Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP‘s commitment to capital markets work in Latin America has provided the foundation for an impressive corporate and M&A practice, thanks to its ever-expanding client base; recent (April 2023) transactional mandates include advising Natura & Co on the proposed sale of Aesop to L’Oréal. The firm has also made headway in take private and SPAC transactions, and has built a significant presence in Brazil’s burgeoning fintech sector. It advised PagoNxt Merchant Solutions on the take private of Brazilian payment solutions business Getnet Adquirência e Servicos para Meios de Pagamento; and also represented Lavoro Agro on its combination with TPB Acquisition Corporation I, a SPAC sponsored by The Production Board. Head of the Latin America practice Manuel Garciadiaz divides his time between Sao Paulo and New York; he is best known for capital markets work, but has worked on a long list of headline M&A engagements over the years. Many other New York-based partners also regularly advise on Latin America deals.
Key clients
- Afya
- Arco Platform
Work highlights
- Advised Natura on the $2.52bn sale of Aesop to L’Oréal.
- Advised Alpha Capital Acquisition Company, a SPAC, on its $1bn combination with Semantix, Latin America’s first fully integrated data software platform.