About

Number of years practice: 23 Law school attended: Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (Spanish law degree), Southern Methodist University (LLM) Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese (working knowledge) and Spanish (native) Principal practice areas: Cross-border M&A, Financings Admissions: New York

In addition to her Texas and New York Bar accreditations, María Luisa Cánovas is licensed in Spain, where she spent four years in legal practice. This ability to bridge the civil and common law systems has enabled her to help clients find creative ways of addressing cross-border work and led to a particular focus on Mexican transactions governed by New York law. Cánovas’ arrival at Jones Day in 2013 – following periods as a partner at two other significant international firms – coincided with considerable expansion of the firm’s Mexico office, which had originally been opened in 2009. As a result she has become even more closely involved in advising on Mexican matters, in addition to overseeing the firm’s training and business development initiatives in the country. Project finance acquisitions have become a particular focus for Cánovas in recent years. Most recently, she has advised on the construction and development of the Grupo Simsa/Invex pipeline project in Mexico, including the acquisition and further development of a port and two terminal facilities and the acquisition of the rights-of-way for the pipeline. She has also developed a deep understanding of the hospitality industry in Mexico, the risk factors involved in transactions in the sector, and how best to mitigate them. In particular, she has acted on more than 10 acquisitions of resorts in Mexico by Playa Hotels and Resorts, ranging from $80m to $180m in value.