confrontations with the regulators, including claims of anti-competitive behavior, cartel investigations and dawn raids (for which the firm provides regular training). The practice group includes the ‘outstanding’ Ernesto Duhne, along with fellow co-heads Vicente Grau and skilled litigator Mariano Calderón; in accordance with the firm's strong transactional practice, the group is particularly active in M&A clearance matters. A strong second line includes senior associate Jair Vaca, along with associates Bárbara Asiain and Yakov Kobets.

Corporate and M&A Tier 2

Clients appreciate Santamarina y Steta's ‘in-depth knowledge and unmatched treatment’ when operating within the corporate and M&A sphere. Offering a strong national practice, with 25 corporate lawyers working from offices in Querétaro, Monterrey and Mexico City, the firm represents a broad mix of domestic and international clients on day-to-day matters, including compliance, and also has a good track record in joint ventures and mid-market M&A. The department houses a deep bench of highly experienced partners, including transactional practice head Juan Carlos Machorro, former managing partner Alberto Saavedra, firm chairman Jorge León-Orantes, Carlos Argüelles and Pablo Laresgoiti in Mexico City; along with César Cruz and Jorge Barrero in Monterrey, and José Ramón Ayala in Querétaro. Between them, they handle M&A, banking and finance, securities and capital markets, private equity and venture capital, along with general corporate advisory, due diligence, joint ventures, public tendering, corporate governance and data privacy, among other matters. Ricardo Orea, who focuses on transactional matters and restructurings; and Claudia Rodríguez C (corporate, M&A, project finance and real estate), were made partners in January 2020.

Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 2

Full-service firm Santamarina y Steta has an ‘exceptional’ litigation practice that regularly represents international clients on domestic and cross-border disputes, and is praised by clients for ‘always looking to be innovative’. Jointly led by ‘expert negotiator’ Carlos Olvera and the ‘practical’ Roberto Fernández del Valle, the team handles a diverse array of dispute resolution cases across a wide variety of sectors and specialisations including complex civil, commercial and administrative cases, and has recently shown muscle in alternative dispute resolution. On the administrative litigation side, key contact Mariano Calderón has strong expertise in environmental and tax-related matters. The team also has a good grounding in insolvency disputes and the enforcement of arbitration awards. The team also has considerable experience in civil liability and damages cases on behalf of individuals and families, a number of them particularly high profile, such as the representation of the parents of a young woman murdered by a Cabify driver in Puebla in 2017. Carlos Brehm -complex civil and commercial litigation, ADR, arbitration, reorganisations, internal investigations and anticorruption matters- who made partner in January 2020, is also noted. The firm also hired associate Cynthia Osio from COMAD, S.C. in 2019.

Real estate Tier 2

Santamarina y Steta's 11-strong practice knows ‘the business very well’, and is praised by some clients for providing ‘unparalleled personal attention, as well as an excellent level of expertise’. The team advises on a wide range of matters including the acquisition, leasing, development, construction and sale of real estate properties, as well related financing structures and securitisation, including the contribution of properties to FIBRAS, CKDs, and guarantee trusts. The department is led by three partners. In Mexico City, Aarón Levet has broad experience in M&A, joint ventures and financing in the hospitality and industrial real estate sectors; and Vicente Grau is active in real estate transactions as part of a broader practice that also takes in economic competition, antitrust and estate planning. In Monterrey, César Cruz is as an expert in structuring, negotiating and implementing businesses and real estate operations, including the purchase and sale of assets and national and international co-investments. Support comes from recently appointed partner, Claudia Rodríguez, who focuses  mainly on the industrial, retail and housing sectors; and senior associate Isaac Zatarain.

TMT Tier 2

A longstanding presence in the telecoms sector Santamarina y Steta currently fields a seven-lawyer team that is particularly strong advising on transactional and regulatory TMT-related work, as well as compliance issues and administrative matters and representation. Firm chairman, corporate specialist Jorge León-Orantes, has extensive experience in telecoms, broadcasting, IT, e-commerce, data protection and privacy, and M&A. He co-leads the practice with fellow senior partner César Cruz (in Monterrey), who has particular expertise in all aspects of data privacy and protection matters. Recent matters include advising a number of digital platforms - such as MU Team and Enroll-U on the TMT, e-commerce and regulatory aspects of establishing their business and initiating operations in Mexico. Additional key practice contacts include recently appointed counsel, Paola Morales (in Mexico City), and senior associate Diego Rubén Acosta (in Monterrey); both focus on telecoms, IT, e-commerce, and data protection and privacy, along with corporate, M&A and foreign investment. (Senior associate Rodrigo Orenday has been on secondment at PayPal since June 2020).

Capital markets Tier 3

Santamarina y Steta's 14-strong capital markets team represents a full range of relevant clients, from investment funds, brokerage firms and lending institutions to issuers, underwriters, placement agents, dealers and trustees regarding debt and equity offerings, public tender offers, debt exchanges involving public companies, derivatives, and repurchase and securities lending transactions. Former managing partner and practice head Alberto Saavedra is chair of the ethics and normative committees of the Mexican Stock Exchange and derivatives market 'MexDer'; indeed, the firm is external counsel to the stock exchange. Other key figures include client favorite and 20-year veteran Sergio Chagoya, who advises on capital markets, banking and finance and corporate/M&A, as well as securities, derivatives and fintech; Carlos Argüelles, who particularly works on the private placement of debt securities; and Monterrey of counsel Jorge Barrero, who takes on M&A, securities, competition/antitrust, and estate planning. Key support comes from experienced and specialized senior associate Gustavo Mendoza and associate Diego Ostos.

Intellectual property Tier 3

Full-service firm Santamarina y Steta offers ‘first class intellectual property services’, in the main IP areas of trade marks, patents, and copyright, as well as in trade secrets and domain names, plant varieties and breeder’s rights. As one client notes, the firm ‘understands the problems of the agronomic discipline’. The business-oriented team of six lawyers represents companies from the pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and automotive industries, and is led by Jose Pablo Pérez Zea, an expert in franchising and licensing, who also handles litigation and prosecution regarding intellectual property rights. Support comes from Daniel Legaspi, who was appointed counsel in January 2021 and handles trade marks, franchising and licensing and is also an accredited arbitrator for copyright issues; along with associates Jacqueline Caraza, who focuses on patents, and plant variety specialist Enriqueta Molina. The litigation side of the practice was reinforced by the arrival of Efraín Olmedo from Arochi & Lindner, SC in July 2019.

International trade and customs Tier 3

Two experienced partners, Alejandro Luna and Ernesto Duhne, lead the eight-strong trade team at full-service firm Santamarina y Steta, which shows notable skills handling a range of IT&C matters, especially structuring operations in line with customs obligations, FTAs, IMMEX (maquiladora), tariff and non-tariff matters, taxation, anti-dumping, verification of origin, and related disputes. The practice has earned a good standing among multinational companies in the automotive, health, technology, aerospace, marine, pharmaceutical, retail and agro-industrial sectors, and also includes  noteworthy practitioners Mariano Calderón, a tax specialist who handles customs litigation, and associate Michel Zelaya.

Life sciences Tier 3

Santamarina y Steta advises clients in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, cosmetic, seed, fertilizers, plant nutrients and food industries, among others, on compliance with applicable Mexican law, regulations and standards; administrative litigation, corporate transactions and international trade and commerce matters, related to the life-sciences sector. Alejandro Luna has 20 years' experience in the sector, in addition to corporate governance, international trade and antidumping, franchise and licensing, M&A and joint venture; he has also spent time as external counsel to clients in the pharma and confectionary sectors. Recent matters include internal regulatory and sanitary audits, transactional regulatory strategies, administrative procedures and labelling matters, among others. The practice also has a sub-specialisation focused on the nascent cannabis market sector in Mexico. Key associates support comes from mid-level associate Mariana Larrea.

Projects and infrastructure Tier 3

Traditional full-service firm Santamarina y Steta is a constant presence, primarily on the finance side of project and infrastructure development. Both well-reputed international corporate finance lawyers, transactional practice head Juan Carlos Machorro and Sergio Chagoya co-lead the projects group; the pair have some 50 years' experience -including project finance and infrastructure matters- between them. Past years have seen them particularly active advising state-owned development bank Banobras. More recent mandates include advising Abengoa subsidiary Abent 3T on the execution of a $381m credit facility with Banco Santander, as well acquisitions in the renewables sector, mid-stream hydrocarbons matters, and a particular niche strength in relation to port developments and financings. It is also active in various municipal public-lighting PPPs. Additional key figures in the small group include Ricardo Orea Montaño, who was appointed partner in Janaury 2020 and associate Margarita Casarin, who both have broad experience across both project development and financing; while senior Gustavo Mendoza, and associate Diego Ostos, are more strictly finance focused.

Bankruptcy and restructuring Tier 4

Acting for debtors and creditors, Santamarina y Steta's capable bankruptcy practice is well-known for providing integrated advice on an array of insolvency matters, ranging from government relations to corporate, securities and labor matters, and for assisting in litigation associated with the insolvency and bankruptcy process itself. The department is co-led by co-managing partner Roberto Fernández del Valle and partner Carlos Olvera; Olvera is very experienced in commercial litigation and bankruptcy proceedings, particularly regarding the oil and gas industry. Carlos Brehm, who made partner in January 2020, is another key member of the practice group.

Energy and natural resources Tier 4

Experienced corporate and finance partner Juan Carlos Machorro leads the practice at Santamarina y Steta, which has a solid track-record representing several international investors in energy and financial projects and agreements across the Mexican territory. The team has broad experience in negotiating with Pemex, electricity commission CFE and local regulators regarding oil, gas and power projects and infrastructure transactions, including energy-related matters with diverse renewable energies (biogas, wind, biodiesel, photovoltaic, advanced ethanol), where the team is frequently active on structuring aspects, project implementation and transactions. Experienced mid-level associate Ramses Franco is noted; however, Iliana Aranda departed to undertake her LLM and Jacobo Wertman left the firm in May 2020.

Environment Tier 4

Seasoned partner, Aarón Levet, heads the practice at Santamarina y Steta. With over 35 years' experience and specialisation in environmental, natural resources, and real estate law, he regularly advises domestic and international clients on the environment aspects of transactional matters, particularly in the hospitality and industrial real estate sectors. Recent mandates have involved environmental and regulatory due diligence, hazardous waste management, compliance audits and the regularization of environmental obligations. Key support comes from seniors Isaac Zatarain (environment and natural resources, renewable and clean energy and real estate, along with anti-corruption matters), and October-2019 hire, Juan Carlos Aguirre, who has a significant track record in the sector.

Insurance Tier 4

Santamarina y Steta is well-known for its activity with local insurance companies and foreign carriers undertaking insurance activities in Mexico, acting for said clients on contractual, corporate and regulatory matters. The well-respected practice, which also handles insurance issues for industry, such as E&O matters, is led by partner Francisco Torres from the Monterrey office; he is very experienced in M&A transactions involving Mexican insurance carriers. Support comes from Mexico City-based partner Carlos Olvera, who combines his practice with his excellent litigation skills.

Tax Tier 4

The six-strong tax practice at full-service firm Santamarina y Steta, renowned for its litigation capabilities, is led by experienced partner Mariano Calderón, who specializes in tax, constitutional and administrative litigation, taxation, foreign trade and anti-money laundering matters. Other noteworthy practitioners include Karina Robledo, appointed counsel as of January 2021, who focuses on domestic and international tax matters - mainly acquisitions (due diligence), transfers, mergers, spin-offs and all types of corporate reorganisation; and senior associate Jair Vaca, who is very active on the litigation side.