Sergio Chagoya > Santamarina y Steta > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

Santamarina y Steta excels at representing development financing institutions, including local banks, international and multilateral institutions, as both lenders and borrowers; it also has expertise in financial workouts. Its active Monterrey office is regularly instructed by high-profile borrower clients in the northeast of the country and complements the ‘responsive’ team led by Juan Carlos Machorro from Mexico City; he has extensive experience in investment and manufacturing projects. Sergio Chagoya represents lenders, sponsors and borrowers in a range of financial transactions including public offerings, securitisations and privatisations; ‘exceptional lawyer’ Ricardo Orea advises banks and other financiers on energy, transport and asset-backed financing transactions; and Diego Ostos provides counsel on debt issuances and cross-border financial transactions. Of counsel Margarita Casarin – who works on syndicated and structured finance, project finance and infrastructure projects – is an additional name to note.

The ‘extraordinarily skilled’ practice at Santamarina y Steta is regularly instructed by local and international banks and developers, and energy, construction and telecoms companies for its assistance with the planning, development, execution, and financing of urban infrastructure projects. The group is directed by a trio of partners, comprising: Juan Carlos Machorro, who focuses on the development and implementation of investment and manufacturing projects in Mexico; Sergio Chagoya  (described by one client as ‘the lawyer you want in your legal team … the go-to person for closing difficult negotiations’), who advises lenders, sponsors and borrowers on infrastructure projects, public offerings and securitisations; and Ricardo Orea, who focuses on financing for energy, transport and social infrastructure projects, as well as asset-backed financing transactions. Diego Ostos is an additional key partner-level contact, and specialises in banking and finance, capital markets, project finance, infrastructure, M&A, PPPs and government procurement. Senior associate Margarita Casarin (corporate and financial law, including syndicated, structured and project finance) is also noted.

The ‘business-focused’ capital markets practice at Santamarina y Steta combines ‘good industry knowledge’ with a ‘pleasant manner’ and provides counsel on debt and equity offerings, public tender offers and matters involving FIBRAs and CKDs. Sergio Chagoya advises lenders, sponsors, borrowers and rating agencies on private equity and venture capital investment in infrastructure projects, public offerings, securitisations and privatisations; he co-leads the practice alongside securities, capital markets and M&A expert Alberto Saavedra. Diego Ostos, who participates in debt issuances and M&A transactions, is an additional name to note. 2022 saw the departure of associates Esteban Soto and Iñigo García in August and September, respectively; but also the arrival of senior associates Elias Zaga Belzer and Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sada in October. Since publication, Rodríguez Sada has moved to Santos Elizondo – effective as of October 2023.