Clifford Chance LLP

Clifford Chance houses a fully-rounded Latin America banking and finance practice. It is particularly noted for energy and infrastructure finance, and holds excellent connections to multilateral agencies (MLAs), export credit agencies (ECAs) and development finance institutions (DFIs), primarily through its Washington DC office. IDB Invest, IFC and Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional are amongst its key clients. The firm also has key banking and finance practitioners in its New York, Sao Paulo and Madrid offices. Key markets for the team include Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Colombia. It has also made a considerable impression on smaller markets such as El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. Along with new money lending, the firm has an established record in major debt restructurings, especially in the aviation sector. Sustainability-linked financings are another forte, while it has made further inroads in acquisition finance, notably advising the lenders, issuing banks and hedge providers on the $1.2bn equivalent multi-tranche and dual-currency financing for Sociedad Transmisora Metropolitana’s acquisition of the entire stake in Enel Transmisión Chile. Fabricio Longhin has an outstanding reputation in the market, representing agencies, development banks and commercial lenders, amongst others, while partners Jessica Springsteen, Lori Bean and senior counsel Catherine McCarthy are also intensely focused on Latin America. New York partner Douglas Deutsch is noted for debt restructurings. Counsel Alberto Haito is another impressive practitioner. All named individuals are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.