Mr Raúl Zepeda > CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow‘s banking and finance group regularly advises major Mexican banks, on both the lender and borrower sides, on acquisition and leveraged finance and syndicated lending mandates. Real estate finance and project finance are additional core areas of focus for the practice group. The team is jointly led by Raul Zepeda, who specialises in regulatory and transactional corporate, banking and capital markets mandates; and Fernando Nava, who routinely participates in the financing of projects. Acting for both sponsors and lenders, senior associate Alejandro Perera handles credit and finance restructuring matters; while associate Eduardo Saldaña frequently assists banks, broker-dealers, retirement funds, and rating agencies.

The energy and natural resources group at CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow ‘knows the regulatory framework like no one else‘ and has a notable history in advising government entities on an overhaul of the country’s electricity framework. It is counsel of choice in Mexico for a host of international energy companies and investors in the country’s energy and natural resources sectors, assisting them with both the commercial and regulatory advice required throughout the full life cycle of project development. ‘An extraordinary lawyer expert in energy issues‘, co-leader of the practice and senior partner Derek Woodhouse is one of the most experienced figures in energy matters in Mexico, a dedicated specialist regarding power, infrastructure and PPPs. He coordinates the practice alongside Luis Fernández, who is the main contact for mining matters, as well as leading the transactional side of the energy and infrastructure department. The third of the leadership trio is Giancarlo Schievenini, whose practice focuses on oil and gas, and corporate and transactional matters in the energy and infrastructure segments. Raúl Zepeda is another experienced partner to note, and can draw on two decades’ in-house experience in the energy industry; his practice also covers banking and finance matters. Senior associate Gabriel Salinas is especially noted for electricity sector work.

CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow advises clients in the food, tech, energy and financial services segments on corporate transactions. Recent work highlights for the group include advising Danish company Scan Logistics on the acquisition of Belglobe Mexico (a subsidiary of Swiss-based logistics business Belglobe); and providing corporate governance advice to a cohort of renewable energy companies. Giancarlo Schievenini, who is lauded by one client as being ‘always one step ahead, knowledgeable, creative and pragmatic’, specialises in multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions and the provision of corporate advice to energy and infrastructure-sector clients. Additional key figures include Raul Zepeda, who specialises in fintech and banking-related transactions; energy-focused Luis Fernandez Lagunas; and César Lechuga, whose broad practice encompasses corporate, real estate, infrastructure and finance. Senior associate Alejandro Perera specialises in structuring and negotiating corporate loans and structured financing, with particular focus on infrastructure and energy.

CMS has a mix of international and local law expertise in relation to Latin America. Having maintained a Rio de Janeiro office for many years, it then linked up with a local Sao Paulo firm to establish FAS Advogados, in cooperation with CMS in 2023. The international firm has further offices in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The multi-office Latin America practice has close links to international commercial lenders and development banks, along with a range of regional borrowers. It has developed a notable record in financings by European lenders to Latin American borrowers. The team has a long history of headline acquisition financings, project finance, restructurings and receivables-based credit agreements. In Chile, Jorge Allende Destuet is the key names, along with Sergio Rodríguez-Azuero and Daniel Rodríguez in Colombia. Diego Peschiera and Miguel Viale are prominent banking practitioners in Peru. Mexico City partner Raul Zepeda has led a series of major financings, including large project financings in the jurisdiction. Ted Rhodes heads the Brazil desk from London. Former Santiago-based partner Fernando De Cárcer left the firm in April 2024.