Pablo Jaramillo > Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas > Bogota, Colombia > Lawyer Profile

Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas’ multidisciplinary projects practice strikes a balance between transactional and contentious matters. The group acts for a range of industry participants — including sponsors, construction companies, banks and government entities — with particular activity in the roads, rail, airports, ports and energy sectors. Up-and-coming projects partner Pablo Jaramillo spearheads the group and is recommended for his transactional focus, with experience in the structuring, finance, and development of projects. Ximena Zuleta is the key contact on administrative and public law side and specialises in bidding processes and public contracts. Banking and finance partners Bernardo Cárdenas and Catalina Pinilla are also noted. In June 2022, associate Laura Streubel left to study abroad.

Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas finds favour for its ‘experienced and well co-ordinated team,’ which advises domestic and multinational companies on a range of bidding processes, government contracts, sanction proceedings, and related issues. The group also stands out for its ability to draw on the wider firm’s project practice for support on transactional matters. The ‘very methodical but also very practical’, Ximena Zuleta spearheads the department and advises on administrative law, government procurement and projects, including litigation. Other key contacts include public law litigator Andrés Fernández de Soto and projects head Pablo Jaramillo, while associate Nicolás Díaz supports on projects-related work. Associate Laura Streubel left to study abroad in June 2022.

Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas houses a full-service banking and finance practice, which stands out for its comprehensive industry coverage as well as its broad international outlook. With experience acting for lenders and corporate borrowers, the group is a popular choice to advise global and domestic clients on a wide range of financing matters, including subordinated loans, acquisition finance, project finance and structured finance. Managing partner Bernardo Cárdenas is a transactional specialist who leverages expertise in both banking and corporate deals; he recently acted as local counsel to First Abu Dhabi Bank, as lender, on two senior secured credit facilities granted to Nugil and JGDB Holding to fund the $1.3bn acquisition of Grupo Nutresa and the $780m acquisition of Grupo Sura. In another bank-side matter, Catalina Pinilla advised Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina (CAF), as lender, on $650m worth of unsecured credit facilities provided to Banco de Occidente, Bancoldex, BBVA Colombia and Davivienda. Rounding out the key partners is corporate head Eduardo Cárdenas, who recently advised the lenders (Banco de Occidente, Banco de Bogotá and Corficolombiana) on a project financing of up to COP$550bn to infrastructure concessionaire, Concesión Sabana de Occidente. Pablo Jaramillo, who has a focus on project finance, is also noted. Senior associate Felipe Molano left the firm in February 2023. Since research concluded, the practice has been further strengthened with the hire of next generation partner Felipe Alarcón from Brigard Urrutia – effective as of September 2023.