Melisa Romero > Bomchil > Buenos Aires, Argentina > Lawyer Profile

Bomchil represents a wide range of clients, both on the debtor and the creditor side, on a broad field of complex cross-border restructuring matters. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to restructuring cases, and working with colleagues in other departments, the team handles liability management, security interest foreclosures, creditor committee mandates and distressed asset acquisitions. The practice is also well-versed in restructuring and reorganisation proceedings, including Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 proceedings in the US. The team is co-led by experienced insolvency lawyers Tomás Araya and Martín Girotti, who are both members of the insolvency section of the International Bar Association. Litigator Melisa Romero, raised to the partnership in January 2023, is another senior level contact with ample experience of the contentious aspects of bankruptcy matters. Since publication, the practice has been notably reinforced with the hire of former bankruptcy judge Julia Villanueva as practice co-head – effective as of January 2024.

Bomchil handles individual consumer claims, class actions and civil and commercial matters at judicial and arbitral level, and also advises clients on strategies for mitigating litigation risk. The team has a strong roster of consumer law clients, who also turn to the firm for support on contractual and tort claims. The practice is co-led by Martín Girotti, who has wide ranging experience in consumer class actions in several industries; and recently promoted partner Melisa Romero, who covers complex commercial class actions and has helped numerous clients to settle cases and reduce risk exposure.

The Bomchil life sciences practice advises local and international clients on clinical trials, telemedicine, tobacco-free products and clinical practice guidelines, as well as handling complex medical malpractice litigation and class actions, and providing pre-trial advice to clinics and medical services’ providers in order to mitigate risk. Litigation partner Martín Girotti co-leads the practice with fellow contentious specialist, Melisa Romero, who was raised to the partnership in January 2023; she focuses on medical malpractice proceedings and has also been advising clients on cases arising from the adverse effects of Covid-19 vaccines and clinical trials.

The well-rounded dispute resolution practice at Bomchil advises domestic and international clients in multiple sectors on a wide range of regulatory, commercial, civil and contentious administrative matters, including tariff controls, state market intervention and public contract terminations. The firm is particularly well-known for its international arbitration expertise, where it has played an influential role championing legislation to establish Argentina as a modern, pro-arbitration seat. Respected international arbitration and electricity expert María Inés Corrá jointly leads the practice alongside accomplished all-round litigator Martín Girotti; experienced investment and commercial arbitration lawyer Francisco Gutiérrez; and Federico Campolieti, who has vast arbitration experience and is frequently called on to sit as an arbitrator. The promotion to the partnership of Melisa Romero, who focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation matters and class actions across multiple key jurisdictions, has deepened the team’s senior bench. At associate level, senior Santiago Lucas Peña, who handles international arbitration, regulatory and administrative law work; and semi-senior Clara Goenaga, who has worked successfully with individual consumers on claims related to manufacturing defects and breach of sale of cars contracts, provide capable back up at associate level. Since publication, Peña has been raised to the partnership – effective as of Janauray 2024.