About

Number of years practice: 25 Principal practice areas: Projects and energy, project finance, M&A Bar admissions: California Languages spoken: English and Spanish

A Mexican native with decades of experience in oil, gas and power transactions, Dino Barajas is particularly recommended for his work in project development and finance, debt finance and M&A. Clients call him ‘an expert on energy transactions’ and praise him for his ‘business acumen’, ‘industry knowledge’ and ‘Latin America expertise’. He acts for a range of clients including banks, institutional investors, sponsors and developers on energy and infrastructure projects throughout Latin America, and has also handled projects in the US, Guam, Trinidad & Tobago and Yemen. Barajas’ practice focuses on domestic and international project development and finance, with particular emphasis on Latin American infrastructure projects, debt financings and mergers and acquisitions. He regularly represents lenders, investors and developers in a wide range of domestic and international project financings in the energy, power, infrastructure and commercial sectors, as well as in traditional banking, structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, asset finance, joint ventures and venture capital transactions. Noted for ‘finding simple, creative solutions to complicated problems’ using his trademark ‘practicality and rigour’, Barajas recently acted for Och-Ziff Capital and Energy DKRW on the development of an LNG storage and regasification terminal in Sonora; and advised Mitsubishi on various corporate matters relating to the 495MW Tuxpan V gas-fired power project, also in Mexico. In previous years he acted for a bank as trustee on the $681m financing of the $875m Manzanillo LNG storage and regasification terminal; and advised a Mexican power company on the development and complex financing of the $300m, 495MW Altamira II power plant project. On the M&A side, he assisted Oak Creek Energy with its acquisition and development of a 400MW wind project in Mexico, and advised a US real estate company on its purchase of various Mexican resort hotels. Barajas sits on the diversity committee of the firm’s Los Angeles office.