Raul Farias > DLA Piper LLP (US) > San Diego (Downtown), United States > Lawyer Profile

DLA Piper LLP (US)‘s wide-ranging presence in the region itself, along with Latin America-facing offices in the US, ensure that it is well positioned for cross-border acquisitions, investments and divestments. The Latin America team represents a range of multinationals and an increasing number of private equity houses and other financial sponsors. The firm has a particularly strong Bogota office that has landed a number of big engagements from international clients. The Miami and San Diego offices are also regularly mandated on big-ticket deals. Miami partner Francisco Cerezo is chair of the Latin America corporate and finance practice, and has extensive deal experience in the region. San Diego partner Raul Farias provides further senior level expertise in energy and financial services deals in particular. At associate level, dual-qualified (Miami/Puerto Rico) Joseline Rodríguez is noted.

DLA Piper LLP (US) has maintained a steady flow of energy and infrastructure financing engagements, while also remaining active in debt restructurings across the region. It continues to represent a range of international banks, multilaterals and DFIs, and Latin American borrowers. The firm’s extensive network of offices in Latin America itself, plays a key role in many of its headline matters, including a number of recent debt restructuring engagements. New York partner Margarita Oliva Sainz de Aja is co-regional head of banking and finance for Latin America, and is an experienced figure in project finance. Lima partner Sergio Barboza is the other co-regional head, while San Diego’s Raul Farias provides further project finance expertise in the energy and infrastructure fields. San Juan partner José Sosa-Lloréns has extensive financial services regulatory expertise. However, project finance specialists Amala Nath and  Dino Barajas moved to Morrison Foerster (July 2021) and Baker Botts L.L.P. (January 2022), respectively (Nath has subsequenly become assistant General Counsel at the International Development Finance Corporation, as of July 2022). Agency finance practitioner Gregory Smith  has also left the firm.

DLA Piper LLP (US) has a large team of projects and energy specialists based in a large number of its US and Latin America offices. The group operates in multiple market-segments from conventional power and renewables, to gas pipelines and PPP projects. Much of the practice centres on project sponsors and developers. Bringing together teams from Miami, San Juan (Puerto Rico), New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago, Northern Virginia, Austin and San Diego, the firm continued to advise LUMA Energy, as winning bidder on the $1.6bn PPP transaction to operate and maintain the transmission and distribution assets of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The firm’s Santiago office has also landed a series of important engagements, as have the Mexico City and Buenos Aires offices. New York partner Margarita Oliva Sainz de Aja is especially active in Latin America project finance, Felipe Bahamondez and newly promoted partner Diego Peña impress in Santiago, and Edgar Romo is a senior figure in Mexico City. San Diego and New York-based Raul Farias has an extensive record in energy transactions. Dino Barajas left for  Baker Botts L.L.P. in January 2022.