Creel Abogados, SC

A core practice at the firm, Creel Abogados, SC fields a 20-strong practice group (including six partners) in the corporate and M&A area, where it enjoys a steady stream of generally mid-market mandates, both M&A and financings. The client roster is composed of both foreign and local companies -many of the latter from Mexico’s regions, a demographic generally less well-served by the capital’s major firms; indeed, the combination of a tech-facilitated lean staffing model (with one partner, a senior and an associate on any given deal), along with a close relational approach to its clients, and the team’s extensive experience in M&A, joint ventures and corporate governance, has proved very successful. Active across a number of different sectors and industries, especially real estate and private equity, the firm opened a second office –in Mérida, in Mexico’s southeast– in November 2022, which has seen it make further advances in the hospitality and agrarian sectors. Senior partner Carlos Creel, a veteran practitioner with some 40 years’ experience, is particularly well-versed in corporate matters – including M&A and corporate restructurings, governance mandates and cross-border joint ventures; he co-leads the practice with Gustavo Struck, who complements his corporate expertise with solid knowledge of an array of finance operations, including syndicated lending and secured financing, and has a particular focus on advising non-bank banks and private funds on their transactional work. Diego Valdes A, who has notable in-house experience, is increasingly active in the transactional segment and handles M&A, corporate governance, and corporate and structured finance deals, among other matters. Alfonso Razú heads up the Mérida office and focuses primarily on transactional work and private equity; while back in Mexico City, y0unger partner Pablo Arellano undertakes M&A, corporate restructurings and joint ventures, along with corporate governance matters. At associate level, Alejandro Creel and Sandra López C are the names to note. Since publication, Razú has left the firm - effective as of March 2024; as a result, the firm no longer has office representation in Mérida.