Mr Alvaro Castellanos > Consortium Legal > Ciudad Guatemala, Guatemala > Lawyer Profile
Consortium Legal Offices
Diagonal 6 11-10 zona 10
Edificio Diago6
nivel 10. Oficina 1001
Guatemala
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Mr Alvaro Castellanos
Work Department
Banking & Finance
Position
Partner
Career
Alvaro is president of the regional firm and partner in Consortium Legal – Guatemala. With 33 years of experience in the financial services and fintech, insurance and insurtech, and aviation sectors, he specializes in banking, arbitration, foreign investment, and mergers and acquisitions.
During his career he has served as president and member of several ad hoc committees in annulment proceedings under the ICSID Convention; president of the Board of Directors of the Dispute Resolution Commission of the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala; participated as ad hoc Judge in the Tiu Tojin vs. State of Guatemala of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, was Member for Guatemala before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce -ICC- (2006-2018), member of the Editorial Board of IURISTEC (Compilation of Publications of Annotated Judicial Judgments), University Professor, Columnist in El Periódico and former Dean of the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences of Rafael Landívar University.
WORK HIGHLIGHTS
- Chair an Ad Hoc Committee on annulment in an ICSID case that is about to conclude its work when it communicates the respective annulment decision (ICSID case No. ARB/12/20)
- Participated in the acquisition by Promerica Financial Corporation of Banco Citibank de Guatemala, S.A., Cititarjetas, Limitada and other related companies; in an operation that will reach US$ 1,474 billion in assets and nearly 100 bank branches.
- Consortium – Legal (Guatemala) acted as Local Counsel for the Sole Lead Manager and Bookrunner of the Notes issued by the Republic of Guatemala in the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The issuance was made for US$500,000,000.00 but the Sole Lead Manager and Bookrunner received purchase orders in aggregate of US$1.69BN.
- Acted as counsel to Citibank, N.A. (Sucursal Guatemala) to grant a loan of approximately US$3,600,000.00 to Pegamorteros de Guatemala, S.A.
- Acted as special counsel to Banco de America Central, S.A. (BAC Guatemala) to obtain a US$50,000,000.00 loan from a bank syndicate led by Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A.
Languages
Spanish, English
Memberships
Member, College of Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala
Member of the IBA Poverty and Social Development Committee
Member, American Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala (AMCHAM)
Member, Latin American Arbitrage Committee, International Commerce Chamber (ICC)
Member, International Bar Association (IBA)
Member, Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB)
Education
- Candidate for Doctorate in Law, Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala
- Master of Laws (LL.M.), specialization in Comparative and International Law (Fulbright-Laspau Scholarship), Columbia University Law School, New York (1990)
- Degree in Legal and Social Sciences, Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala (1986)
Lawyer Rankings
Guatemala > Banking and finance
(Hall of Fame)Regional firm Consortium Legal houses a comprehensive banking and finance practice in Guatemala, with expertise spanning syndicated and cross-border loans, debt restructuring, and the development and implementation of new financial products. Capital markets transactions are an additional strength, where the team has a strong recent record in assisting on both the lender and borrower side. The ‘attentive‘ department, which offers ‘personalised attention‘ to clients, is particularly adept at advising international banks and multilateral development finance institutions and can leverage the firm’s sizeable network of offices in Central America to handle regional mandates. Other thriving areas of the practice include regulatory and, in particular, fintech matters; the firm offers a dedicated team of practitioners from its regional offices in this space. Firm president Álvaro Castellanos leads the department and is widely recognised for his longstanding practice in the banking, fintech and insurtech spheres, and highly experienced senior associate Melissa Morán has also established an active practice, covering syndicated loans, international debt issuances and project finance.
Guatemala > Corporate and M&A
(Leading individuals)M&A transactions are the cornerstone of the corporate practice at regional powerhouse Consortium Legal, which is sought after for its advice to major domestic and multinational clients. The team has a strong track record in cross-border transactions – including deals involving multiple jurisdictions in Central America, thanks to its extensive regional network – and also assists with corporate restructurings and M&A-related tax, labour, IP, real estate, regulatory and litigation matters. The highly experienced duo of Alfredo Rodríguez (who has complementary tax expertise) and Rafael Alvarado Riedel (whose practice spans foreign investment and international commercial contracts) heads the team. Sofia Escribá is a go-to name for M&A, with a specialism in highly regulated sectors such as mining, and the practice also benefits from the expertise of firm president Álvaro Castellanos. Senior associate Maria Fernanda Morales leads a department focused on company incorporations, and associate Roxana Sandoval provides key support. The firm also demonstrates its sustainability credentials through its membership of the Central American Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (INTEGRARSE) and has established a regional equality policy. Since publication, Alvarado Riedel has moved to an in-house role at Tigo.
Central America > Corporate and finance
Consortium Legal maintains a formidable offering across Central America, with a presence in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras (in both Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), Nicaragua and Costa Rica (where it has branches in San José and Escazú, as well as two offices in Guanacaste, taking advantage of the province’s thriving tourism sector). The firm plays a prominent role in both domestic and cross-border financial transactions, and routinely advises foreign investors on projects in the region. In Costa Rica, Mario Quesada-Bianchini, who has three decades of experience in financial transactions and banking M&A (and also coordinates the firm’s regional finance practice), and fintech lead Randall Barquero are among the key contacts for financial matters, while Rolando Laclé Zúñiga, an expert in M&A and foreign investment, and Juan Manuel Godoy are names to note in the corporate team. Oscar Samour, a go-to specialist in multi-jurisdictional transactions, heads the banking practice in El Salvador, and steers the corporate team alongside Maria Alejandra Tulipano, who has a focus on international commerce, and Diego Martín. Olga Barreto, whose expertise spans the corporate, finance and aviation spheres, leads the team in Nicaragua. In Guatemala, the highly regarded Álvaro Castellanos heads the finance practice, while Alfredo Rodríguez, who has complementary tax expertise, and Rafael Alvarado Riedel lead the corporate team. An experienced quartet of partners – José Ramón Paz Morales, José Ramón Paz Padilla, Gustavo León-Gómez and José Rafael Rivera – handles corporate and finance matters in Honduras.
Lawyer Rankings
- Banking and finance Guatemala
- Corporate and M&A Guatemala
- Hall of Fame Guatemala > Banking and finance
- Leading individuals Guatemala > Corporate and M&A