Santamarina y Steta
As one of the oldest full-service firms in the Mexican market, Santamarina y Steta has a longstanding practice in competition and antitrust, and assists a disparate range of clients with both contentious and advisory matters in the area. It regularly handles merger control and pre-merger filings, and is also well-equipped for investigations work, including those addressing cartels and monopolistic practices. Practice head Vicente Grau is an experienced transactional lawyer in various sectors and therefor familiar with navigating companies’ interactions with COFECE, as well as sector specific regulators. Senior associate Ivan Szymanski assists across the full range of competition matters. Since publication, Szymanski has left the firm to open the new competition department at Vázquez Tercero & Zepeda – effective as of December 2023
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Santamarina is a prestigious legal services firm with expert partners in various practices that complement the competition and antitrust practice.’
‘I have worked with various firms on antitrust matters and I cannot find a differentiation that puts the current partners of Santamarina at the most prominent level (in this practice).’
‘An in-house lawyer needs to know that the firm has the knowledge and experience in the field of consultation. In relation to the collaboration, it is of a high level and with adequate organization and understanding in the attention of the affairs of my company in charge of the lawyers of the firm.’
‘They differ in the high level of commitment and attention, adequate knowledge of the business and a level of advice that ensures success in the processes in which we collaborate. Associate Yakov Kovets stands out for attending to every single aspect of the matters under his responsibility, with the ability to raise awareness and direct the teams involved, ensuring the success of the matters in which he is involved.’
‘They know competition law and their regulator very well. They have good judgment and are very responsive.’
‘Ivan Szymanski is an excellent lawyer, very collegial and effective.’
Key clients
- Ganfeng Lithium
- USG Holdings
- Bartlett Grain
- Grupo Industrial Saltillo
- Cameron International
- General Motors Company
- GM Financial de México
- Marriott International
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr
- Nixon Peabody
- Teacher Stern
- Veolia Environnment
- Abbott Laboratories
- Kimek Cosmocel
- Glen Raven
Work highlights
- Assisted Ganfeng with obtaining the pre-merger clearance of its acquisition of full control over Bacanora Lithium.
- Advised Kushki Holdings on securing pre-merger authorisation from the Federal Economic Competition Commission, for the acquisition of Mexican fintech Billpocket.
- Acting for Grupo Industrial Saltillo on the pre-merger filing for its acquisition of Vitromex.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Vicente Grau