Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL)

Firm overview: Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL) is a large, highly specialised labour boutique that stands out for its institutionalised approach. With more than 130 lawyers dedicated to labour and employment matters, the firm consistently delivers top-notch legal services to prominent multinational and domestic clients with a modern and streamlined approach. The firm’s seven partners all have PhD or Master’s degrees from leading universities including Harvard and Tulane in the US.

MGGL was founded by three highly experienced partners with postgraduate degrees from top US universities and a wide range of expertise in Mexican labour and employment law. The goal was to build an institutionalised labour and employment boutique with a strong focus on providing world-class legal services. The firm has invested heavily in the development of its specialist team, centred around the development of robust and attractive career paths for our associates. We are currently working on new litigation management software to help us manage our caseload and as a firm we are committed to providing consistently high-quality legal services to leading multinational companies and other major clients in a modern and efficient manner. The success of our approach to management is evident in the phenomenal growth that we have experienced in the past 13 years as our legal team has expanded from 14 to a team of 130 lawyers and support staff.

The appointment of José Genaro Pérez Velázquez as Partner on January 1, 2022, and Oscar Bojorge on January 1, 2024, significantly enhances the strength of our team.

The firm’s unique model and structure has proved highly successful and its impressive client roster reflects its outstanding reputation.

Main areas of practice

• Labour and employment: MGGL handles complex, sensitive and strategic labour and employment matters, ranging from high-profile disputes and collective bargaining to the labour aspects of high-end M&A and corporate restructurings.

The firm is renowned for its expertise in labour litigation; it handles large, complicated disputes before all levels of the court, recently representing clients in several cases before the Supreme Court of Justice and being called as expert witness in international arbitration cases. It also has the capacity to deal with a high volume of concurrent lawsuits; the firm has large teams in Mexico City and Guadalajara and coordinates cases at a national level through arrangements with a network of firms across more than 50 Mexican cities.

MGGL has an equally strong practice in non-contentious labour matters, including labour consulting on matters such as major M&A and corporate restructurings, as well as collective bargaining; in this respect the firm has developed strong, longstanding working relationships with the unions. Across all areas of its labour and employment practice, MGGL works closely with its clients to identify strategic alternatives and solutions to problems, in a context of rigid legislation and an ever-changing and dynamic global marketplace.

• International work: MGGL advises leading multinational companies from the US, Europe and Asia, among other jurisdictions, on their labour and employment concerns in Mexico. Such work includes advising on the establishment and management of local operations, cross-border transactions including M&A and restructurings, and international disputes including international arbitration.

Clients: MGGL represents leading multinational and national clients, including some of the biggest employers in Mexico. The firm advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including the finance, insurance, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, energy and natural resources and automotive sectors, and stands out for its market-leading experience advising insurance and financial services companies. Additionally, MGGL is the first-choice for market-leading corporate law firms in Mexico City that lack their own labour departments.

Departments: Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL) is one of the only labour and employment boutiques in Mexico with the capacity to deal with huge numbers of concurrent lawsuits. The firm fields a substantial team of lawyers and support staff based in Mexico City and we have the capability to coordinate cases at national level through arrangements with a network of firms across more than 55 Mexican cities.

In fact, MGGL currently represents Wal-Mart de México, with its approx. 240,000 staff throughout the country, in all of its lawsuits in Monterrey, which means that we now have full responsibility for handling all of the labour and employment work for the largest Mexican employers in all of the country’s three major cities.

MGGL also has offices in Guadalajara and Morelia, currently handling more than 1,000 lawsuits between them. More importantly, we are using these offices as a base to develop strong professional networks in Mexico’s western central region. The appointment of José Genaro Pérez Velázquez as Partner on 01 January 2022 further consolidates our team in Guadalajara.

MGGL routinely handles complex, sensitive and strategic matters, ranging from high-profile disputes and collective bargaining to labour aspects of high-end M&A and corporate restructurings.

MGGL is renowned primarily for its expertise in labour litigation, handling huge volumes of major disputes before all levels of the Mexican courts, including the highest tribunals in the land. Recently for instance, we have represented major clients in several cases before the Supreme Court of Justice. In addition, our partners are regularly called as expert witness in international arbitration cases.

MGGL has an equally strong practice in non-contentious labour matters. Indeed, we are well-known in the market for being a leader in consulting on the labour aspects of major M&A deals and corporate restructurings. Moreover, we have a well-deserved reputation for successful representation of major employers during collective bargaining negotiations. Within this context, the firm has developed strong, longstanding working relationships with all of Mexico’s leading trade unions.

MGGL is the first-choice for market-leading corporate law firms in Mexico City that lack their own labour departments. For instance, we work routinely with Nader, Hayaux & Goebel and Ritch, Mueller, Heather y Nicolau, including advising on the employment aspects of start-ups, M&A transactions and restructurings.

The recent introduction of labour law reforms prohibiting insourcing/outsourcing contracts represented a golden opportunity for our firm to demonstrate its strength in advising major clients on issues at the cutting edge of Mexican labour law. In response to the law changes, MGGL advised approx. 50 companies on matters flowing from the change in the law, mainly due to the huge transfer seen in employees from outsourcing/services companies to direct employment. We also conducted reviews for foreign companies working with Mexican companies as the law changes have impacted their ability to do business in Mexico.

MGGL has a noted specialisation in advising insurance companies, offering market-leading, sector-critical expertise in respect to all of their labour and employment issues. It also has particularly strong experience acting on behalf of financial services companies. We are trusted advisors to many of the country’s leading financial services players. Additionally MGGL's stellar list of other multinational clients includes numerous household names that operate at global level, with a very strong presence throughout Mexico.