María Lorena Schiariti > Marval O’Farrell Mairal > Buenos Aires, Argentina > Lawyer Profile

Marval O’Farrell Mairal houses a full service compliance practice capable of handling complex matters such as anti-corruption investigations and associated litigation. The group handles day-to-day compliance work, training and monitoring, and demonstrates a strong track record of working together with foreign lawyers, forensic IT experts, forensic accountants and PR consultants on sensitive cross-border matters. However, the June 2023 departure of specialist senior associate Gonzalo Márquez Alonso, followed by the exit of compliance specialist practice head Gustavo Morales Oliver  to joing FTI Consulting some three months later, has left the group in a process of transition. Administrative law partner María Lorena Schiariti, who has long provided high-level senior support on compliance matters, is currently leading the team with key support from dedicated senior associate, María Agustina Testa (compliance, anti-corruption and investigations).

One of the largest and most experienced public law-focused teams in Argentina, Marval O’Farrell Mairal is sought out by local and international clients for its deep expertise across a wide range of administrative and public law matters. The team handles public-private partnerships (PPP) and big ticket infrastructure projects, and has assisted a number of clients to navigate public procurement processes and secure or renew major government tenders and concessions. Sensitive regulatory negotiations, subsidies and supply deals are also areas of activity for the practice group, as are public law disputes work  – including contentious tariff annulments, and Central Bank-regulation and concession-contract disputes. The team is also active in investment disputes and international arbitration proceedings involving the state. Public ethics and the public law aspects of M&A are other areas of expertise. The formidable Héctor Mairal is one of the country’s foremost administrative law experts and co-leads the team with experienced administrative practitioner María Lorena Schiariti and Enrique Veramendi, a regulatory and administrative specialist who also undertakes constitutional and administrative litigation. The practice draws on a strong bench of supporting talent, including experienced dispute resolution partner Gonzalo Santamaria, and associates Milagros Ibarzábal (supply agreements) and Sofia Cimmarusti (public contracts and procurement).