Latin America - Ecuador
2

Energy and natural resources

Bustamante Fabara

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Bustamante Fabara, a firm which was born from the merger between Bustamante & Bustamante and Fabara & Compañía in November 2021, fields an energy and natural resources team which ‘offers a personalised and very professional service’. Team leader Rafael Valdivieso, who joined from Robalino in September 2022, is well supported by associate Gustavo Almeida, and the pair are described as ‘very knowledgeable and open to generating improvement strategies and meeting objectives’. The department counts major energy companies among its clients, and practice head Valdivieso is also active in the oil and gas and mining industries in Ecuador.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team has great professionalism and friendliness when they provide their services.’

  • ‘Rafael Valdivieso is always very attentive and resolves all concerns in a timely, clear and correct manner.’

  • ‘The team offers a personalised and very professional service, observing the client's requirements and adapting processes so that the objectives set can be achieved on time.’

  • ‘Rafael Valdivieso and Gustavo Almeida are very knowledgeable about their matters and are open to generating improvement strategies and meeting objectives.’

Key clients

  • Gran Tierra Energy
  • Frontera Energy
  • Solaris Resources
  • Wayra Energy
  • Cox Oil
  • Sany Group
  • World Fuel Services
  • Eni
  • Orion Energy

Work highlights

  • Advised GTE on obtaining all the required regulatory and environmental permits to drill three exploratory wells in recently acquired oilfields.
  • Advised Frontera Energy on obtaining all the required regulatory and environmental permits to drill exploratory wells of the Intracampos bidding round in the Perico oilfield.
  • Acted for Solaris in the negotiation of an investment protection agreement with the Ecuadorian government.

Lawyers

Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Rafael Valdivieso
Rafael advises oil and gas companies on various strategic matters to channel their investments through viable legal structures. He is an expert in drafting and negotiating contracts in the oil and mining industry, corporate structuring, project financing, operational agreements, and local and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He works with major clients in the oil and mining industry in Ecuador, advising International Oil Companies (IOCs), independent companies, and service companies on project structuring and implementation in Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela, and Guatemala. Rafael has advised several mining companies on their entry into Ecuador and the development of exploratory projects. He has been recognized by leading law magazines in the Energy and Natural Resources area for several consecutive years. In 2016, he won the Latin Lawyer’s Deal of the Year (Regulatory) award. Rafael was also appointed Director of the Ecuador chapter of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), where he led and organized various events with different government authorities in recent years. He is an expert in Administrative Law and has extensive experience in telecommunications regulation matters. Currently, he leads the Energy and Natural Resources department at BUSTAMANTE FABARA.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Rafael Valdivieso

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