About

Number of years practice: 18 Principal practice areas: Cross-border corporate finance, M&A Bar admissions: New York Languages spoken: English and Spanish

Juan Francisco Méndez is a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s corporate department. He has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, including financings, restructurings, acquisitions and other complex corporate matters. Fluent in English and Spanish, his practice primarily focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean. Méndez regularly interacts with clients and lawyers in Mexico, the broader Latin American region and the US. Working closely with Mexican and other local counsel, he contributes to the bridging of legal and practice differences as well as cultural gaps among clients and other participants in cross-border transactions. Over the years, he has worked on transactions with América Móvil, including as designated underwriters’ counsel in multiple bond offerings by the company, and Comisión Federal de Electricidad of Mexico (CFE), including as counsel to the initial purchasers in several debt offerings. He also represented the initial purchasers in the 2014 project bond offering by Fermaca Enterprises, which is focused on the development, ownership and operation of mid-stream natural gas infrastructure in Mexico. Méndez has also advised on numerous capital markets transactions by Mexican real estate entities, for example, representing Macquarie Mexico FIBRA, a real estate fund with one of Mexico’s largest industrial portfolio properties, in: its formation; its $1.1bn Rule 144A/Regulation S IPO; and its private placement and dual-currency term loan and revolving credit facility. He also represented the initial purchasers in the IPO of common shares of Grupo Gicsa and its listing on the Mexican Stock Exchange, and Prologis Mexico FIBRA in its formation and IPO. He is a member of the International Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.