Mr Enrique Gomez-Pinzon > Holland & Knight > Bogota, Colombia > Lawyer Profile
Holland & Knight Offices
Carrera 7 # 71-21
Torre A, Piso 8
Bogotá, DC, Colombia
Colombia
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Mr Enrique Gomez-Pinzon
Work Department
Anti-Corruption and FCPA | Compliance Services | Corporate Services | Financial Services | International and Cross-Border Transactions | International Arbitration and Litigation | Latin American Investigations | Mergers and Acquisitions | Project Finance | Risk and Crisis Management | International Energy
Position
Executive Partner
Career
Enrique Gómez-Pinzón is the executive partner of Holland & Knight’s office in Bogotá, Colombia. He practices in the areas of cross-border investment and financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and compliance, international arbitration and project financing. While Mr. Gómez-Pinzón spends the majority of his time in Bogota, he still maintains his practice in Washington, D.C.
In his practice, Mr. Gómez-Pinzón has participated in some of the most important financings and privatizations in Colombia in the last 30 years, including licensing of cellular telephones, banking entities, power generating and distribution companies, and transportation of petroleum. Mr. Gómez-Pinzón has represented contractors in matters before the World Bank Sanctions Committee. He has served as an arbitrator in a variety of cases administered by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), cases administered under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.
Additionally, Mr. Gómez-Pinzón has represented acquiring companies in various mergers and acquisitions transactions of mass public transportation companies in Ecuador, Chile and Colombia. He has participated in various mergers and acquisitions transactions within the United States, representing foreign acquiring companies, as well as cross-border transactions in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, the Bahamas, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Additionally, he has extensive experience in corporate matters, including internal investigations and compliance issues and he regularly advises companies in Colombia regarding the design, implementation and enforcement of comprehensive compliance and ethics programs to reduce their potential legal exposure, as well as defending clients with civil investigations, and coordinating with U.S. and other foreign counsel.
Mr. Gómez-Pinzón was the founder and former director of one the largest law firms in Colombia. He was the co-founder and ex-director of the Colombian-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In addition, he was a member of the board of directors of the Bogotá Stock Exchange, as well as an independent board member of several publicly traded companies and banks in Colombia and the United States.
Mr. Gómez-Pinzón served as the director of the Colombian Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C., where he represented the Colombian government and several of its industries. In 1999, he formed part of the Colombian Delegation for the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Seattle Ministerial Conference and the Free Trade Area of the Americas’ (FTAA) Fifth Ministerial Meeting in Toronto.
Languages
English, Spanish
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Sections International Law, Advisory Panel and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Harvard Alumni Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Washington D.C. International Arbitration Club, Co-Founder
Education
Universidad de los Andes, JD
Harvard University Law School, LLM
Lawyer Rankings
Colombia > Corporate and M&A
(Leading partners)According to clients, Holland & Knight ‘cares about understanding the business realities and contexts of the companies it advises’. The group continues to consolidate its position in the market following the firm’s May 2023 absorption of Cuberos Cortés Gutiérrez Abogados, and it added several new clients during 2023/24, including Opp Film Colombia and Boston Scientific. Arguably best known for its record in cross-border transactions, where it can link up with its wider international network, the team also handles domestic M&A and advisory matters. Executive office partner Enrique Gómez-Pinzón, who operates from Bogotá and Washington DC, steers the practice. Other recommended partners include Gustavo Cuberos, who contributes ‘seriousness and dynamism’; Julia Velásquez, who is ‘a great leader’; Alba Malagón, who specialises in corporate and finance deals; and transactional energy specialists José Vicente Zapata
and Ines Elvira Vesga. Associates Natalia Cuberos, Diana Paola Serrano and Isabella Díaz are also noted.
Colombia > Banking and finance
The banking and finance practice at Holland & Knight is held up by sources as ‘focused on the needs of the client and on making transactions viable’. The growing group added an impressive raft of new clients during 2023/24, which included an array of banks, alternative lenders and payment companies, including Coöperatieve Rabobank, Mercado Pago and Banco de Crédito del Perú. Arguably best known for his capital markets prowess, Camilo Gantiva also handles a significant volume of transactional and regulatory banking matters; he recently acted alongside the Miami office to advise Banco Davivienda on regulatory issues regarding cross-border operations with its affiliates and US branches. The group further benefits from the considerable experience of Juliana Saa, whose broad practice encompasses corporate, banking and finance, capital markets and commercial law; and Bogotá managing partner Enrique Gómez‐Pinzón, who operates from the Bogotá and Washington DC offices. Intermediate associate Juan Felipe Fontecha provides additional support to the capital markets, and banking and finance teams.
Colombia > Life sciences
(Firms to watch)July 2024 saw Holland & Knight announce the launch of its Colombian life sciences practice under the leadership of Enrique Gómez‐Pinzón and Danilo Romero Raad; covering IP, compliance corporate and transactional issues, contracting, APPs, labour and employment, litigation and tax, among other matters, the office already advises clients including Ginge, Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare Colombia and Locatel (Breccia Salud).
Latin America: International firms > International arbitration
Holland & Knight LLP has major focus on Latin America and an established international arbitration practice to match. With offices in Mexico and Colombia it has a history of cases involving the two jurisdictions, along with Argentina, Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic and Guatemala. The ‘fabulous team‘ is further noted for its experience in energy, infrastructure, transport and hospitality cases. The group features multilingual practitioners trained in both common and civil law. Adolfo Jimenez leads the team, which includes Katharine Menéndez de La Cuesta, who is licensed in Florida, New York and Spain; both Miami-based partners are described as ‘simply extraordinary‘. Washington DC and Bogota-based Enrique Gómez‐Pinzón is another key member of the department, along with New York partner Marisa Marinelli, who is also highly rated by clients.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners Colombia > Corporate and M&A
- Banking and finance Colombia
- Corporate and M&A Colombia
- Firms to watch Colombia > Life sciences