Sainz Abogados > Mexico City, Mexico > Firm Profile

Sainz Abogados > The Legal 500 Rankings

Mexico > Bankruptcy and restructuring Tier 1

Sainz Abogados's practice brings together transactional and litigation expertise, offering banks, securities companies, and corporations assistance with in-court and out-of-court bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings, cross-border reorganisations, insolvency procedures and workouts. Recent years have seen the group participate in some of Mexico’s most significant cases, including Unifin Financiera, Alpha Credit, Oro Negro, Aeroméxico, Altán Redes and TV Azteca. Alejandro Sainz steers the practice and has experience representing both companies from various industries in insolvency matters, as well as ad-hoc committees of international bondholders and those holding notes issued by Mexican entities abroad. His broad practice also takes in finance, corporate governance, M&A, investigations and compliance. Additional key figures include Daniel Díaz Álvarez, who handles bankruptcy, commercial litigation, shareholders’ conflicts and public work disputes; Santiago Alessio, Rodrigo Guaida, and Gabriela Avendaño, who major on corporate reorganisations, bankruptcy and cross-border insolvency procedures. Associates Yoare Heredia, Lucía Laganá, and Luis Antonio Estrella provide the partners with across-the-board support. The firm has been notably strengthened with the April 2024 arrival of an eight-strong group from Pérez-Llorca, including specialists in banking and finance, corporate and M&A, competition, and energy and projects.

Mexico > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

Sainz Abogados's corporate and M&A offering is centred on assisting corporations with domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, including corporate restructurings, M&A, joint venture, private equity and providing corporate governance advice. The group has particular expertise counselling clients in the aviation, banking, energy, mining, pharmaceutical, and transportation segments. Practice head Octavio L Hernandez specialises in assisting private equity funds and financial institutions with investments, divestments and financings in Mexico and overseas. Alejandro Sainz is a -arguably the- leading figure in cross-border insolvency and restructuring mandates, and also handles finance and corporate reorganisations; Santiago Alessio Robles also majors on a corporate reorganisations, insolvency procedures, and M&A. The key names to note at associate level are Daniela Alcázar, whose practice takes in corporate restructuring, M&A and corporate compliance matters; and Lucía Laganá, who handles real estate transactions, M&A and foreign investment mandates. The team was substantially boosted by the arrival of established corporate, transactional and finance partners José Victor Torres Gómez and Daniel Guaida Azar, in addition to counsel Rosa Elena Coto, members of a more sizeable group that arrived from Gonzalez Calvillo in April 2024.

Mexico > Energy and natural resources Tier 4

With the April 2024 addition of Diana Pineda from the former Pérez-Llorca, Sainz Abogados further boosted a burgeoning energy department that is best regarded for its advice on contract negotiations with state-entities Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in the oil-and-gas sector, and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) in the power sector. The team also assists clients with the development and construction of natural gas, power, fuels and oil projects, as well as structuring investment and development vehicles for such projects. Pineda joins a department that is co-led by Francisco Valdés, who acts for national and foreign clients in all types of regulatory affairs and in the development of infrastructure projects; and Daniel Díaz, a dispute resolution specialist with notable experience in the energy sector and recent activity in conflicts with the Mexican state. Adrián Villagómez is also a disputes expert well versed in energy sector matters; while at associate level, Mario Rodríguez, Daniel Pardo and Santiago Hernández are the contacts to note.

Mexico > Real estate Tier 4

The practice at Sainz Abogados is equipped to handle a range of real estate matters, among them land lease and purchase agreements, joint ventures, and related due diligence work. Property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, and private owners routinely feature on the group’s client roster. Daniel Saltzberg steers the practice group and specialises in developments, financing, and acquisitions, regularly assisting developers and private equity funds with real estate transactions and asset management. Ximena Hernández is the key associate-level contact and takes care of transactional real estate mandates, compliance and AML.

Mexico > Labour and employment Tier 5

The 'agile, punctual and precise' labour and employment team at Sainz Abogados provides day-to-day labour and employment law counsel to a broad spectrum of domestic and international clients operating in Mexico. Its practitioners are equipped to handle advisory, transactional and litigation matters in the field, and the group is led by the 'undoubtedly outstanding' Alejandro Nila. Support on contentious matters comes from associates Marcela Bojorge and Omar Zayas.

Mexico > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 6

As part of a varied offering across dispute resolution, Sainz Abogados acts in a range of litigation matters but has particular strengths in contractual and shareholder conflicts, along with all disputes matters related to the firm's signature bankruptcy and restructuring practice, and associated constitutional amparo cases. The firm’s growing energy department is a particular source of instructions to the team (particularly contentious administrative work, of late), while the finance sector has also driven an increasingly significant flow of disputes matters. Daniel Díaz and Adrián Villagómez co-lead the practice group; both are well versed in judicial work, drawing on experience acting for insurance companies, banks, construction companies, energy-sector stakeholders and government entities, among others. Counsel Estefanía Sierra is key support on administrative, civil commercial and constitutional litigation, along with bankruptcy-related matters.

Mexico > Banking and finance

Mexico > Competition and antitrust

Mexico > Projects and infrastructure

Mexico > Tax

Sainz Abogados fields a tax department with capabilities across both tax consulting and litigation, assisting domestic and foreign clients with tax elements of corporate restructuring, financing, and M&A, as well as acting for individuals on private wealth matters. Litigation is a strong focus, with practice head Ernesto Castañeda being a strong choice of counsel for the full range of tax controversy matters and dispute resolution. The team’s tax consulting strength lies largely in the experience of José Luis Rodriguez, who routinely assists with issues of wealth tax, transactions, public issuances, corporate restructuring and tax compliance. The associate team includes Roberto Martínez, whose practice centres on tax consulting; and Alejandro Diaz and Luisa Mora, both of who focus on tax litigation.

Mexico > Compliance and data privacy