Pellerano & Herrera

Pellerano & Herrera, the leading law firm in the Dominican Republic for over 30 years, was established in 1952. The firm is typically involved as counsel in all major transactions in the country, and its multidisciplinary team of lawyers is recognized as the most comprehensive and sophisticated in the market with experience in more practice areas than any other Dominican firm. Pellerano & Herrera is especially well recognized for its expertise in handling complex matters in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, project and structured financings, bond issuances, antitrust and unfair competition, among others.

Areas of practice
Banking, finance, insurance and capital markets: Pellerano & Herrera is involved in virtually all complex finance deals in the country. The firm acts as legal counsel to lenders, underwriters and borrowers and provides assistance to its clients on regulatory and compliance issues, covering a wide range of credit facilities, including syndicated loans, secured and unsecured lending, project financing and acquisitions, issuance of securities in the local markets and international issuances under US 144 A Reg S. The firm acted as local counsel to underwriters in a $2.5bn sovereign bond offering, the largest bond offering to date by the Dominican state.

Corporate and M&A: the firm counsels clients in all aspects of routine and complex corporate matters and assists major international companies in expanding their operations in the Dominican Republic. The firm assists clients in negotiating, implementing, contracting and terminating international commercial agreements and also represents key players in virtually every transaction related to M&A, including the country’s largest acquisition deal to date, assisting the buyer, global brewery AmBev, in the US$2bn+ acquisition of Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana.

Digital and technology: Pellerano & Herrera is the only firm in the country with an established practice in this area. Among the firm’s clients are renowned companies such as: Expedia, Booking.com and Uber. The firm is also providing advice on fintech to major banks and financial institutions of the country regarding the relevant digital changes that will drastically affect this sector.

Real estate, tourism and hospitality: the firm assists its clients on issues relating to transactional and M&A matters, litigation, environmental permits, property management and leasing, construction licenses, project finance and tax planning, among others. The firm assisted Carnival Cruise Lines in the development and construction of a $65m sea port in Puerto Plata and Grupo Poma in the development of the Real Intercontinental Hotel Santo Domingo, an investment of over US$80m.

Energy, natural resources and environment: the firm is accredited by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources for providing environmental services. Pellerano & Herrera provides assistance to the major energy and mining players in the country and advises clients on the process of privatization and development of the energy sector. The firm is also involved in the generation and distribution of electric and renewable energy projects, start-ups and expansion of operations. The firm assisted Barrick Gold Corporation in the financing of the largest mining project and largest foreign investment registered in Dominican history, including the implementation of a $1bn environmental remediation program.

Dispute resolution: Pellerano & Herrera is involved in the country’s largest, most complex and groundbreaking litigation cases. The firm’s expertise includes arbitration and administrative, civil, commercial, labor, tax, IP, insurance and constitutional litigation, as well as cases involving multiple jurisdictions, including local enforcement of foreign judgments. The firm has litigated before all courts and government agencies and has established a number of important legal precedents under Dominican law.