Private Practice Powerlist: US-Mexico 2017
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 11 Law school attended: George Washington University, University of Pennsylvania Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Banking, Bankruptcy, Capital Markets, M&A, Project...
Partner | Clifford Chance
Number of years practice: 33 Law school attended: Cornell Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Bank Finance, Capital Markets Admissions: New York Alejandro Camacho has been...
Partner | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Number of years practice: 15 Law school attended: Universidad Iberoamericana, Northwestern University School of Law (Fulbright Scholar) Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Banking, Corporate Finance Admissions: Mexico, New...
Partner | Shearman & Sterling
Number of years practice: 21 Law school attended: Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (LLB), New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Cross-border Finance,...
Partner | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Number of years practice: 26 Law school attended: University of California, Berkeley Law School Languages spoken: English, French (conversational), German (conversational), Spanish (conversational) Principal practice areas: Project Finance and Development...
Partner (Energy and Natural Resources) and Chairman Mexico Desk | Squire Patton Boggs
Number of years practice: 21 Law school attended: Georgetown University Law Center Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Compliance, Cross-border M&A, Global Project Development Admissions: District of Columbia,...
Partner | Sidley Austin
Number of years practice: 23 Law school attended: Harvard College (BA), College of Europe, Diploma of Advanced European Studies, University of Michigan (JD) Languages spoken: English, French and Spanish Principal...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Yale College, University of Pennsylvania Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Corporate, Cross-border Finance, Private Equity Admissions: New...
Regional Managing Partner | Shearman & Sterling
Number of years practice: 28 Law school attended: Yale University, New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Corporate Governance, Structured Finance...
Partner and Latin America Practice Global Co-chair | Latham & Watkins
Number of years practice: 22 Law school attended: New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Corporate, Banking and Finance, Energy, M&A, Projects Admissions:...
Counsel | Debevoise & Plimpton
Number of years practice: 15 Law school attended: Escuela Libre de Derecho (Mexico City, Mexico), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – Faculty of Laws (Leuven, Belgium), Columbia Law School (New York, USA)...
Partner | Paul Hastings
Number of years practice: 20 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Italian and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, M&A Admissions: New York Undertaking –...
Partner | Paul Hastings
Number of years practice: 32 Law school attended: Columbia Law School Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Corporate, M&A, Project Development and Finance Admissions: New York...
Partner | Jones Day
Number of years practice: 22 Law school attended: University of Virgina Languages spoken: English, French and Russian Principal practice areas: Capital Markets Admissions: New York Boris Dolgonos has worked as...
Partner | Vinson & Elkins
Number of years practice: 32 Law school attended: Georgetown University Law School Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Energy Transactions and Projects Admissions: California, District of Columbia, New York, Texas...
Partner, Head of Latin American Practice Group | Proskauer Rose
Number of years practice: 30 Law school attended: State University of New York, Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Corporate Finance, M&A Admissions: New...
Partner | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Number of years practice: 18 Law school attended: Universidad de Belgrano (Argentina), University of Virginia (LLM) Languages spoken: English, Portuguese (conversant) and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Finance Admissions:...
Partner | White & Case
Number of years practice: 19 Law school attended: Yale Law School (JD), Yale University (BA) Languages spoken: English, French (proficient) and Spanish Principal practice areas: Acquisition Finance, Bank Finance, Project...
Partner | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Number of years practice: 20 Law school attended: Stanford Law School (JD) Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Energy Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Project Finance Admissions: New York...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 20 Law school attended: Amherst College, Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, French and Spanish Principal practice areas: Acquisition Finance, Leveraged Finance, M&A, Project Finance Admissions:...
Partner | White & Case
Number of years practice: 26 Law school attended: Johns Hopkins University, New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Asset Finance, Banking, M&A Admissions:...
Partner | Sullivan & Cromwell
Number of years practice: 26 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Lending, M&A, Project Development and...
Partner | Mayer Brown
Number of years practice: 28 Law school attended: Oglethorpe University, Columbia University Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and Securities, M&A,...
Partner, Global Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance Practice Group Leader, and Latin America Practice Group Co-head | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Partner, Global Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance Practice Group Leader, and Latin America Practice Group Co-head Dan Bartfeld is the practice group leader of the Milbank’s Global Project, Energy and...
Partner | Shearman & Sterling
Number of years practice: 28 Law school attended: Georgetown University Law Center Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Project Development Finance Admissions: District of Columbia, New York Denise Grant has...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 19 Law school attended: University of Wisconsin, Columbia Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Acquisition Finance, Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance, M&A, Private...
Partner | Shearman & Sterling
Number of years practice: 22 Law school attended: King’s College London Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Finance, Project Development Admissions: England and Wales, Hong Kong, New York Gregory Tan...
Partner | Dechert
Number of years practice: 26 Law school attended: New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Corporate Finance, M&A Admissions: New Jersey, New York...
Partner | Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Law school attended: Universidad Panamericana (Law Degree), University of Texas School of Law (LLM) Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: M&A, Corporate Finance, Government Investigations, Private Equity, White...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 25 Law school attended: Cornell University, New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Corproate Governance, M&A Admissions:...
Partner | Sidley austin
Number of years practice: 25 Law school attended: Harvard University, Stanford Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Litigation, Securities and Derivatives Enforcement, Regulatory Admissions: California and...
Partner | Mayer Brown
Number of years practice: 30 Law school attended: South Texas College of Law (JD), Catholic University of Peru (JD) Languages spoken: English and French Principal practice areas: Energy Projects Admissions:...
Partner | Paul Hastings
Number of years practice: 25 Law school attended: New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, Restructuring Admissions: New York What...
Partner | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Number of years practice: 18 Law school attended: Columbia Law School Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Cross-border Corporate Finance, M&A Admissions: New York Juan Francisco Méndez’s practice...
Partner | Ropes & Gray
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Northwestern University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Government Enforcement, White Collar Crime Admissions: District of Columbia,...
Partner | Hogan Lovells
Law school attended: Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law (JD), Clark University (BA) Principal practice areas: Asset Finance, Aviation Finance, Derivatives and Structured Products, Securitization, Structured Finance Admissions: New York...
Partner | Jones Day
Number of years practice: 23 Law school attended: Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (Spanish law degree), Southern Methodist University (LLM) Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese (working knowledge) and Spanish (native) Principal...
Partner and Head of Latin America desk | Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Number of years practice: 15 Law school attended: Fordham University School of Law (LLM), Sciences Po Paris/Sorbonne University (Master of Law), Sciences Po Paris (JD) Languages spoken: English, French, Italian,...
Partner and Chair of Latin American Practice | Paul Hastings
Number of years practice: 37 Law school attended: Fordham University School of Law Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, M&A Admissions: New York Known as...
Partner; Co-head of the Firm’s Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, and Projects Practice | Hogan Lovells
Law school attended: Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, University of Illinois College of Law, University of Miami School of Law Languages spoken: English, Italian and Spanish Principal practice areas: Finance Admissions:...
Partner | Ropes & Gray
Number of years practice: 12 Law school attended: Georgetown University Law Center Languages spoken: English and Spanish (conversational) Principal practice areas: Anti-Corruption/International Risk, Government Investigations, Litigation Admissions: Illinois and US...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 35 Law school attended: Harvard College, Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Corporate Governance Admissions: New York,...
Partner | Squire Patton Boggs
Number of years practice: 28 Law school attended: University of Notre Dame Law School (JD), Georgetown University Law Center (LLM in International and Comparative Law) Languages spoken: English and Spanish...
Partner | Clifford Chance
Number of years practice: 17 Law school attended: Georgetown University Law Center Languages spoken: English and Spanish (proficient) Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Corporate, M&A Admissions: New York What have...
Partner | Chadbourne & Parke
Number of years practice: 16 Law school attended: Universidad Iberoamericana, New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English, Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish (native) Principal practice areas: International Finance, M&A,...
Partner | Kirkland & Ellis
Number of years practice: 13 Law school attended: University of Virginia School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish (conversational) Principal practice areas: Energy, Infrastructure, M&A Admissions: New York, Texas...
Office Managing Partner (Miami) | Hogan Lovells
Number of years practice: 21 Law school attended: University of Miami School of Law Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: International Arbitration, Litigation Admissions: Florida and US...
Partner | Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Number of years practice: 30 Law school attended: Duke University, LSE, Columbia Law School Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Bankruptcy and Restructuring, Finance, M&A, Private Equity Admissions: New York,...
Partner | Latham & Watkins
Number of years practice: 16 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, French, Italian and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets Admissions: Illinois, New York Roderick Branch is...
Partner | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Hofstra University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish (native) Principal practice areas: Energy Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Project Finance Admissions: New...
Partner | Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Hofstra University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish (native) Principal practice areas: Energy Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Project Finance Admissions: New...
Partner and Practice Lead for Latin America Initiative | Covington & Burling
Number of years practice: 35 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: M&A Admissions: New York With well over three decades of...
Partner | Linklaters
Number of years practice: 21 Law school attended: Fordham University School of Law Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: Acquisition finance, Structured Finance, Asset-based Facilities, Private Equity, Trade...
Partner | Sidley Austin
Number of years practice: 19 Law school attended: Yale Law School Languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: M&A, Project Development, Project Finance Admissions: Texas Working...
Partner | Kirkland & Ellis
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Escuela Libre de Derecho (JD – Mexico), Harvard Law School (LLM – US) Languages spoken: English (native) and Spanish (native) Principal practice...
Partner | Sullivan & Cromwell
Number of years practice: 32 Law school attended: Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Equity and Debt Capital Markets, FCPA and Anti-Corruption, Leveraged Finance...
Partner | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Number of years practice: 21 Law school attended: University of Houston Law Center Languages spoken: English and Spanish Principal practice areas: M&A, Project Development, Project Finance Admissions: England and Wales,...
Partner | Shearman & Sterling
Number of years practice: 35 Law school attended: Villanova Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Structured Finance Admissions: New York Over the course of his 35 year career...
Partner | Paul Hastings
Number of years practice: 30 Law school attended: University of Illinois College of Law (JD) Languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Ukrainian Principal practice areas: Cross-border Bank Finance,...
Partner | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Law school attended: Columbia Law School (JD), Université de Paris IV Sorbonne (License d’histoire), Samford University (BA) Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, M&A,...
Partner | Gibson Dunn
Number of years practice: 19 Law school attended: University of Texas, Boston University School of Law Languages spoken: English, Hebrew and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Project Finance Admissions:...
Partner of Counsel | White & Case
Law school attended: Haverford College, Princeton University, New York University School of Law Languages spoken: English Principal practice areas: Corprorate, M&A, Project Finance Admissions: New York White & Case Partner...
Partner | Linklaters
Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: University of Georgia, Tufts University, Harvard Law School Languages spoken: English, French and Tamil Principal practice areas: Projects Admissions: New York One...
Partner | Sullivan & Cromwell
Number of years practice: 11 Law school attended: Yale Law School Languages spoken: English, Portuguese and Spanish Principal practice areas: Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Lending, M&A, Private Equity Admissions:...
For 30 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world. Now, with the Private Practice Powerlist, The Legal 500 initiates a new series identifying key individual practitioners with outstanding specialization in, and knowledge of, particular jurisdictions. Given the broader political context, the US-Mexico focus of this first Private Practice Powerlist could not be more timely: the lawyers named here will undoubtedly have a crucial role in what appears likely to be a relatively abrupt re-calibration of US-Mexico relations, particularly in the area of (bi-national) trade….read more
Future editions of the Private Practice Powerlist will, in a similar manner, seek to identify groups of key specialists with expertise in relation to other significant and critical jurisdictions.
Research of the Private Practice Powerlist has involved the canvassing of opinion from law firm partners and in-house counsel alike, as well as analysis of the career trajectories of the candidates considered for inclusion, so as to permit the identification of those practitioners with an engagement in the Mexican market that goes beyond just occasional involvement. In the undoubtedly complex, and quite possibly uncomfortable, process of bi-national re-accommodation that the US and Mexico are now facing, it is to this group of lawyers that we can look for the expertise to ameliorate the impact of the transformation. As such, they will be crucial in ensuring the continuity of business integration developed over the 20-plus years since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.
Our team of experienced researchers has assessed the candidates, analyzing both current practice and historical data to confirm the inclusion of individual practitioners. The US-Mexico Private Practice Powerlist includes not only highlights reflecting the work of the attorneys who have made the final list, but also future-facing commentary indicating – as far as is possible in such a fluid scenario – which legal and industrial sectors they perceive as likely to remain active despite the recasting of bi-national relations. Certainly, it is these individuals who will be the quiet protagonists that ensure business (and indeed, public entities and sub-sovereigns) continue to find the constructive and creative practical resolutions required to overcome the obstacles that arise during the forthcoming period of change.
Tim Girven
Editor, The Legal 500 Latin America
2017, a year that we can safely anticipate is likely to fundamentally change the traditional rulebook and part ways with historical precedents and stereotyped tendencies in the fields of commerce, trade and investment, and certainly law, among many others. “Adapt or fail” is the trend with which political scientists and economists alike generally agree on these days. But adapt to what? No one really can legitimately predict the specific ways in which the international political and economic landscape is going to change in the next few years, but it would not be presumptuous to assume that it will; dramatically so in fact.
Mexico is not only not an exception, but is rather in the eye of the storm, as the most recent inclinations against globalization aim straight at the country’s projects and plans. Protectionism thus challenges the very philosophical foundations upon which Mexico’s economy has been constructed during the past three decades.
Previous discourses, undoubtedly valid at the time, as to our country’s stability, growth, location, competitiveness and potential are taking the back seat to a concept that as recently as a few months ago, was not necessarily a business driver, but is now the most frequent headline: global political uncertainty, even in the most developed of nations, which naturally takes the meaning of market volatility to a whole new level.
We thus find ourselves immersed in a completely new context in which decisions will need to be taken without the aid of features or conditions that may have been taken for granted. It is now, probably more than ever (at least in recent memory) that the international business community will require adopting and executing these decisions based on the advice of individuals and firms that have had the greatest levels of experience within specific sectors, industries or practices.
From a Mexican viewpoint, we believe there is hardly an international location that stands out as much as New York City to become, yet again, the convergence hub for what businesses are about to experience in terms of a new world order. US lawyers and law firms that have been exposed to our country due to their practices, many of them with extremely knowledgeable and sophisticated work forces, will play a critical role in reshaping the commercial arena between our two nations.
Gonzalez Calvillo, S.C. is thus particularly privileged to collaborate with The Legal 500 in sponsoring this publication, which features the most recognized lawyers working across the United States, with the highest degree of specialization on matters relating to Mexico. We wish every one of them and their teams great success in the years to come, as this will undoubtedly become a measure of how well our country is to perform. As an institution, we also hope to continue to honor our role as instrumental tools in protecting and defending the interests of those who place their trust unto our care.
Legal 500 was proud to host the second edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 in Nairobi, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This year’s reception brought together over 100 of the most influential and innovative corporate counsel from the region, and was an unrivalled success, cementing Legal 500’s role as the leading voice in recognising in-house legal excellence across Africa.
The evening was opened by Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC Powerlist publication at Legal 500, who highlighted the growing prestige of the East Africa edition and the increasing challenge of selecting honourees from such a deep (and rapidly growing) pool of talent.
Guests were then treated to some particularly relevant insights from distinguished speakers. Rachel Musoke, Head of ENS Uganda, delivered a thoughtful welcome that reflected on the importance of collaboration between private practice and in-house teams. This was followed by a powerful keynote from Habil Waswani, Company Secretary & Director Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance at Kenya Airways, who shared reflections on leadership, regulatory stewardship, and the evolving role of corporate counsel in East Africa.
The highlight of the evening was the certificate ceremony, where this year’s honourees were formally recognised. Certificates were presented by senior representatives of ENS, including Désiré Kamanzi (Head of Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (Head of Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Executive, Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (Executive, Rwanda), Rahema Nakirya Ssemyalo (Executive, Uganda) and Binti Shah (Executive, Kenya) whose participation underlined the depth of the firm’s support for the GC Powerlist initiative.
The GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 reaffirmed The Legal 500’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the region’s most talented in-house lawyers. With an even stronger field of candidates, this year’s edition stands as a powerful testament to the influence and expertise of East Africa’s legal leaders. Habil Waswani’s excellent speech, which got a raucous reception from those in the room, is reproduced below with his permission:
‘My name is Habil Waswani, and I have been an inhouse legal practitioner for the past 21 years in different sectors (having done law-firm practice for 2 years before that). Tt is indeed a true privilege and honour for me to be here tonight, surrounded by the sharpest legal minds and calmest crisis-handlers the East African corporate world has to offer.
First, let me thank the Legal 500 and ENSAfrica teams, for organising such a fantastic event and for bringing us together in such style. Congratulations to each of tonight’s honourees. You represent the very best of general counsel in this very dynamic corporate space the businesses we support operate in. Strategic, ethical, resilient, and, let’s be honest, often underappreciated leaders of industry.
I am so happy that this evening is not about contracts, or compliance checklists, or board packs. Tonight is about celebrating you, the people behind all of that. The steady hands guiding companies through complexities, uncertainties, and ensuring that the opportunities that lie within those difficult circumstances are lawfully realized.
We all know the role of GCs has evolved. We are no longer tucked away at the end of a corridor marked “Legal” or labelled the proverbial “cost centres”. These days, the GCs sit at the big table – helping drive corporate strategy, shaping desired culture, providing leadership and safeguarding business reputations. We have become indispensable partners to businesses, interpreters, navigators, protectors… and on some (many) days, therapists with law degrees. And yet, we mostly do it all so quietly. No victory laps, no press releases. Often, success for us means the expected disaster didn’t happen.
But tonight, we break that rule. Tonight, we raise a glass to the GCs who’ve blazed the trail courageously, with clarity, conviction, and tremendous resilience that only matches the expectations of the Leadership Guru John Maxwell when he said, “resilient leaders don’t wait for the storm to past — they learn to dance in the rain”. You have managed to balance growth and governance, risk and reward regularly. And, of course, always managed to deal with those 10pm messages: “Hey, just a quick question…Are you able to talk right now…?”
Let this evening serve as a reminder that you are not just experienced legal advisors. You are leaders — spear heads and enablers of execution — and without a doubt critical pillars of business strategy.
To all the honourees, congratulations once again for the well-deserved recognition. This is for the heavy lifting that you do, the standards you uphold, and the impact you make – quietly, consistently, and brilliantly so. You’ve earned this spotlight.
