Mr Ricardo Castañeda > Beccar Varela > Buenos Aires, Argentina > Lawyer Profile

Beccar Varela is a ‘trusted partner’ that multinationals, private equity firms and local SMEs turn to for support on the structuring of complex acquisitions and disposals of controlling and minority stakes, corporate reorganisations, spin-offs, and joint ventures. In addition to its active transactional practice, the team also provides day-to-day corporate advisory support to a large portfolio of domestic and international clients in a range of sectors, with its expertise in technology, financial services, agribusiness and energy particularly noted. Heavyweight M&A lawyer Roberto Crouzel co-leads the practice alongside standout transactional expert María Shakespear; ‘outstanding’ M&A lawyer Alejandro Poletto; and respected private equity and private client adviser Ramón I Moyano. Ricardo Castañeda, previously with YPF, has deepened the firm’s energy and power expertise, with natural resources department head Roberto Fortunati also making a valuable contribution. Other key partners include experienced cross-border M&A lawyer Tomás Allende; corporate and banking all-rounder Carolina Serra; and Lucía Degano, who runs the firm’s regional office in the free trade zone in Uruguay. Counsel Eugenia Radaelli (M&A, corporate advisory and banking & finance) spearheads the practice’s second line with senior associate Luciana Liefeldt another key contact.

Beccar Varela works with national and international clients in the thermal, hydro, wind, solar, bio-gas and hydrogen sectors. The team covers the full electricity value chain, including generation, transmission, distribution, and major-consumer work; and has experience working on major government privatisations, international bids and concession contract renegotiations. Developers and owners also turn to the team for support on the drafting and negotiation of EPC agreements, including risk assessment and structuring. Renewable energy is another active area, where the practice – a prominent member of the Argentine Renewable Energy Chamber (“CADER”) – advises on public bid processes and financing mechanisms. Respected energy and natural resources lawyer José Carlos Cueva leads the team in tandem with Ricardo Castañeda, who energy clients turn to for advice on M&A, corporate law and project finance matters.

Oil-and-gas clients turn to Beccar Varela for advice regarding offshore exploration, concessions, EPC and other contractual matters, as well as M&A and joint ventures. The team covers all stages of the oil-and-gas production cycle, including exploration, upstream, downstream, equipment and service supplier matters. Other active areas include land use, environmental regulation and financing. The team is co-led by respected corporate and natural resources practitioner Roberto Fortunati; experienced energy partner José Carlos Cueva; Ricardo Castañeda, whose main area of focus is electricity but who also handles hydrocarbon-related work; and M&A and project finance partner Pedro Silvestri.