Arias houses a comprehensive labour law offering, ranging from day-to-day advice on immigration, occupational health and safety, and regulatory compliance issues to support with sensitive collective redundancies, workplace investigations and high-value employment disputes. In particular, the team is widely recognised for its expertise in the labour law aspects of regional M&A, corporate reorganisations and business expansions, drawing on the firm’s extensive network in Central America to advise prominent multinational clients across the retail, tech, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and BPO sectors. At the head of the practice, Liz Gordillo has longstanding expertise in strategic employment advice, litigation and the labour issues involved in corporate transactions, while Rosa María Arenales stands out for her broad experience covering labour, immigration, ESG and the employment aspects of complex cross-border deals. Senior associate Karla Gómez, a specialist in labour litigation, provides strong support.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- It is a highly professional team that seeks practical, agile, and ethical solutions and strategies.
- Mario Archila is outstanding, strategic, and visionary. Liz Gordillo is an excellent labor lawyer and consultant. Both have a global perspective and are able to adapt multinational strategies to the local context in accordance with current regulations.
- The knowledge, attention, and support provided by Juan Alberto Ayerdi and Karla Gómez have been excellent.
- Our experience with their service has been very satisfactory. The team's technical expertise, practical approach and ability to understand our business, offering clear and timely solutions, are outstanding. What makes them unique is their combination of legal soundness with a results-oriented approach, as well as their proactive communication and collaborative work.
- They are experienced lawyers who have excellent client relationships. Liz Gordillo stands out in particular.
- The lawyers at the Arias firm are experienced and always ready to assist clients quickly and efficiently. I believe they are even better than those at other firms in that regard.
Key clients
- Natura & Co.
- Mondelez
- Backer & Mckenzie
- Podium
- Johnson & Johnson
- Eurofarma
- Caldic
- Cisco Systems
- Rainforest Alliance
- Energizer
Work highlights
Advising SBA Communications on the Guatemalan labour law aspects of a multi-jurisdictional telecommunications infrastructure transaction in Central America.
Advised Natura & Co. as local counsel in Guatemala on the labour law issues relating to the sale of Avon’s operations in Central America and the Dominican Republic to Grupo PDC.
Advised an international company on the incorporation of a new business process outsourcing operation in Guatemala, providing support across all stages of employment design and compliance.
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
Liz Gordillo; Rosa María Arenales