Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández > Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic > Firm Profile

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dominican Republic > Banking and finance Tier 1

The banking and finance group at Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández combines its strong presence in the local banking market – where it assists a myriad of local banks – with acting as local counsel to international financial institutions. Sarah De León and Jaime Senior steer the practice; the latter is well regarded for his strength in foreign investment and energy-related transactions, and recently acted alongside Fernando Marranzini in connection with the first issuance of green bonds in the Dominican Republic. Founding partner Mary Fernández draws on extensive corporate and commercial expertise to lead the group’s innovative work relating to alternative payment solutions. Eileen Jiménez is also a key name at top level.

Dominican Republic > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández’s broad transactional expertise is a key part of its offering and the team is singled out as having ‘a great deal of experience handling structured transactions’. The team counts multinationals (including key players in the pharmaceutical industry) and large Dominican groups among its clients, advising on general corporate matters and both local and cross-border M&A. The experienced trio leading the team is made up of Jaime Senior, whose practice spans M&A, corporate reorganisations and commercial contracts, Sarah De León and Roberto Rizik. Eileen Jiménez, Carolina Silié, who is a prominent figure on corporate matters in the energy sector, and Fernando Marranzini are also key team members.

Dominican Republic > Dispute resolution Tier 1

The ‘ethics, commitment, availability and objectivity’ of Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández‘ dispute resolution team is praised by clients. The team is able to handle the full range of litigation, covering the key pillars of civil, commercial and criminal law, and has a strong track record of representing clients in Supreme Court cases. Arbitration and mediation are also core areas of the practice. Founding partner Francisco Álvarez (who has notable niche expertise in telecoms disputes) leads the team alongside Tomás Hernández, a specialist in labour litigation (although his practice also extends to acting in administrative and criminal cases). Julio Camejo focuses on criminal litigation, where senior associate Rafael Santana is also a go-to practitioner. Juan José Espaillat is another name to note, with experience in civil, commercial, administrative and labour litigation.

Dominican Republic > Intellectual property Tier 1

The sizeable IP team at Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández advises leading clients across the main economic sectors in the Dominican Republic, namely pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automobiles, electronics, cosmetics, textiles and services. Mary Fernández and senior associates Miguelina Figueroa and Gabriella Villanueva are the trio leading the team, and are particularly adept at handling IP litigation; this is emblematic of the recent work of the wider group, which has been significantly active in complex administrative disputes. Other key matters undertaken by the team include the negotiation and drafting of contracts to transfer or licence intellectual property rights, as well as data protection and privacy issues.

Dominican Republic > Labour and employment Tier 1

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández‘ sizeable labour and employment team is led by Tomás Hernández, who has expertise in the full spectrum of matters in this area, including the structuring of benefits, drafting of contracts, internal procedures and negotiations with employees' unions. The team is also extremely active in labour litigation and arbitration, with a strong track record in cases before the Supreme Court. Sector strengths for the team include telecoms, financial services, sport (where the firm acts for a number of Major League Baseball teams), and tourism. Litigation practice head Julio Camejo is an important contact for contentious employment matters, as is senior associate Federico Pinchinat.

Dominican Republic > Tax Tier 1

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández‘s tax team advises an array of prominent multinational companies and leading banks, including Johnson & Johnson and Citibank, with a strong suit in assisting such clients with the tax issues surrounding the establishment and structuring of their local operations. The team also routinely advises on the tax side of corporate transactions (including cross-border matters), in line with the firm's significant transactional expertise. Jaime Senior, whose practice covers the tax elements of corporate, financing and energy matters, helms the team alongside Marisol Vicens, who has a great deal of experience acting for domestic and foreign companies on the implementation of sophisticated investment projects. At senior associate level, Naomi Rodríguez is a key figure in the group, utilising corporate nous to assist clients with tax transactions.

Dominican Republic > Energy and natural resources Tier 2

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández' energy practice is skilled in the acquisition, financing and development of energy infrastructure projects, frequently acting for both local and international banks, financial institutions and investment funds. Another key facet of the practice consists of advising on the negotiation of power supply contracts and power purchase agreements (PPAs), as well as regulatory and permitting issues. The team is overseen by Jaime Senior, who is prolific in complex financial and corporate transactions in the energy industry, and Marisol Vicens, who is adept at assisting clients with the implementation of sophisticated investment projects.

Dominican Republic > Environment Tier 2

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández is well known for its advice on compliance with environmental regulation in the Dominican Republic, including carrying out impact studies for industrial and tourist projects. Julio Camejo is the key contact for environment-related litigation.

Dominican Republic > Real estate and tourism Tier 2

Headrick Rizik Alvarez & Fernández handles both contentious and non-contentious matters for tourism companies and developers, including real estate transactions, lease agreements, project development, financial transactions in the sector, and disputes. Founding partner Mary Fernández, Marisol Vicens, who assists with sophisticated investment projects, Sarah De León and Jaime Senior, a key figure for mandates related to tourism and industrial free zone investments, lead the team, and are proficient in M&A matters in the real estate and tourism industries. Senior associate César Ledesma is another standout practitioner for the development of real estate projects.