About

Number of years practice: 40 Principal practice areas: Agribusiness, banking and finance, cybersecurity and data privacy Bar admissions: Illinois Languages spoken: English and Spanish

Focusing primarily on lending and emerging markets transactions (particularly in Latin America), Harvard-educated banking and finance partner Debora de Hoyos’ professional trajectory nevertheless far outstrips the areas in which she practices. Having spent 16 years as the firm’s managing partner (the first woman to hold such a post at a major US law firm), and almost 20 as a member of the firm’s policy and planning committee, she has a vision of the profession that few can match. She is currently the firm’s (first) global client relationship partner. To a greater or lesser degree, Mexico has long played a role in her life and career: in the 1970s her father won $5000 in the Mexican lottery, allowing the family to travel; and later, she worked as a summer intern at a Mexico City law firm. More recently, her mandates have included advising Goldman Sachs, as lead arranger, on the MXN$8.2bn asset-backed term loan financing provided as part of the finance package for Linzor Capital Partners’ $1.1bn acquisition of GE Capital Mexico’s equipment leasing business. Other recent mandates saw her working in conjunction with the firm’s Mexico City office to advise Goldman Sachs on an $80m financing extended to CYDSA for the development of saline caves into Mexico’s first liquefied petroleum gas salt cavern storage facility. Ms de Hoyos is today a key member of Mayer Brown’s diversity panel and was recognised by Harvard Law Bulletin as one of the law school’s 50 outstanding alumnae on 50th anniversary of the faculty’s admission of women.