Mr José María Bazán > Bruchou & Funes de Rioja > Buenos Aires, Argentina > Lawyer Profile

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja provides gold-standard counsel to a premier banking and finance client base and is a consistent presence on the biggest, most complex and most innovative banking and capital markets transactions in Argentina. The ‘consistently excellent’ practice is known for the quality and breadth of its offering, providing distinctive expertise and deep market know-how across loans, debt and equity capital markets, structured finance, acquisition finance, project finance, securitisation and liability management. Acting for both debtors and creditors, the team boasts an impressive roster of local and international banking clients and is also a go-to adviser for companies in the energy, natural resources and agribusiness sectors, among others. Influential banking lawyer and firm chairman Hugo Bruzone leads the team, with a practice covering banking, finance, capital markets and regulation. Founding partners Enrique Bruchou and Carlos Lombardi bring additional senior level experience to the practice’s heavyweight top bench, with impressive support from an ambitious cohort of younger partners that includes the ‘outstanding’ José María Bazán, Alejandro Perelsztein, Matías López Figueroa and Analía Battaglia. Bazán, who also sits on the firm’s executive committee, advises banks, private equity funds and corporations in local and international banking and capital markets transactions and is particularly active on infrastructure and energy matters linked to the government PPP programmes. Battaglia centres her practice on debt restructuring, project finance and infrastructure matters, while Perelsztein is best known for handling local and international capital markets transactions and project finance (predominantly in infrastructure and energy). López Figueroa advises on banking and corporate financing transactions, including trade financing. At associate level, experienced seniors Lucrecia von Petery and Leandro Belusci (who have both spent time in Milbank’s New York office) fronting a talented group of upcoming younger lawyers; clients highlight Ramón Poliche as a name to note. However, the well-regarded Sofia Gallo moved in house at Inviu in March 2023.