Team size: 25

LATAM countries your role covers: Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador

What are the most significant cases and transactions in the LATAM region that you or your legal team have recently been involved in?

We have executed M&A transactions in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, totalling more than US$500m. We have also handled litigation related to local claims.

Our business operations in Latin America primarily consist of publishing and education. In the publishing sector, we are responsible for drafting and negotiating distribution, supply, and printing agreements. Additionally, we manage litigation pertaining to debt recovery and the defence of the local company against claims, specifically those related to our published books.

On the education side, we manage lease contracts to secure the buildings in which we develop our university and postgraduate studies. We also address labour matters concerning HR and handle supply and maintenance agreements. Furthermore, we engage in administrative law processes to ensure compliance with all the legal requirements for granting educational degrees to our students and addressing safety issues within our schools.

What are your organisations plans in the LATAM region over the next 12 months and how will your legal expertise help to achieve these plans?

We plan to expand our education business through new acquisitions or the development of existing universities. In addition, we plan to start our education portfolio for schools (grades 1-12) in the Latin America region. We also plan to open an e-commerce business to sell books in several countries in the Latin America region.

How do you adapt your legal counselling to align with the diverse business practices and customs of various LATAM countries?

We already have an excellent team in place. However, if the project described above materialises, we may increase the size of our team by one or two legal advisors and seek additional support from local law firms. We already work with several law firms in the jurisdictions in which we are present. We have offices, employees, and external advisors in all the countries in which we operate.