Romero Pineda > San Salvador, El Salvador > Firm Profile

Romero Pineda
EDIFICIO AVANTE, SUITE 5-01
BLVD LUIS POMA, SANTA ELENA
ANTIGUO CUSCATLÁN
El Salvador

Email firm Visit website 503 2505 5555 503 2505 5500

El Salvador > Legal market overview

El Salvador > Intellectual property Tier 1

The powerhouse IP team at Romero Pineda remains a market leader, assisting such household-name multinationals as Disney, Kraft-Heinz and Pfizer with the maintenance and defence of their global IP portfolios. The team is led by managing partner José Roberto Romero

, an authority in the IP field whose expertise spans a broad range of industries, including telecoms, real estate, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages, and litigation practice director Carlos Castillo, who brings over 30 years' experience to his handling of IP enforcement and anti-counterfeiting disputes. The team was bolstered at senior level in March 2023 by the elevation to the partnership of Elsy Duran, the founder of the firm’s foreign IP matters division, who advises clients on searches, new filings, assignments, mergers and prosecution. Capable support is provided by associates Nadya León, who has notable strength in opposition actions, objections and refusals, as well as extra-judicial negotiations related to the protection and enforcement of trade marks, and Susana Navarro, who assists clients with the registration of their industrial designs, patents, utility models and domain names.

Hall of Fame

José Roberto Romero

– Romero Pineda

Rising stars

Nadya León – Romero Pineda

Practice head(s):

José Roberto Romero; Carlos Castillo

Testimonials

‘Elsy Durán is excellent – she has knowledge of the subject matter and provides essential follow-up on the processes entrusted to her.’

‘The team stands out for its ability to analyse and solve problems, as well as the personalised client service.‘

‘Romero Pineda is a leader in intellectual property and the legal management of brands in El Salvador. There is no other law firm that compares to the service, quality, knowledge, support and commitment that each member of its team possesses.‘

‘Their involvement with our brand and the dedication they show is incredible. We feel very supported and well advised by Romero Pineda. It is always difficult for us to quickly understand legal matters, but the Romero Pineda team always makes things easy and understandable for us.‘

Key clients

Brandstock (now Questel)

Productos Alimenticios Bocadeli

Brinker International

Proyecciones y Administración Empresarial

PAE Global

Arch Resources Group

Grupo Bimbo

Ferrari

Studio Torta

Pfizer

Camelier Advogados Associados

Becerril, Coca & Becerril

Janssen Sciences Ireland

Godiva Belgium

The Walt Disney Company

Grupo Hilasal (Inversiones Hilasal, Textiles San Andrés, Exportadora TSA, Fundación Sagrera Palomo)

Work highlights

Providing portfolio management services for IP provider Brandstock, including renewal procedures for around 180 trade marks of different owners such as GAP, BASF, Reckitt Benckiser, 3M and the Kraft Heinz Company.
Handling all of Productos Alimenticios Bocadeli’s trade mark searches, new filings, prosecution, renewals, and IP strategies in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize, Dominican Republic, Peru, and the US.
Advising Proyecciones y Administración Empresarial, PAE Global and Arch Resources Group on registering its trade marks across Central America, according to the IP Offices’ different criteria.

El Salvador > Dispute resolution Tier 2

Domestic firm Romero Pineda marshals the experience of its team to assist major national, regional and global corporations (including key market players Belcorp and Grupo Bimbo) across such sectors as entertainment, cosmetics, aviation, sports, food and telecoms with high-stakes litigation, complex negotiations and alternate dispute resolution strategies. The sizeable leadership group is made up of founding partner and firm chairman Roberto Romero, a specialist in international arbitration who has served as counsel to the embassies of both Mexico and Guatemala; litigation department director Carlos Castillo, an authority in IP litigation who brings over 30 years of experience to the practice; and associates Feridee Alabi, who handles complex contentious-administrative cases, with a focus on those related to government sanctions, and Nadya León, who handles extra-judicial negotiations in relation to the enforcement and protection of trade marks, in addition to nullity and cancellation actions.

Leading individuals

Carlos Castillo – Romero Pineda

Rising stars

Feridee Alabi – Romero Pineda

Practice head(s):

Roberto Romero; Carlos Castillo; Feridee Alabi; Nadya León

Key clients

ISP

Belcorp

Gaspro

Pochteca

Udp Inkoa-Dycsa

Vape

Mina Roca

Cosmo Moda

Cocina de Vuelos

RGIS

Polycolor Internacional

HealthCo Products

Productos Alimenticios Bocadeli

Grupo Bimbo

Rochester Midland Corporation

Work highlights

Representing Belcorp in proceedings against an employee of the company accused of improper appropriation.
Defended Cosmo Moda, which owns Aldo Shoes & Accessories stores in the Galerias and Multiplaza malls in San Salvador, against a sanctioning process initiated by the Consumer Protection Office.
Acted for Cocina de Vuelos, a company dedicated to providing food services to the airlines that use the El Salvador International Airport, in filing a case for fraud against a former financial manager.

El Salvador > Corporate and M&A Tier 4

The multidisciplinary team at full-service domestic firm Romero Pineda combines expertise in corporate, commercial and banking issues to advise major regional and multinational corporations on cross-border M&A and entry into the Salvadoran market, as well as related competition, customs, e-commerce, fintech, real estate and environmental issues. Sectors of expertise include construction, aviation, food, NGOs, manufacturing and banking. The practice is headed by Francisco Martinez, whose practice takes in corporate maintenance, distribution contracts, due diligence and compliance with anti-money laundering laws. Other key figures include banking, finance and insurance division head Camila Villafuerte, who was promoted to partner in March 2023; senior counsel Irene Arrieta, an expert in all aspects of corporate and commercial law; and associate Roberto Pocasangre, who assists with labour matters, company incorporations and public tenders.

Practice head(s):

Francisco Martínez

Key clients

Acajutla Project/OPIC (DFC)

IFC

Finnvera

BID Invest

KFW

Inversiones BOSH

La Nueva Aerolínea (Wingo Airlines)

Copa Airlines

Visanto’s

Abbott

Cinemark

Kelloggs

Altech

Work highlights

Providing continual support to Copa Airlines with regulatory compliance and authorisations.
Advising Visanto’s, a national brand belonging to Pizzeria Gourmet, on the expansion of the franchise, including the review of a master franchise agreement and a compliance review of the new franchisees and their corporate structure.
Providing La Nueva Aerolínea (Wingo Airlines) with continued advice on corporate and compliance matters.

Romero Pineda is inspired by the vision of Dr. Roberto Romero Pineda, to constantly find excellence and innovation in legal services provision. The passion for the Law, customer service, knowledge, and development of new disciplines, laid the foundations to build one of the most prestigious law firms in El Salvador and in the Central American region.

Our multilingual talent is continuously trained in the different branches of Law and related sciences; hence we have achieved a high level of specialization to satisfy the needs of our clients. We work under our fundamental values: Excellence, Loyalty, Honesty, Solidarity and Equity.

We are committed to use technology as a tool that enable us to standardize our processes and expedite the services we provide to our customers. Therefore, training our staff and having the best professionals are the key to continue providing our services with high standards and professionalism.

We have been active members of LexMundi, the world’s largest association of independent law firms for more than 30 years, which gives us access to the services provided by some 25,000 experts in Law and Business in more than 125 countries, provinces, and States, and supports Romero Pineda with the highest quality standards in El Salvador, turning it more competitive.

According to the most prominent international rating agencies, our Firm has been awarded more than 50 mentions and awards in recent years.

At present, Romero Pineda is made up of four companies working together to provide our clients with the best Legal Advice services, AML Compliance (Anti-Money Laundering) services, Accounting Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services, Financial, Tax, and Human Resources. The four companies are:

Romero Pineda & Asociados
RP&A Partners
Romero Pineda Consultores
Efficiency Outsourcing

Our client portfolio, experience, technology, organization, and successful cases have positioned the firm as a leader in the market for legal services and specialized BPO services.

For more than four decades, Romero Pineda has been part of the development and evolution of the Salvadoran and Central American legal and economic fields, proudly writing the pages of our history.

With great satisfaction and gratitude, we celebrate these first 45 years, with the idea of opening new doors to the future of innovation and legal magnificence.

Main areas of practice
Intellectual property: the firm’s lP department helps clients identify, secure, assert and defend all aspects of their intellectual property rights in trademarks, copyright, patents, domain names and trade secrets. In addition, Romero Pineda’s lawyers have been recognized for their transactional experience involving IP, such as acquisitions, sales, technology transfers, e-commerce, and licenses and franchising. The group also prosecutes the health/sanitary registrations required for health, personal care and food products. With the litigation department, the firm has unequalled capability in IP conflicts, disputes and enforcement.

Corporate: the firm advises domestic, regional and multinational entities on the establishment, diversification and expansion of commercial operations, including business structure, M&A, contracts, free trade zone projects, due diligence, labor relations, immigration and foreign investment registration.

Banking and finance: Romero Pineda’s banking department provides highly specialized legal services to domestic and international banking and financial institutions regarding the establishment and development of operations in El Salvador and Central America. The firm is experienced in handling matters such as incorporation of new banks; secured and unsecured transactions and collateral; syndicated loans; acquisition of local banks; cross-border loan transactions; and due diligence investigations.

Litigation: the firm is experienced in all types of commercial disputes and equipped to handle complex cases involving multinational parties. It has a demonstrated record of success at the trial and appellate levels and is experienced in negotiating settlements. Several of its lawyers are certified mediators and arbitrators.

Antipiracy: the firm’s specialized team works with clients to manage and implement their strategies and enforcement programs, including monitoring procedures, border enforcement measures and litigation.

Labor law: the firm’s expertise in labor law is key to helping clients to comply with their labor obligations and receive appropriate support for the management of their work forces.

Tax law: the firm advises on general and industry-specific issues, including the creation of structures to minimize tax liability; tax effects of financing by international lenders; taxes on mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures involving local and international companies; and tax implications of insurance policy sales.

Aviation: the firm has specific industry experience assisting both passenger and cargo airlines with the business and regulatory aspects of operations, ranging from the acquisition of operating permits to authorization for changes in schedules and new routes.

IT, data protection and privacy division: the firm has an interdisciplinary team with extensive litigation, regulatory, technology and compliance experience. Our lawyers develop and implement regulatory strategies and provide valuable advice across multiple practice areas: data protection compliance and enforcement issues, cybercrime/cybersecurity, disputes resolution, related intellectual property issues, E-commerce infringement issues.

International work: Romero Pineda has a wide range of international and multinational clients. It represents clients from industries and sectors including fashion, retail and consumer markets, technology and telecommunications, natural resources, financial institutions, transportation, life, science and health, infrastructure, advertising and marketing.

Compliance: We provide our clients with the best feedback for their compliance designee and annual training , create or modify their compliance manual, Initial review and validation of customer and supplier files, and revision and adaptation of the code of ethics.

Real estate: We advise our clients on the best strategy for their real estate matters, helping them with: real estate due diligence, legal structure of real estate properties, advice for Condominium Board of Directors, and we advise on the negotiation, leasing and sale of real estate projects.

Department	Name	Email
President and Founder	Dr, Roberto Romero	roberto@romeropineda.com
VP and Managing Partner	José Roberto Romero	jose@romeropineda.com
Partner adn Director	Carlos Castillo	ccastillo@romeropineda.com
Partner	Elsy Elena Durán	elsy@romeropineda.com

Romero Pineda & Asociados

San Salvador, El Salvador

+5032505-5555

View team profile

Name	Position	Profile
CARLOS CASTILLO	Partnep	View Profile
ELSY DURÁN	Manager of the Intellectual Property Department.	View Profile
JOSE ROBERTO ROMERO	Managing Partner and Vice President	View Profile
ROBERTO ROMERO PINEDA	President and Founding Partner	View Profile