Drawing on its international network, ECIJA GPA is called upon by multinational and local clients from the hydrocarbon, hotels, pharma and automotive industries, among others, to advise on day-to-day labour matters and employment disputes. The group is under the joint leadership of Byron Sotomayor, who advises on labour claims, Francisco Dávalos, another name to note for collective and individual labour disputes, Juan Carlos Montenegro, and Juan José Palacios, whose areas of expertise include wrongful dismissals and collective agreements.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘ECIJA's labour team is differentiated from others, especially for its level of technical knowledge of labour law. Its leader, Francisco Dávalos, is a lawyer who constantly updates himself on the regulations and who personally attends to hearings and other proceedings of his clients.'

  • ‘Francisco Dávalos is a professional who, despite his technical knowledge, is very empathetic with the client. He seeks to understand the problems of each case, and usually does so immediately, thus showing the importance of his client.'

  • ‘The service offering that ECIJA proposed adjusted to our needs.'

  • ‘The experience of lawyers is a determining factor in conflict resolution.'

  • ‘ECIJA has a service capacity in Latin America like few other firms. Its presence in several countries allows international work to be carried out with excellence and efficiency, adding high value for clients. ECIJA is also a pro-business team, so they act beyond the technical limits of the issues involved, and support them with strategic visions.’

  • 'Among the various qualities of the professionals, it is worth mentioning their efficiency and prompt service, in addition to the impeccable quality of the work.’

Key clients

  • Pampa Bloque 18
  • Corporación Para Los Recursos Naturales Corena
  • Maquinarias Y Vehiculos
  • Coheco
  • Jibaja Ribadeneira Wilson Ernesto
  • Mauricio David Del Hierro Lugo
  • Bananevito
  • Reencauchadora Del Pacífico
  • Internacional De Construcciones
  • Biotecdor
  • Banasoft
  • Saroa
  • Moret
  • Sigmaplast Group
  • Decentralized Autonomous Government of the Riobamba canton

Work highlights

  • Advised Pampa Energía on the process of dismissing a group of its workers due to the company's closure in Ecuador.
  • Represented Bonanevito S.A. in a labour lawsuit filed by a former worker against the company, seeking compensation for untimely dismissal.
  • Represented Corena after a worker filed a labor lawsuit against the company, seeking compensation for an alleged workplace accident.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Byron Sotomayor, Francisco Dávalos, Juan Carlos Montenegro, Juan José Palacios