About

FINSA is a leading company in Mexican industrial real estate, with developments across Mexico, the US and Argentina. The legal team is led by legal manager of real estate Gerardo Reynoso, who has made a notable contribution to FINSA’s recognition as a socially responsible company by independent assessors for the second year in a row. Commenting on the input of the legal team into this recognition, Reynoso notes: ‘The basic values of humanity are not topped by any economic interests, but where hard and honest work is a fundamental part, making FINSA one of the best in-house legal teams in Mexico’. The legal team of nine (six lawyers, two law clerks and one executive assistant) has continued to add value to the business, making tangible impacts to the way the company interacts with the market. One example is the recent work behind a large-scale real estate transaction that was valued at approximately $95m. Hans Hutterer, vice president and general counsel, admits that ‘considering the constant turbulence of the world economic situation, the closing of the transaction was delayed. We played a pro-business role in the transaction and were able to find legal solutions to make the deal happen no matter the circumstances’. The team worked diligently to negotiate the terms and conditions of pre-emptive clauses in order to maintain the purchase and sale agreement. The closing of the real estate portfolio was achieved smoothly due to the accurate intervention of the legal team, ‘making this transaction one of the most important closings of the company’. The team has worked on a number of other noteworthy deals, including participation in transactions worth more than $500m involving the acquisition of industrial portfolios with 52 stabilised properties in major Mexican markets, plus 180 hectares of land for future development. Furthermore, in 2012 and 2015, the legal team was actively involved in joint ventures resulting in two public offers of trust certificates (CKD) by FINSA and Walton Street Capital for a total value of $500m, leading the legal structuring and implementation by FINSA. Placing ethics at the forefront of priorities, Hutterer believes that the team ethos is to ‘promote an environment filled with optimistic individuals who pride themselves in pursuing good work ethics and social morals’. Other exceptional team members that particularly stand out include corporate and financial legal manager Marcela Ramirez, who has been praised for her capacity to work well under pressure. This, together with her proactivity and dynamism, has her positioned as a key member in the activities and operations, strengthening the legal team of FINSA.