Juan Naveira
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPSimpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP routinely advises big institutional lenders such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, along with a number of regional banks, and a growing number of private credit funds and alternative lenders, including Gramercy Funds Management. A case in point was the Latin America team's representation of Gramercy and Compass Group on their financing of Lenus Capital Partners’ 100% acquisition of the Medicadiz Hospital in Ibague, Colombia. The practice also represents a range of Latin American borrowers, and acquisition finance, asset-based financings, structured export financings, project finance and out-of-court restructurings are all particular fortes for the sizeable Latin America team, which counts Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico among its key markets. Juan Francisco Méndez is a senior member of the Latin America team with a major focus on capital markets offerings and banking and finance, such as advising the lenders on a new $60m credit line for Andean Telecom Partners. Dual-qualified (Argentina/New York) Juan Naveira is also active in banking and finance, including private credit, and energy and infrastructure financings. Sao Paulo office head Grenfel Calheiros is key for Brazil financings; while Gabriel Silva joined the team in 2023 to reinforce its presence in digital infrastructure transactions, including the financing of data centre developments. Senior counsel Kirsten Davis is also highly-rated. Named individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘STB have a lot of experience in banking transactions in LATAM. We have done many transactions with them.’
‘Juan Mendez and Kirsten Davis have been excellent in handling our transactions.’
‘They have a very consolidated team with a lot of experience. They have very good knowledge of the financial sector and are very detailed with their work.’
‘They work very well as a team. They are efficient and proactive. They have a very good relationship and credibility with the banks.’
‘The Banking and Finance team at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is world class. They provide an excellent service, highlighting the team's impressive muscle to execute transactions, and the quality of the advice and legal product. Top of the line.’
‘The first thing I must say is that Simpson Thacher's team has many transactions with Latam companies. The second thing is that I consider STB to be a great team. They cover all relevant industries with specialists, which is of great help when we see financing for companies in regulated sectors. They also have very good support on tax issues relevant to financing operations. Their execution of deals is always very clean and they make work easier for all parties.'
‘They know very well the particularities of financing Latam companies and the relevant domestic legal issues. They know how lawyers in Latam think. Additionally, the teams are Spanish-speaking, which is a great help.'
‘They master the subject quite well and manage to quickly understand the needs of the business to find a way for the transaction move forward. It was very important that specialists from other areas were involved when it was necessary for our peace of mind. The involvement was direct which shows the importance they gave to our transaction and relationship. Very good relationship with the lawyers we work with, open and transparent which generates trust.'
Key clients
- Morgan Stanley
- Gramercy Funds Management LLC
- BBVA
- Scotiabank Colpatria
- SIBA Energy
- Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior
- Celulosa Arauco y Constitución S.A.
- Despegar.com
- Empresa Copec
- Urbanova
- Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones
- FIBRA Macquarie México
- Goldman Sachs
- Pan American Energy
- Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
- YPF Luz
Work highlights
- Represented the lenders led by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, in the successful disbursement of a $500m senior secured term loan facility made available to 3R Lux, a subsidiary of Brazilian oil and gas company 3R Petroleum Óleo e Gás.
- Advised the lenders on the $320m sustainability-linked revolving credit Facility for Nexa Resources.
- Advised SIBA Energy on the financing of a thermoelectric plant in the Dominican Republic.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Todd Crider