The IP team at Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas is ‘highly focused on detail and always ensures the highest quality work’. The group especially garners plaudits for its ability to link up seamlessly with the wider firm’s extensive global practice, with one client highlighting its policy to ’allow for a single point of contact and billing when teams from other countries are involved’. High-profile IP expert Luz Helena Adarve is sought after for her broad sector expertise, which encompasses IP prosecution, litigation and transactional matters. Juanita Acosta is recognised for her ‘level of dedication and sense of ownership that is uncommon in the legal industry’; she advises on technology, privacy, trade marks, patents and consumer protection law, among other areas. Mónica Bonnett, who co-heads the department together with Adarve and Acosta, is particularly noted for her focus on the life sciences sphere. Recommended associates include Juliana Vargas, Ana María Ruiz, and Rocío Ruíz. Since the conclusion of research, Bonnett has left the firm - effective as of JUly 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘More than just a legal adviser; it is a trusted partner, which makes it stand out from others. It advises us on regional matters, which makes us trust its work and judgment, even when co-ordinating the work of other LatAm firms. It's a team highly focused on detail and always ensures the highest quality work.’
- ‘Juanita Acosta is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding lawyers in this practice both in Colombia and the region. She is the seal of quality that gives clients confidence in her out-of-the-box thinking, coupled with a level of dedication and sense of ownership that is uncommon in the legal industry.’
- ‘Its IP partners are leaders in the country in this field. They have a vocation for client service and adapt to their clients' needs. They are a truly global firm and allow for a single point of contact and billing when teams from other countries are involved (something other large firms in the country don't offer).’
- ‘The team truly listens to the client and adapts to their requirements. On a major project, it was open to implementing Legal Design as we applied agile working methodologies. This was innovative because they're typically used in software development, but it was open to applying it to legal services.’
- ‘The ethics, knowledge, and experience of Dentons' IP team are what sets it apart. They are always clear and precise in communicating information and providing recommendations for each case.’
- ‘Juanita Acosta and Luz Helena Adarve, as well as Juliana Vargas, and all the assistants, are highly efficient, knowledgeable, experienced, and their ethics are unquestionable.’
Key clients
Fiesta Colombina
Play’n GO Marks Ltd
Gismo Therapeutics
PACCAR Inc.
Pele Brand
Volkswagen
Mattel
Edwards Life Sciences
ILF International Corp.
Microsoft Colombia
Anheuser‑Busch
American Eagle Outfitters
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Luz Helena Adarve; Juanita Acosta