Dentons > Guatemala City, Guatemala > Firm Profile

Dentons Offices

Dentons
AVENUE 3, 13-78 ZONE10
TORRE CITIGROUP, FLOOR 11, OFFICE 1102
GUATEMALA
Guatemala
Visit website 502 2503 9800

Dentons > The Legal 500 Rankings

Guatemala > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

With the advantage of a global as well as a regional footprint, Dentons is consistently active on the cross-border M&A front, acting as local counsel to major multinationals. The ‘detail-oriented‘ team is well versed in advising on company incorporations and the launch of operations in Guatemala, in addition to assisting local and foreign clients with the expansion of their businesses in Central America. Other strengths include restructurings, joint ventures, and administrative and regulatory compliance issues. Office managing partner Luis Abundio Maldonado heads the practice and is particularly sought after by clients in highly regulated industries, including mining, energy and telecoms.

Practice head(s):

Luis Abundio Maldonado

Testimonials

‘Detail-oriented, very precise legal advice, and always timely responses.’

‘The team stands out for its efficiency and rapid responses to our questions.‘

Key clients

Starbucks Coffee Trading Company

Ferretería de la Construcción (Ferco)

Sugerencias Medicas

Axa France Vie

Rockwell

BMR Energy

Upfield

Grupo Portalis

Xerox Servicios Compartidos Guatemala

Liberty Pay

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

Société Internationale de Télécommunication Aéronautique (SITA)

Mastronardi Produce

doTERRA Guatemala Essential Wellness

La Danta Films/El Cadejo Blanco

Cemix

Hartford Fire Insurance

Schneider Electric

Grandfood Indústria e Comércio

Work highlights

  • Advising Ferretería de la Construcción (Ferco) on day-to-day corporate issues and the due diligence of all its entities as part of a corporate restructuring of the whole group.
  • Advised Starbucks on the structuring and incorporation of the first Starbucks Farmer Support Centre in Guatemala.
  • Advising Sugerencias Medicas (Sumedica) on the corporate, regulatory and administrative compliance aspects of its contract with the Guatemalan government seeking to decentralise health services.

Guatemala > Intellectual property Tier 3

Praised by clients as ‘very strong in managing trademarks‘, the IP practice at Dentons benefits from the firm’s extensive footprint in Central America and worldwide when advising on the trademark and health registration portfolios of major multinationals, with a client base that spans the food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors. The team is also recognised for its niche expertise in the entertainment space, handling significant litigation concerning the infringement of artists’ copyright. Director Gabriela Gándara is singled out for her ‘outstanding level of service and knowledge‘ in both advisory and contentious IP matters. She is supported by associate Nicolle Egger, managing partner Luis Abundio Maldonado and dispute resolution director Paola Haase.

Practice head(s):

Gabriela Gándara

Testimonials

‘What makes Dentons very strong in managing trademarks is their speed when solving problems, proactivity in controlling and monitoring the case, and organisation.’

‘Gabriela Gándara has an outstanding level of service and knowledge.’

‘The Dentons Muñoz intellectual property team stands out for its specialisation and innovation in its practice area and in the provision of services. Most of all, they stand out for the professionalism of their advice and the availability of the team to promote and advise on legal innovations with the client.’

‘The firm’s lawyers stand out for the trust, closeness and professionalism that is reflected in the provision of their services. Gabriela Gándara stands out for the personalisation of her advice and treatment of clients. She also stands out for her notable experience in the area, which allows her to advise in an efficient and innovative way, giving confidence to the client.’

‘Detail-oriented, very precise legal advice, and timely responses.‘

‘Gabriela Gándara is great! She is always timely and business-oriented.’

‘The team differentiates itself through its extensive knowledge of the entire Central American region. It is a plus that they have local lawyers in each country instead of working with agents. Good knowledge of intellectual property and regulatory affairs. As clients we have seen that Dentons are very coordinated regardless of the country in which they work.‘

‘Gabriela Gándara is a great leader. Her experience and knowledge of the different jurisdictions is amazing.‘

Key clients

Asociación Guatemalteca de Gestión de la Industria de Productores de Fonogramas y Afines (AGINPRO)

Sociedad de Artistas de la Música y Obras Audiovisuales (MUSICARTES)

Walmart Centro América

Papelera Internacional

Wal-Mart de México

Laboratorios Siegfried

Royal SM

Alimentos Prosalud

Super de Alimentos

Feld Entertainment

La Danta Films/El Cadejo Blanco

Stanton

Bodegas Muga

Caribbean Development Company

Young Living Holdings

Pegamorteros de Guatemala

Ferretería de la Construcción

Grupo IDC

Intercorp Conectivity

HopeXchange Centro America

Grupo Portalis

Sumedica

Yara Guatemala

Work highlights

  • Advising Walmart on the management of its IP portfolio in Central America.
  • Advising Papelera Internacional (Painsa) on the management of its entire trademark and health registration portfolios in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
  • Advising Laboratorios Siegfried on the health registrations of its pharmaceutical and nutritional products before the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, and the management of its trademark portfolio.

Guatemala > Dispute resolution Tier 4

The dispute resolution practice at Dentons handles the full spread of litigation, garnering praise for its ‘proactivity and clarity‘, with notable recent activity in commercial, constitutional, employment and IP cases. In particular, the team is well versed in representing national and international companies in the energy, mining, banking and healthcare sectors. ‘Top-level‘ director Paola Haase has a broad practice with standout experience in cases in the oil, energy and mining spaces, and office managing partner Luis Abundio Maldonado and IP director Gabriela Gándara are further names to note.

Practice head(s):

Paola Haase

Testimonials

‘Communication with the team was always attentive and fast. It is evident that internally they also have good communication and logistics.’

‘The openness with which Gaby Gándara approached a conflict between companies was an added value. Her availability, diligence and response times allowed the negotiation to be carried out in a fluid manner, always seeking results to the benefit of both parties.’

‘Prompt responses, good follow-up, proactivity and clarity in the steps to follow and recommendations. They also provide a high-level service and strategic advice, and allow businesses to approach the relevant government authorities to solve problems. Both Paola Haase and Luis Maldonado are top-level legal advisers.’

‘The team stand out for the detailed, careful, preventive, proactive service they provide in negotiations.’

‘The Dentons Muñoz dispute resolution team differs from other law firms due to its attention to detail, the customisation in the provision of its services to each specific case, and the efficiency behind its prosecution of cases.’

‘The firm’s lawyers stand out mainly for providing advisory services in a very personalised way that are tailored to the specific client.’

‘Everything was very professional and the follow-up was excellent.‘

Key clients

Asociación Guatemalteca de Gestión de la Industria de Productores de Fonogramas y Afines

Asociación de Vecinos del Edificio Menorca

Sociedad de Artistas de la Música y Obras Audiovisuales

Puma Energy Bahamas

Tarjetas Cuscatlan

Sumitomo Corporation

Neogen Latinoamerica

Yara Guatemala

Grupo Portalis

Grupo Lala

Papelera Internacional

Starbucks

Oikocredit Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society

Pegamorteros de Guatemala (Grupo Cemix)

Fuego Estrella

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Promotora de Inversión de Capital Variable

Work highlights

  • Representing Asociacion de Vecinos Menorca, a group of owners of apartments in a building in Guatemala City, as third parties in a constitutional action brought by an alleged previous owner of the land where the building is located.
  • Defending Sociedad de Artistas de la Música y Obras Audiovisuales (Musicartes) in an action challenging the constitutionality of provisions of Guatemala’s copyright law.
  • Representing Asociación Guatemalteca de Gestión de la Industria de Productores de Fonogramas y Afines (Aginpro) in a criminal complaint against Servicios Innovadores de Comunicación for the infringement of copyright.

Central America > Corporate and finance

As the Central American branch of global firm Dentons, Dentons is one of the few firms in the region to have an international presence, making it well equipped to handle multi-jurisdictional transactions. In Costa Rica (where the firm has two offices), real estate and hospitality specialist Eduardo Zúñiga leads the corporate team with Tatiana Reuben. Luis Abundio Maldonado, who also co-chairs the infrastructure practice for Latin America and the Caribbean, is the name to note in Guatemala, while in Honduras Arturo Zacapa heads the team. In Nicaragua, Edgard Torres handles corporate and finance matters, and Daniel Martinez, who has a strong track record in international deals, leads the El Salvador practice. The highly experienced Gisela Álvarez de Porras is the key contact in Panama.

Work highlights

Dentons > Firm Profile

With offices in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador, Dentons Mu?oz offers rule of law based access to world-class expertise, capital, technology, best practices and decision makers.

Dentons Mu?oz is committed to improving the world for all by activating the rule of law in the pursuit of better institutions, equality, freedom and economic progress.

Dentons Mu?oz lawyers work in close cooperation within Central America and with Dentons lawyers from all over the world.

Dentons Mu?oz handles the most sophisticated and complex transactions in Central America.

On February 27th, 2017, Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, announced the completion of its combination with Costa Rica-based Mu?oz Global, making it the first global law firm to have a footprint across Central America. The combined firm is known as Dentons Mu?oz.

The Guatemala office is managed by Luis Abundio Maldonado Ayala, a respected leader with a strong corporate finance and business background, after serving as a special affairs officer at Citigroup, and a financial and legal director for a regional company. He is committed to developing strong capital markets and supporting foreign-direct investments in Central America to drive the region’s economic progress.

The office has been advising local and multinational corporations, banks and multilaterals on mergers and acquisitions, tax and estate planning, and on debt refinancing and complex investment fund structures in areas such as energy, petroleum, agro-industry, real estate, and banking. The office is pioneering in its design, structuring, and incorporation of the largest local, and multinational private and mixed-capital investment funds in Guatemala, with target investments of over US$5bn in infrastructure, energy, agro-industrial and real estate projects.

Banking and Finance

Debt financing and loan security packages, Debt restructuring, Issuance of negotiable instruments, Asset securitization, Investment funds and trusts.

M&A

The firm has a solid track record of success advising local and foreign clients on mergers, business unit spinoffs, tender and exchange offers, leveraged buyouts, strategic alliances, collaborations, joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures.

Dispute Resolution

We provide rule of law based results in dispute resolution.

Real Estate

Provide ongoing sophisticated advice to residential, commercial or mixed-use developments.

Corporate

Provide corporate legal counsel on a permanent basis, corporate governance advice and corporate advice to foreign direct investors arriving or expanding their presence. Provide compliance services, including internal investigations and remediation programs.

Tax

We provide tax advice and we feel confident in defending the interests of our clients in court.

Public Law

We provide rule of law based government procurement advice. We represent the Inter-American Development Bank in designing the Alliance for Prosperity Fund, the largest mixed-capital fund in the history of Central America to develop strategic infrastructure in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Employment

Through ongoing preventive advice, we balance employer and employee interests, advance the Rule of Law principle, deal with employee protectionism in Central America, understand and deal with the particularities of labor law in each Central American jurisdiction.

Intellectual Property and Technology

We link start-ups with investors and potential clients, provide interactive real time technological solutions to our clients to manage their intellectual property, fight piracy and counterfeiting and provide sensible IT law and privacy advice.

Partners

Luis Abundio Maldonado, Country Managing Partner, luisabundio.maldonado@dentons.com

Luis Rodolfo M?ndez, Partner, luisrodolfo.mendez@dentons.com

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Employment and labor Luis Abundio Maldonado
Employment and labor Lesly García
Immigration Luis Rodolfo Méndez
Immigration Lesly García
Anti-corruption Luis Rodolfo Méndez
Corporate Luis Abundio Maldonado
Corporate Lesly García
Corporate Alessandra Fahsen
Tax Luis Abundio Maldonado
Tax Alessandra Fahsen
Banking and finance Luis Abundio Maldonado
Compliance Luis Rodolfo Méndez
Real estate Luis Abundio Maldonado
Real estate Lesly García
Public law/public international law Luis Rodolfo Méndez
Mergers and acquisitions Luis Abundio Maldonado
Mergers and acquisitions Alessandra Fahsen
Litigation and dispute resolution Luis Abundio Maldonado
Litigation and dispute resolution Lesly García
Intellectual property and technology Gabriela Gándara
Trusts, estates and wealth preservation Luis Abundio Maldonado
Trusts, estates and wealth preservation Alessandra Fahsen
Sectors
Sectors
Mining Luis Abundio Maldonado
Oil and gas Luis Abundio Maldonado
Telecommunication Luis Abundio Maldonado
Government procurement Luis Abundio Maldonado

Staff Figures

Other fee-earners : 4
Total staff : 10

Other

Partners : 2


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