ECIJA DVMS > Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic > Firm Profile

ECIJA DVMS Offices

ECIJA DVMS
Calle Rafael Augusto Sánchez Nº86
Torre Roble Corporate Center, Piso 1
Suite 201D, Piantini, Santo Domingo
10148
Dominican Republic
Visit website 1 809 289 2343

Profiles

ECIJA DVMS > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dominican Republic > Banking and finance Tier 2

ECIJA DVMS is particularly well placed to assist clients, including an impressive roster of large multinational banks, with project finance mandates, including advising on the use of trusts for the financing of construction and infrastructure projects and other matters. The team is also noted for its experience in capital markets transactions. Polibio Valenzuela and Christian Molina head up the team; the former is adept at advising lenders and borrowers on project finance, asset-based financings and securities offerings, while the latter specialises in trusts law. Elsewhere in the team, Gabriel Dejarden is a key contact for corporate finance.

Practice head(s):

Polibio Valenzuela; Christian Molina

Testimonials

‘One of the most professional and skilled teams on the market. Always focused on delivering quality work based on best practices. Their work methodology allows them to cover different projects, complying with the times and scope required of them.’

‘It seems to me that the most outstanding thing about the team, or at least the members we have worked with like Polibio Valenzuela and Christian Molina, is their availability to clients and the support they give us in the early phases of any project we work on together, and then their continuous follow up.’

‘ECIJA has a multidisciplinary team, which is highly trained and demonstrates highly specialised experience with the regulated markets. They are innovative, agile and open-minded. They know how to analyse business models and their implications, providing strategic and convenient solutions for their clients.’

‘The attorneys are highly experienced and their advice has been invaluable to our operations.’

‘Polibio Valenzuela is an excellent lawyer.’

Key clients

TC Latin American Partners

CCI Puesto de Bolsa

Grupo Ramos

Panac Hotels Dominicana

Ministerio de Vivienda y Edificaciones (Ministry of Housing and Construction)

Fiduciaria Reservas

Asset Wealth Management

Asociación de Fiduciarias Dominicanas

ING Bank

Italbank International

Oikocredit Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society

Bancaribe International Bank

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI/BCIE)

Elliott Management Corporation

The OPEC Fund for International Development

Work highlights

  • Assisted the Ministry of Housing with all legal and strategic matters concerning the development and financing of over 7,500 low-income homes in the Dominican Republic, for a total government investment of approximately $400m.
  • Assisted CCI Puesto de Bolsa with the structuring of a corporate bond issuance valued at $95 mn.
  • Assisted Capital, Credito e Inversiones with negotiations with the fund manager in order to channel investments into a fund which is focused on acquiring Latin music rights.

Dominican Republic > Labour and employment Tier 2

At ECIJA DVMS, the work of the labour and employment team ranges from pre-litigation advice and assistance with the design of labour manuals and policies to the hiring and dismissals of high-level executives, employee mobility issues and the labour aspects of M&A. The team is also able to draw on the firm's international network to advise multinational clients on labour issues in the Dominican Republic and other Latin American jurisdictions. At the helm are Edward Salcedo and Gabriel Dejarden; the former is the go-to practitioner for labour litigation, and the latter has a broad practice which includes advising on compliance with local labour laws. Senior associate Arístides Victoria is also noted.

Practice head(s):

Edward Salcedo; Gabriel Dejarden

Testimonials

‘Communication is personalised and trustworthy. In our case we have found that Arístides Victoria has been of great help and exceeds expectations in his work, as does Gabriel Dejarden.’

‘Noted for its accessibility, commitment and use of its experience to advise its clients.’

Key clients

Houston Astros

Sewn Products

Credicefi

Minnesota Twins

Rangers Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates

San Diego Padres

Colorado Rockies

Milwaukee Brewers

3Designers

Atlanta Braves

Estación de Servicios HE Nuevo Milenio

Work highlights

  • Represented the Houston Astros before the Supreme Court in connection with two petitions for certiorari to reverse decisions from the Labour Court of Appeals concerning two significant claims against the club.
  • Assisted Sewn Products, a free trade zone company subsidiary of Jostens, with all its labour matters.
  • Advised Credicefi on telework regulations and internal investigations.

Dominican Republic > Real estate and tourism Tier 2

In addition to advising on real estate transactions and leasing agreements for major clients in the sports industry, ECIJA DVMS has been particularly active in advising on the development of large-scale projects in the tourism industry. Gabriel Dejarden and Polibio Valenzuela head up the team, which is well versed in advising on matters in the key tourist locations of Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Samaná. Elsewhere in the team, Christian Molina is a go-to practitioner when it comes to the development of hotels and other real estate.

Practice head(s):

Gabriel Dejarden; Polibio Valenzuela

Key clients

Margarita Gonzalez and Maria Gonzalez

CCI Puesto de Bolsa

Fiduciaria Reservas

Milwaukee Brewers

Omena Capital

VAC Construcción y Diseño

Global Rannik

Capital Crédito e Inversiones CCI

Grupo Griño

Vesta Consultants

Work highlights

  • Served as counsel to the Ministry of Housing for all legal and strategic matters concerning the structuring, contracting, development and financing of over 7,500 low-income homes in the Dominican Republic.
  • Assisting Grupo Ramos, which is the largest retail business in Dominican Republic, in the securitisation of real estate assets resulting in a registered public offering of $110m.
  • Advising the owners of a 250,000 square meter plot of land in connection with the incorporation of their property into a real estate trust which would have the objective of developing a housing and commercial office space project.

Dominican Republic > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

ECIJA leverages its global network of offices to handle cross-border M&A for clients ranging from domestic companies to multinationals. Among its clients are key players in the financial services, tourism, sports and consumer products sectors (including Major League Baseball teams). Polibio Valenzuela Scheker, whose areas of expertise include M&A in the banking, retail, utilities and hospitality sectors, and Gabriel Dejarden, who is adept at advising on corporate finance, M&A, corporate governance and reorganisations, lead the team.

Practice head(s):

Polibio Valenzuela Scheker; Gabriel Dejarden

Testimonials

‘ECIJA’s practice stands out for its proactive approach to the integration of technology, its interdisciplinary collaboration and its international reach, as well as its commitment to diversity.’

‘Compared to other firms, ECIJA stands out for its ability to address emerging legal issues and for its reputation at national and international level.’

Key clients

Ministry of Housing of the Dominican Republic

TC Latin American Partners

Grupo Ramos

CCI Puesto de Bolsa

Finisterre Capital

ING Bank

Fondo Opep para la Cooperación Internacional

Ministerio de Industria y Comercio

World Intellectual Property Organization

Naturegreenkapital (Grupo Griño)

Pfizer Central America & Caribbean

St. Louis Cardinals

Houston Astros

Asociación de Fiduciarias Dominicanas – ASOFIDOM

Credicefi

New York Mets

Wurth Mexico

CPS

Atlanta Braves

DHL

Texas Rangers

Grupo Lácteo del Caribe (a subsidiary of Cooperativa de Productores de Leche Dos Pinos)

Costa Farms

Work highlights

  • Advised Grupo Ramos on the drafting and negotiation of its shareholder agreement and the corporate restructuring of its holding company.
  • Providing assistance to the OPEP Fund for International Development in connection with the approval and ratification by the Dominican Republic of a Treaty for the Encouragement and Protection of Investment.
  • Assisted Grupo Griñó with the acquisition of Key West Corporation.

Dominican Republic > Dispute resolution Tier 3

ECIJA DVMS leverages its position as ‘one of very few truly international firms in the Dominican Republic’ to represent a range of foreign clients in both litigation and arbitration. The team is particularly adept at handling disputes in the sports industry, counting various Major League Baseball teams among its clients; its recent caseload includes representing the Texas Rangers in a breach of contract and damages claim. In addition, the firm is active in litigation in the financial services industry, in particular in debt collection and foreclosure proceedings. Practice head Edward Salcedo has ‘an excellent reputation in the market, particularly in sports disputes’.

Practice head(s):

Edward Salcedo

Testimonials

‘Edward Salcedo has an excellent reputation in the market, particularly in sports disputes.’

‘ECIJA is one of very few truly international firms in the Dominican Republic.’

‘Edward Salcedo is very competent and has in-depth knowledge.’

‘A proactive and diligent team.’

Key clients

Mercantil Farmacéutica

St. Louis Cardinals

Atlanta Braves

Eurofresh

DHL

Helidosa Aviation Group

Minnesota Twins

Houston Astros

San Diego Padres

Grupo Lácteo del Caribe Gruplac (Dos Pinos)

New York Mets

Colorado Rockies

Wurth Dominicana

Rangers Baseball

Alvaro Skupin and Nancy Alvarez

T.E.V.A. & Asociados (Credicefi)

Italbank

Sanofi

Work highlights

  • Defended Rangers Baseball against a breach of contract and damages claim filed by prospect Fraidel Liriano.
  • Represented Mercantil Farmacéutica in a case regarding breach of the Dominican Republic’s competition law.
  • Represented Italbank in a case regarding foreclosure proceedings on real estate as a result of outstanding debt.

ECIJA DVMS > Firm Profile

The firm: ECIJA is a European law firm with headquarters in Spain and offices in Portugal, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and El Salvador. ECIJA has a multidisciplinary team of over 300 professionals, with exceptional experience in their areas of specialization, enabled to work in different jurisdictions, with extensive knowledge of the different industries and international markets. ECIJA is a client-focused law firm with the agility and personal service of a high-end boutique firm and the multidisciplinary experience of a large firm. ECIJA is a full-service firm with significant experience and is specialized in the practice areas required by international clients to invest and operate in Central America and the Caribbean.

Main areas of practice
Corporate: the firm provides corporate and M&A services for both local and international clients. The practice in M&A is multi-jurisdictional, focused on transactions with a regional component in Central America and the Caribbean markets. The team is trained in legal project management tools in order to control time and cost of any transaction.

Banking and finance: the team includes prestigious attorneys who have assisted important international and local banks with sophisticated transactions. The firm’s services involve many aspects of the complex regulatory financial world, including syndicated credit facilities, project finance and banking products such as leasing, factoring, confirming, mortgages, pledges and credit cards.

Dispute resolution: ECIJA has a strong practice for dispute resolution both in local courts and arbitration. The disputes include commercial, civil, investment and government. Regarding arbitration, the firms has a regional practice of several partners with strong experience and skills in international arbitration using the ICC, AAA and UNCITRAL rules, and also with local rules in each country.

Technology and data privacy: ECIJA in one of the leading firms in LatAm for technology and data privacy practices. The team focuses on the technology industry for complex transactions, M&A and software developments.

Employment and human rights: the firm has a strong practice in employment matters from the employer perspective. The services include litigation, technology issues relating to employment, company restructuring, immigration and compliance. ECIJA’s practice in human rights is focused on compliance with international standards in five areas: gender, age, functional diversity, social origin, and diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Administrative and infrastructure: the services provided by ECIJA range from managing regulatory aspects of the relationship from the regulatory point of view between the client and the government throughout the execution of agreements with public entities.

Energy: ECIJA is one of the most recognized and acknowledged law firms in the structuring and development of energy projects in the Central American region because of its vast experience in the field. The services include regulatory aspects related to obtaining licenses and authorizations, as well as the contractual aspects of negotiating agreements for electricity purchase with distribution companies. The relevant experience and knowledge of energy project developments also covers construction and financing agreements.

Trusts: the firm has advised regional and foreign clients in connection with the incorporation of trust companies, the opening of internal trust departments and the design of business transactions which employ trust structures, including philanthropic, administration, guaranty, and real estate development trusts. Likewise, ECIJA has advised local banks in connection with the implementation of trust operations that include financing structures.

Foreign investment: ECIJA has a regional legal team that is prepared to advise foreign investors on how to structure their investment in any country of the region, including aspects such as obtaining the benefits of various tax incentive regimes and dealing with customs issues that come up when importing or exporting goods and services.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo Name Position Profile
Gabriel Dejarden photo Gabriel Dejarden Managing Partner at ECIJA DVMS Dominican Republic View Profile
Christian Molina photo Christian Molina Partner View Profile
Edward Salcedo photo Edward Salcedo Partner View Profile
Polibio Valenzuela photo Polibio Valenzuela Partner View Profile

ECIJA DVMS > Firm Profile

The firm: ECIJA is a Iberoamerican law firm with offices in Dominican Republic, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. ECIJA has a multidisciplinary team of over 750 professionals, with exceptional experience in their areas of specialization, enabled to work in different jurisdictions, with extensive knowledge of the different industries and international markets. ECIJA is a client-focused law firm with the agility and personal service of a high-end boutique firm and the multidisciplinary experience of a large firm. ECIJA is a full-service firm with significant experience and specialized in the practice areas required by international clients to invest and operate globally.

The firm offers an unrivalled integrated cross-border platform in the Iberoamerican market. Since 2019, ECIJA has merged with 16 law firms and has become the largest Iberoamerican law firm in Latin America. Nowadays, ECIJA has 29 offices in 16 countries. Furthermore, in 2019 ECIJA signed the biggest strategic agreement between an Iberoamerican and a Chinese firm to create a joint venture with the 4th largest firm in China (Grandall Law). The agreement brought together 3,500 lawyers and 54 offices in Iberia, Latin America and Asia. “To put that in perspective, that is comparable with CMS and Norton Rose Fulbright, some of the biggest firms in the world by headcount.” Law.com

Main areas of practice
Corporate: the firm provides corporate and M&A services for both local and international clients. The practice in M&A is multi-jurisdictional, focused on transactions with a regional component in Latin American markets. The team is trained in legal project management tools in order to control time and cost of any transaction.

Banking and finance: the team includes prestigious attorneys who have assisted important international and local banks with sophisticated transactions. The firm’s services involve many aspects of the complex regulatory financial world, including syndicated credit facilities, project finance and banking products such as leasing, factoring, mortgages, pledges and credit cards.

Dispute resolution: ECIJA has a strong practice for dispute resolution both in local courts and arbitration. The disputes include commercial, civil, investment and government. Regarding arbitration, the firms has a regional practice of several partners with strong experience and skills in international arbitration using the ICC, AAA and UNCITRAL rules, and also with local rules in each country.

Technology and data privacy: ECIJA in one of the leading firms in the LatAm market for technology and data privacy matters. The team focuses on complex transactions, M&A and software development engagements.

Employment: the firm has a strong practice in employment matters from the employer perspective. The services include litigation, technology issues related to the employment, company’s restructuring, immigration and compliance.

Energy: the services include regulatory aspects related to obtaining licenses and authorizations, as well as the contractual aspects of negotiating agreements for electricity purchase with distribution companies. The relevant experience and knowledge of energy project developments also covers construction and financing agreements.

Trusts: the firm has advised regional and foreign clients in connection with the incorporation of trust companies, the opening of internal trust departments and the design of business transactions which employ trust structures, including philanthropic, administration, guaranty, and real estate development trusts. Likewise, ECIJA has advised local banks in connection with the implementation of trust operations that include financing structures.

Foreign investment: ECIJA has a regional legal team that is prepared to advise foreign investors on how to structure their investment in any country of the region, including aspects such as obtaining the benefits of various tax incentive regimes and dealing with customs issues that come up when importing or exporting goods and services.

Real estate: ECIJA is a well-known player in the real estate market in Latin America.  The team has developed special capacities in the baseball industry, and the development of multi-purpose and touristic projects.  ECIJA provides its services from developers of projects to individual investors seeking a second home.  The firm advises developers since the acquisition of the land through the permit process and until a final product is delivered to customers.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Managing Partner | Corporate/M&A, Labour Law, Real Estate, Leisure & Tourism, Trust, Banking and Finance Gabriel Dejarden [email protected] T. +1 (809) 289-2343
Partner Trust, Banking, Real Estate, Leisure & Tourism, Corporate/M&A, Labour Law, Dispute Resolution Christian Molina [email protected] T. +1 (809) 289-2343
Partner Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Labour Law, Sports and Entretaiment Law Edward Salcedo [email protected] T. +1 (809) 289-2343
Partner Banking & finance, Energy, Foreign Investment, Trust, Corporate/M&A, Leisure & Tourism Polibio Valenzuela [email protected] T. +1 (809) 289-2343

Staff Figures

Lauren Baez : Office Manager & Compliance Officer
Pamela Madera : Project Manager

Languages

Spanish
English