D'Empaire

D’Empaire is a leading Caracas-based firm that functions as a powerhouse adviser to global corporations navigating the intersection of local regulations, international sanctions and sovereign risk in Venezuela. The firm acts as a lead architect for the re-entry of Western capital into the energy sector, designing sophisticated operating models that allow foreign investors to maintain operational control and book reserves despite a volatile political climate. Splitting his time between Caracas and New York, Fulvio Italiani serves as a vital bridge for international boards and directs the firm’s most sensitive energy and sovereign debt mandates. He is supported by Carlos Omaña, who is highly active in negotiating with state entities to restart joint ventures, and associate Michelle Pasceri, who focuses on the documentation of complex acquisition and financing structures for cross-border energy projects. The firm’s financial practice remains the cornerstone of its offering, routinely providing support in complex, high-value transactions in an unstable economic environment. Roland Pettersson is the primary contact for sophisticated financing transactions, with particular expertise in securing debt and asset-backed financing in a jurisdiction defined by hyperinflation, evidenced by the firm’s work on a major collateralised financing for McDonald’s Latin America. In the contentious space, the group is regularly sought out as exit counsel for multinationals seeking compensation for state interference or expropriation. José Humberto Frías leads these treaty-based claims, possessing deep expertise in navigating the overlap between administrative law and international investment arbitration. He works alongside counsel Daniel Bustos, whose specialised background in hydrocarbons allows him to link technical regulations with high-stakes litigation. In the tax practice, Humberto Romero-Muci and José Manuel Valecillos manage complex forex-related disputes and the structuring of major foreign investment projects. Alejandro Disilvestro and Victorino Márquez handle sensitive human resources crises and labour restructurings for multinational employers alongside Biba Arciniegas, who advises on executive compensation and employee benefits during corporate transactions. Arnoldo Troconis manages corporate and regulatory matters in the telecoms and digital infrastructure sectors. Rounding out the offering, José Valentín González manages a docket of white-collar crime matters, providing a defensive shield for local directors through internal investigations and compliance advice; he is supported by senior associate Gabriela Chaurio, who assists with matters involving corporate risk and regulatory enforcement.