About

Number of years practice:

15

Principal practice areas:

Latin America, Project Finance, Infrastructure and Energy

Bar admissions:

New York

Languages spoken:

English, Spanish, Portuguese

What differentiates your Mexico-facing practice from those of your US competitors and peers?

I represent sponsors and lenders on a roughly 50/50 basis, a balance that distinguishes me from many of my peers who have finance practices that lean more heavily toward one side or the other. In the recent wave of 4(a)(2) private placement project financings in Mexico, I have closed five such deals in the past two years (three on the issuer side and two for the note purchasers). There are few firms, let alone individual practitioners, who have this depth of experience in the recent 4(a)(2) market.

The Mexican energy sector has kept many practitioners busy over the past few years. In my case, that has meant advising on the development and financing of over 2400 MW of power (renewable and traditional generation) in the past two years. These include the Norte III project, the EVM project, and the Mesa La Paz wind project. While some of the more senior practitioners in the market may have totals that exceed this figure, few at my level can match this scale of experience.

Outside the energy sector, my work in the infrastructure space has included market-leading, first-of-its-kind transactions such as representing the global coordinators and lenders in the financing of the Mexico City airport (NAICM) and acting for the note purchasers and lenders in the Lázaro Cárdenas Port Logistics project.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of advising Mexico-based clients from an office in the United States?

For foreign lawyers not licensed to practice in Mexico, I see few disadvantages to being based in the US. As with any large, sophisticated, international market, many key players in the Mexican market are based outside the local jurisdiction; having a Mexico practice does not mean having only Mexican clients. On any given deal you will have clients and counterparties who are based in Asia, Europe, the US and/or elsewhere in Latin America. What matters is not physical proximity – one can always get on a plane or pick up the phone – but having an understanding of the market from within and without that is grounded in experience.

What changes in the commercial and/or legal market do you anticipate in the 12 months ahead in Mexico?

Given the political climate on both sides of the border, I expect we will see an increasing shift in the types of players we see in the market. As more conservative and traditional players draw back, those with a long-term outlook or higher risk-tolerance will seize the opportunity to step in. This is already happening but the pace will accelerate over the next 12 months.