Mr Jorge Juantorena > Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is a titan of the Latin American market with an exceptional record in capital markets offerings, including those by sovereigns, state-owned enterprises and large corporates. Team members are praised by clients for their experience, accessibility and involvement in deals. The firm is a dominant force in Mexico and has a substantial market share of Brazil transactions. It remains active in liability management deals and issuances in local currencies. In the sovereign debt segment, the pratice has executed deals for the United Mexican States (Mexico), Dominican Republic, Republic of Uruguay and Republic of Chile as issuer or underwriter’s counsel, and it remains prominent in ESG and sustainability-linked offerings; it advised América Móvil on its inaugural sustainable bond offering in the international capital markets. Jorge Juantorena is a leading name in Mexico offerings and issuances by sovereign governments. Licensed to practice in Mexico and New York, Manuel Silva has a growing reputation in Mexico, Brazil and in sovereign offerings. Top practitioner Juan Giráldez is a key name in Sao Paulo, where the highly-rated Jonathan Mendes de Oliveira was elected to the partnership in 2024. Former partner Nicolas Grabar is now senior counsel. All named individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise. Emilio Minvielle has left the firm.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton’s remains at the forefront of the global offerings space and offers a comprehensive service to both corporate and sovereign clients, with the group especially well known for its representations of Latin American and Caribbean sovereign issuers. Recent highlights for the group include its representation of the Republic of Paraguay in connection with its $500m and PYG3.64tn bond offerings, with the latter transaction Paraguay’s first Guaranies-denominated debt offering on the international capital markets. Jeffrey Karpf handles a wide range of public and private debt and equity offerings for investment banks and issuers. Jorge Juantorena and Francesca Odell stand out for their strong presence in Latin America, with Odell known particularly for her work for major Brazilian corporates. Adam Fleisher’s varied practice spans IPOs as well as convertible bond and and rights offerings, both on the issuer and underwriter side. David Lopez and Duane McLaughlin are also key contacts in the practice.

Overseeing multi-jurisdictional offerings relating to senior secured notes and Rule 144A, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton routinely acts on behalf of domestic and international issuers and underwriters. The practice is well equipped to handle cross-border inaugural green bond offerings and complex high-yield debt transactions, with the primary areas of focus being finance, aviation, and oil. The New York-based outfit is particularly active in South American and European markets, with Duane McLaughlin being highly experienced in representing investment grade and leverage borrowers. Adam Brenneman is an expert in liability management transactions, DIP financings, and insolvency proceedings, while Jorge Juantorena covers US securities law and regulations applicable to foreign issuers. The team is especially knowledgeable on the disclosure and covenant aspects of complex high-yield transactions.