Juan Luis Hernández Gazzo > Hernández & Cía > Lima, Peru > Lawyer Profile

Fielding an 18-strong team including six partners, Hernández & Cía acts for a healthy spread of domestic and international banks, investment funds and other financial entities. The group handles local and international mandates, including loans, project finance, leveraged financing, leasing arrangements, distressed debt, debt structuring, capital markets’ matters and work with investment funds. Many of its team, which is co-led by Juan Luis Hernández Gazzo, José Manuel Abastos and José Goyburu, have studied and practiced in the US, and have experience working in banks, financial institutions and trustee companies. Highly-regarded managing partner Hernandez Gazzo is well versed in high-profile finance deals; while Abasto, whose broad practice includes sovereign financing and public-private partnership (PPP) deals, acts for a roster of top banking clients, such as Goldman Sachs and Banco Santander; and younger partner Goyburu has particular expertise in leveraged financing and distressed debt. Probably best known for his projects-side work, Brendan Oviedo also acts for both lender institutions and borrowers in financing matters. Key support comes from senior associate Julien Labory-Alicq , who has become an integral figure in the firm’s banking group since his 2018-arrival from Clifford Chance (Paris), where he was an associate in the finance and capital markets practice.

Hernández & Cía acts for a roster of high-profile Peruvian and international businesses on both transactional matters and as counsel for day-to-day advisory matters. The firm is particularly renowned for M&A in the mining sector, with the transactional practice able to call on the firm’s market leading tax capabilities. Head of the M&A practice, senior partner Juan Luis Hernández Gazzo is ‘exceptional both in his advice and in his quality of care and availability’; he leads on major transactions. Head of the corporate advisory segment, Alfredo Filomeno acts as corporate counsel for high-profile clients, such as AB Inbev and Aenza; while younger partner Sandro Cogorno participates in the bulk of the practice group’s transactional mandates. Senior associate Gloria Zubizarreta is also a key member of the transactional team and is highly regarded for her negotitating ability. also active in the team. However, former co-head of the transactional practice, Diego Carrión, left the firm in July 2022.

Headline mandates for Hernández & Cía include advising the Republic of Peru on its $5bn, 2021 sovereign bond issue in both the US and European markets, which was led by corporate transactional specialist José Manuel Abastos with assistance from senior associate Erick Calla, whose expertise includes particular knowledge of stock market regulatory matters. Practice head Juan Luis Hernández handles matters involving complex regulatory issues; these have included the reorganisation of a share structure which involved a reverse merger and a multi-jurisdictional tender offer for a target company with no controlling shareholder. Senior associate Gloria Zubizarreta aided on the latter, working on an issuance of convertible bonds for the same client. The practice also provides day-to-day advice regarding securities regulations. However, active capital markets participant Diego Carrión left for Cuatrecasas in July 2022.