Lexvalor Abogados

The firm: LEXVALOR Abogados is a dynamic and consolidated full-service law firm with a reputation of excellence, based on outstanding results in line with its clients’ expectations, delivering services from its offices in Quito and Guayaquil and through a wide network of correspondents throughout the world.

LEXVALOR Abogados is the result of the combination of two leading Ecuadorian law firms: Peñaherrera & Ponce Abogados, and LEXVALOR Abogados. The combination of complementary practices through the merger allowed the firm to meet the needs of clients requiring a broader array of specialized services, giving rise to one of the leading full-service law firms in the country.

The firm today has a team of 52 lawyers and a total of 86 members including accountants, financial experts, and staff to support legal and administrative matters. The firm specializes in several areas of law and holds in depth knowledge of the economic sectors in which they perform. The professionals of the firm are trained in prestigious local and international universities.

The firm and its lawyers are members of the following legal networks: International Bar Association (IBA), American Bar Association (ABA), International Fiscal Association (IFA), Ecuadorian Institute of Tax Law, Alliance for Entrepreneurship, and Innovation (AEI), International Trademark Association (INTA), Interamerican Intellectual Property Association (ASIPI) and the Ecuadorean Association of Intellectual Property (AEPI).

Main areas of practice
Banking and finance: The firm has participated in the structuring of capital market transactions, including corporate bond issues, commercial paper, securitizations, and other financial products for company financing. LEXVALOR Abogados is also known for its experience in structuring multilateral credit operations, as well as in syndicated loan operations to finance major projects in Ecuador.

Competition and antitrust: The team provides the full scope of services in the antitrust/competition field, ranging from counsel on abuse of dominance, cartels, merger control, state aid, unfair competition, to litigation in administrative and judicial forums relating to these matters.

Corporate: The firm provides the full range of corporate and strategic counsel for investments in the country. The firm handles multiple corporate matters, especially relating to processes of new company incorporation, business structure, corporate restructuring of business groups, negotiation of contracts, establishment of corporate agreements, commercial advice, among others.

Dispute resolution: The firm specializes in dispute prevention and resolution. The litigation team is specially focused on civil, commercial, administrative, labour and tax actions. The firm represents both public and private entities in international and domestic arbitration as well as mediation processes.

Intellectual property: The IP team handles prosecution and maintenance of IP portfolios locally and worldwide, including trademarks, trade names, designs, patents, copyright. The team is regularly entrusted with litigation in administrative and judicial forums for the defense of IP rights, including anti-counterfeiting actions.

Labour and employment: Advice to clients in matters relating to labour contracts and prevention of labour conflicts that may arise from the relationship between workers and employers. The firm also provides assistance on social security matters and immigration issues.

Mergers and acquisitions: Our team has consolidated a specialized M&A practice through a portfolio of transactions in a wide range of industries, representing buyers or sellers, in both local and multijurisdictional transactions. Our full-service practice approach allows us to integrate specialists from different teams to provide a tailored and multidisciplinary corporate advisory service in transactions

Real estate: LEXVALOR Abogados provides legal advice throughout all stages of real estate projects, from the acquisition of the land and the obtainment of municipal permits to the structuring of tax and contractual schemes for the project implementation.

Tax: The team of professionals specialize in fiscal related matters, finance, and accounting. LEXVALOR Abogados' services include tax–efficient structures for transactions and strategic tax planning. It also represents clients before the tax authorities and courts on tax and customs.