Mr Juan Camilo De Bedout > Posse Herrera Ruiz > Bogota, Colombia > Lawyer Profile

Comprising professionals who are ‘well trained and very experienced’, Posse Herrera Ruiz’s Medellín platform has evolved into one of the firm’s key service centres. The 14-lawyer team houses strong capabilities in infrastructure, international trade, dispute resolution, tax, investment funds, and fintech, among other areas, which equips it to handle strategic matters for key locally-based clients such as UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones, Consorcio Hidroitunago, and Sura Asset Management — as well as national and international companies. Cristina Vásquez heads the office and specialises in projects, infrastructure and public law; she recently advised Odinsa on its negotiations with Macquarie Asset Management to create a platform for highway assets in Colombia and the region. At senior level, Vásquez is supported by high-profile dispute resolution expert Carolina Posada and international trade and tax partner Juan Camilo De Bedout — both split their time between Bogotá and Medellín. The group further benefits from the emerging expertise of customs and international trade director María Paula Sánchez; newly appointed (May 2023) director Julián Aguirre, who is now in charge of fintech and investment funds nationally; and dispute resolution-focused associate Natalia Tobón.

Posse Herrera Ruiz’s tax group finds favour for its ‘extensive experience in planning national and international operations’. The full-service practice secures high-level work across a varied mix of contentious and non-contentious matters, with strong showings in transactional tax (including large-scale reorganisations), tax planning and litigation. Indeed, its established reputation in the tax area was recently demonstrated by its advice to the Colombian Government, via the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, on an analysis of the regulatory changes needed to increase the country’s exportation-of-services capacity. The department notably fields one of the deepest benches in the market — split between the firm’s Bogotá, Medellin and Barranquilla offices — which is led by go-to tax expert Juan Guillermo Ruiz (‘proposes innovative solutions tailored to the client’). Other senior names include tax litigator Juan Camilo De Bedout and tax planning specialist Jaime Gómez. In June 2022, associate Daniel Ortegon joined from EY Colombia. Transactional tax specialist Juan David Velasco left the firm in April 2022.

Posse Herrera Ruiz’s international trade group stands out for its ‘combination of legal and economic knowledge’. Among its other key attributes, the team’s ability to lean on other departments from across the full-service firm stands as an asset in larger matters. Director and practice head María Paula Sánchez ‘generates trust and facilitates teamwork’; she is particularly recommended for her activity in anti-dumping investigations. Other key contacts include experienced tax and foreign trade counsel Ramiro Araujo Segovia; tax — including customs tax — specialist Juan Guillermo Ruiz; and tax, customs, and transfer pricing litigator Juan Camilo De Bedout. At associate level, Ana María Vega is highly regarded for her focus on customs and international trade law; while Daniela Lozada concentrates on tax, customs, and international trade litigation. Since publication, Sánchez has been raised to the partnership – effective as of March 2024.