A&O Shearman, the result of the headline merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling in 2024, has a well-established Latin America capital markets practice, principally from the legacy Shearman team. The Latin America group has an excellent record in debt offerings across the region, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Argentina, Uruguay, Guatemala and Colombia. It remains at the forefront of representing underwriters in sovereign bond offerings for multiple Latin American states. It is also noted for ESG-related deals, including sustainability-linked debt offerings, blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps. Alejandro Gordano has made a significant impression in the market, advising major clients such as Ecopetrol on headline offerings; he has also emerged as a leading name in sustainability-linked bonds, including advising on the first international sustainability-linked bond out of Peru. Manuel Orillac is another senior name in the team. All named individuals are based in New York. David Flechner left the firm in July 2024 and of counsel Antonia Stolper retired in 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is exceptional. My experience has been primarily working with the partner Alejandro Gordano, who is always available to assist with questions and is very involved in transactions. They also have extensive knowledge of legal issues for all types of issues in Latin America, especially sovereign issues.'
‘They are lawyers who are involved in the day-to-day of the transaction, they do not complicate things and it is clear that their objective is to support the transaction in developing as smoothly as possible and with the best result.’
‘Their expertise on complex capital market transactions is evident. They are very transparent and reasonable when negotiating. ’
‘Alejandro Gordano: he is calm, thorough and business oriented. Great ability to work under pressure.’
‘The team is constantly updated on the latest developments in their professional areas, as well as technology, teamwork, etc. We don't see any weaknesses compared to other law firms.'
‘In our case, we have a long-standing relationship with Antonia Stolper and Alejandro Gordano, and their professional quality is excellent. Their willingness and availability to respond to our queries, as well as the quality of their responses, set them apart from other law firms.'
Key clients
- Banco Internacional del Perú
- Ecopetrol
- Republic of Chile
- BofA Securities
- ENGIE Chile
- Deutsche Bank Securities
- HSBC Securities (USA)
- Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (Enap)
- Volcan Compañía Minera
- Credicorp Capital Sociedad Titulizadora
- Balanz Capital, Galicia
- Citigroup Global Markets
Work highlights
Advised Ecopetrol in connection with its SEC-registered offering of $1.75bn notes.
Advised the Nature Conservancy on its first-ever land-based Nature Bonds Program effort, which is its first in the Amazon and the largest-ever for conservation, in support of Ecuador’s Amazon Biocorridor Program (the BCA).
Advised ENGIE Chile in connection with its $500m Green Senior Notes offering and concurrent abbreviated cash tender offer.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Alejandro Gordano; Manuel Orillac; Antonia Stolper
Other key lawyers
Gonzalo Robles; Moises Gonzalez