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Herbert Smith Freehills has again been recognized in Latin Lawyer 250 as one of the leading international law firms with a strong Latin America practice. This is the second year the firm has achieved this honorable accolade which notes the firm’s work across three practice areas: arbitration, project finance and development and M&A.
Latin Lawyer 250 2020 describes the firm as having “diligently built a respectable Latin America practice group” and complements it for its strength in arbitration and projects in the extractive industries. The guide highlights the firm’s ambitious growth plans and steps taken to build a robust practice – from relocating key partners to external hires to internal promotions – and states that “as a result, there is a considerably larger number of senior level lawyers focused on the region”.
Herbert Smith Freehills is praised for the quality and focus of its Latin America offering with Latin Lawyer commenting that “The firm has deep sectoral knowledge of mining and energy, both dominant industries in Latin America." The guide goes on to highlight the team’s strong list of major clients as well as transactional and disputes strengths.
Individuals recognized in the 2020 guide are New York-based partners Christian Leathley, Juan-José Zentner, Edward Dougherty and Amal Bouchenaki, London-based partner Pedro Rufino Carvalho, Madrid-based partner David Arias, and New York-based counsel Florencia Villaggi.
Christian Leathley and Pedro Rufino Carvalho, co-chairs of the Latin America Group, said "we are very pleased once again to be listed in Latin Lawyer 250. We are extremely proud of our group and the success we have achieved in a highly competitive regional market. These accolades are well-deserved, as we have advised on some of the highest profile, award-winning deals in Latin America in 2019, solidifying our reputation among peer firms."
Juan-José Zentner, head of the LatAm Projects team, also noted "it is encouraging that our strategic efforts to grow and expand our offering for the Latin America region continue to be recognized. We are committed to deepening and building on our capabilities to serve our clients ever more effectively.”
The Latin America team recently advised on a series of leading transactions in the region, including Codelco on its US$1 billion contract for a Chilean desalination plant, a major M&A transaction in the oil and gas sector in Argentina, and Trident Energy on the first-of-a kind RBL financing for the acquisition of Brazilian oil and gas assets from Petrobras, the state-owned oil company. Our disputes team secured a major victory for the Republic of Costa Rica in a high-profile investment arbitration that was named "Dispute of the Year" by Latin Lawyer at its 13th annual Deal of the Year Awards.
The Latin America group is a global practice based in New York and London with transactional and disputes practitioners across our offices in Tokyo, Beijing, Madrid, Paris and Melbourne. We advise a host of key mining and energy clients who are active in the region including Anglo American, BP, BHP, Chevron, Codelco, Marubeni, Engie, Ecopetrol, Mitsubishi, Mantos Copper, among others.
The Latin Lawyer 250 is the definitive guide to the leading business law firms of Latin America and is the result of 20 years of intensive research by Latin Lawyer's editorial team, as well as comments made by corporate counsel regarding the considered firms.
The full Latin Lawyer 250 2020 can be found here.