About

Number of years practice: 14 Law school attended: Escuela Libre de Derecho (JD – Mexico), Harvard Law School (LLM – US) Languages spoken: English (native) and Spanish (native) Principal practice areas: M&A, Private Equity Admissions: Mexico, New York

What have been three of your career highlights in Mexico to date? • Represented Bain Capital in its $3bn acquisition of Innophos Holdings Inc. (a market leader in sensors and controls) from Rhodia. • Represented Fisterra Energy (a portfolio company of Blackstone Group) in the sale of Ventika (Mexico’s biggest wind energy complex) to Infraestructura Energetica Nova known as IEnova – Sempra Energy’s Mexican subsidiary) for $375m. • Represented Energía Buenavista in the first ever permit from Mexico’s energy regulatory commission (CRE) to import electricity under Mexico’s new energy legal framework What differentiates your practice from that of other private practice lawyers? I’m admitted to practice both in Mexico and in NY, so it gives me the opportunity to address/resolve issues both as U.S. and Mexican counsel. I also have a very good understanding of both cultures (I grew up in a US/Mexico border city), and that has proven to be extremely helpful when structuring, negotiating and implementing cross-border transactions. Why has Mexico been a particularly strong focus for you? Mexico has been a focus in my practice because of the strong deal volume in US-Mexico cross border transactions. Also, because I started my career in Mexico, I was able to build strong relationships with the Mexican business and legal community, so it was just an easy transition to continue doing US/Mexico cross-border work when I moved to the US. Have you held any positions of relevance outside of private practice? I’m a founding member of Project Paz, Inc., a New York non-profit that raises funds to support community development programs in Mexico and after school programs. I also sit on the board of Wheeling Forward, a NY non-profit organization that provides advocacy, mentorship, and support services to people with disabilities. What are your predictions for change in the US-Mexico relationship? For the first time in our lifetimes we are seeing troubling tensions between Mexico and the US. President Trump made Mexico one of the central issues of his campaign by threatening to (a) build a wall on the Mexican border (and have Mexico pay for it), (b) deport all undocumented immigrants, and (c) probably most concerning, terminate or entirely renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Even before swearing into office, multi-billion dollar investments into Mexico have been halted by pressure from the upcoming Trump administration. Therefore, given the uncertainty of potentially lengthy and drawn-out renegotiations of NAFTA and the potential risk of a trade war, I expect (in the near-term) many cross-border deals either dying, or on standby for the foreseeable future. Once investors have more visibility as to the effects of President Trump’s policies towards Mexico, I expect many of them will get comfortable with the risk and take advantage of the depreciation of the Mexican peso. Are there any aspects of the Mexican legal market that you would like to see change? There have been notable efforts by Mexican regulators to foster a stable climate for investment. These changes included eliminating prohibitions in industries that were historically restricted to foreign investments. That being said, stronger rule of law and more robust enforcement is required to avoid expensive and time consuming dispute resolution proceedings. Also, much still needs to be done in terms of laws and regulations that prevent corruption practices. Is there a key economic factor or trend you regard as likely to impact the Mexican legal sector over the next 18 months? Depreciation of the Mexican peso and low commodities prices are making Mexican targets relatively cheap and attractive to US investors. Subject to the effects of the new Trump administration, such high volatility and currency depreciation may certainty increase the deal volume in the region. Companies with debt denominated in US dollars may also motivate M&A activity in the region, and thus impact the Mexican legal market. Are there any sectors you regard as likely growth areas for the Mexican market over the next five years? Healthcare, oil and gas, energy, information technology and education will continue to be active sectors. Also, depending on the Trump’s administration efforts to terminate/renegotiate NAFTA, I expect a lot of restructuring work for manufacturing companies and businesses that service the Mexican manufacturing industry.