Juan Manuel González Bernal > Greenberg Traurig, S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

Greenberg Traurig, LLP has a substantial focus on Latin America, including through its large teams in Miami, New York and Mexico City. Many in the team are fluent Spanish and/or Portuguese speakers, with a large number also being dual-qualified in the US and a Latin American jurisdiction. Energy and infrastructure transactions account for a large slice of its Latin America practice, including high-value M&A and project finance transactions. Much of the practice centres on bond-driven financings, including green bonds and project bonds. Mexico and Chile currently constitute its primary jurisdictions. Marc Rossell is co-chair of the Latin America group and is noted for capital markets-driven financings of energy and infrastructure. Oscar Stephens is a native of Chile where he is especially active in project financings and bond offerings, having a principal focus on renewable energy and infrastructure. Mexico City partner Juan Manuel González Bernal is co-chair of the global infrastructure practice and has extensive experience in project finance, public procurement and PPPs in Mexico.

The expertise of the capital markets practice at Greenberg Traurig, S.C. encompasses IPOs, debt offerings, structured securities (FIBRAs, FIBRA-Es, CKDs, CERPIs) and the representation of SPACs. The team demonstrates ‘great subject knowledge’, and has experience representing issuers, underwriters, financial institutions and venture capital funds in domestic and cross-border securities offerings, leading cases in a ‘methodical and structured manner’. An experienced trio heads up the practice, comprising José Raz Guzmán, who is knowledgeable on public and private offerings of equity, debt, structured instruments, FIBRAS, CKDs, SPACs and securitizations; FIBRA-E structuring expert Juan Manuel González; and project finance-focused José Antonio Butrón. Of counsel Gabriela Palomino supports on corporate, infrastructure and project finance matters; senior associate David Argueta is an additional key contact.

Praised for its ability to ‘understand the client’s needs and get fully involved in the business’, the ‘hands-on’ team at Greenberg Traurig, S.C. is active in project structuring, development, financing and refinancing, as well as PPPs and transactions involving infrastructure investment trusts such as FIBRAs-E. The group is routinely instructed by banks and institutional investors, FIBRAS, insurance companies, and Mexican states and municipalities. The practice is co-directed by a seasoned trio, comprising: Juan Manuel González Bernal, who specialises in project finance, public procurement and PPPs;  José Antonio Butrón, who handles M&A, refinancings, project finance, capital markets transactions, securitisations, and the structuring and implementation of infrastructure funds (CKDs, CERPIs and FIBRAs-E); and Gabriela Palomino, who was promoted to the partnership in January 2023 and focuses on M&A, infrastructure and project development. Associate Edgar Fernando Orozco assists with public procurement and project finance matters.