About

Number of years practice: 30 Law school attended: South Texas College of Law (JD), Catholic University of Peru (JD) Languages spoken: English and French Principal practice areas: Energy Projects Admissions: Louisiana, Texas, Peru (inactive)

What have been three of your career highlights in Mexico to date? I participated on a Task Force for Mayer Brown that tracked and analyzed every development of the historic Mexican Energy Reform of 2013-2014. It was rewarding and exciting to guide clients through the sweeping changes in Mexico’s oil-and-gas and power industries, helping them realize significant potential opportunities for their businesses. As part of Mayer Brown’s efforts to build our Mexico energy practice, I traveled extensively around the world to discuss the reforms with clients, as well as write numerous articles and participated in countless publication interviews, including a TV appearance on CNBC’s The Kudlow Report and a public radio show, Houston Matters. I also played a key role in the opening of the firm’s Mexico City office in early 2015. Another highlight was my representation of a major Mexican company as a bidder in the first power auction in March 2016 following the newly reformed electric industry law. I also represented major international oil companies in their successful participation in Mexico’s Fourth Call of the First Round of bidding, the deepwater auction. What differentiates your practice from that of other private practice lawyers? My two law degrees, in two different languages and two different basic legal systems, plus three decades of experience with, and deep knowledge of, the energy industry, allow me to represent clients from all over the world in Latin America, including Mexico. Some of these countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru. My experience on energy matters in the US and in those countries was very valuable in assisting clients with the newly opened energy market in Mexico. Why has Mexico been a particularly strong focus for you? Mexico is a strong focus for our energy clients because the investment opportunities are plentiful. Naturally, as an international energy lawyer that lives in the US (Texas) and focuses on Latin American energy, Mexico became an important focus for me. There is an important role for non-Mexican energy lawyers to play, since the prior monopolization of the industry by the state left scant opportunities to the local bar to become versed on some fundamental arms-length, bilateral transactions. Have you held any positions of relevance outside of private practice? As a young lawyer from Peru I worked briefly for a Houston-based oil company. I have been in private practice continuously since the mid-80s. What are your predictions for change in the US-Mexico relationship? The rhetoric from the recent election in the US does open a lot of questions. I believe, however, that in the end both countries will find a way to work on a win-win basis. I don’t believe that the energy reform in Mexico will be undone due to their politics. The energy reform is fundamentally good for Mexico and it is in Mexico’s interest to preserve it. Are there any aspects of the Mexican legal market that you would like to see change? Over time I believe we will see more specialists in the oil-and-gas sector. Because the sector is now open to private investment, naturally there will be increased needs for legal expertise in this area, which I would like to see. Is there a key economic factor or trend you regard as likely to impact the Mexican legal sector over the next 18 months? The Mexican legal sector will be impacted in proportion to economic growth and investment, or lack thereof. The price of oil seems to be creeping back to a healthier $50+ per barrel (hopeful that will remain and grow in 2017). If this is the case, oil companies and investors will continue to acquire oil-and-gas properties and invest in Mexico’s infrastructure, which will be beneficial to the legal community. Are there any sectors you regard as likely growth areas for the Mexican market over the next five years? The power and infrastructure sectors will most definitely have strong growth (more immediate), specifically: oil-and-gas field development; power generation; electric transmission; oil, gas and fuel pipelines and storage facilities; oil refining; gas processing. In turn, this development will generate demand for skilled labor and other investment that needs plentiful and affordable fuels and energy.