Ms Natalia Ponce De León > Baker McKenzie S.A.S. > BOGOTÁ, D.C, Colombia > Lawyer Profile

Lauded for its ‘hands-on and practical legal advice’, Baker McKenzie S.A.S. also stands out for its cross-border firepower and its ability to guide multinational clients through ‘the Colombian landscape of deal-making’. Ricardo Trejos is highly regarded for his strength in debt capital markets and private equity transactions — notably, private equity is subject to capital markets regulation in Colombia. M&A specialist Andrés Crump, who co-leads the department together with Trejos, is recommended for equity capital markets work. At associate level, key contacts include senior Natalia Ponce de León and intermediate Juliana Gómez. In December 2022, finance partner Carolina Duque left to establish her own firm, while senior associate Sebastián Boada departed for the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

According to satisfied clients, Baker McKenzie S.A.S.’s corporate and M&A practice stands out for its ‘willingness to help solve client problems’ as well as its commitment to providing ‘almost immediate attention’. As a sizeable Bogotá platform in a global firm, the team is additionally distinguished by its popularity with multinational clients, who routinely engage the group to lead on the local, sometimes regional, aspects of headline-grabbing, multi-jurisdictional deals. A former Senior Vice President at Brookfield Asset Management, Andrés Crump fronts the M&A and private equity groups and is particularly noted for his experience in the infrastructure and power spheres. Among his recent transactions, the ‘cool and calm’ Crump advised Akzo Nobel on the acquisition of Grupo Orbis, which involved co-ordinating the acquisition of over 20 companies across the Latin American region. Clare Montgomery spearheads the companies, restructuring and investment unit and recently advised a multinational tobacco company on the implementation of a merger between two Colombian subsidiaries. Rounding out the senior partner group is high-profile transactional expert Jaime Trujillo, who enjoys a strong regional reputation for his M&A, finance and private equity expertise. Among its younger partners, recently promoted Natalia Ponce de León stands out for her ‘high levels of responsibility, knowledge, availability and attitude’. The group also draws on a capable second line of corporate and M&A-focused associates, including seniors Alexandra Montealegre, Isabel Torres and Adriana Combatt, as well as intermediates Karen Santamaría, Juliana Gómez and Paola Gonzalez. Associate Juliana Tobón left the firm to go on study leave in August 2022.