Having historically played a major role in advising the Mexican government on an overhaul of the electricity market and restructuring the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow is an established powerhouse of the Mexican energy and natural resources space, advising international and national private clients on the full range of matters. Under the López Obrador administration, a focus on energy sovereignty and a protectionist outlook has resulted in an increased contentious workload. Other regular instructions include handling business agreements of all types across electricity generation (both traditional and renewables), and up-, mid- and downstream oil and gas. Practice co-heads Derek Woodhouse and Luis Fernandez Lagunas have extensive experience advising government bodies, as well as companies dealing with such; Woodhouse has notable expertise regarding power generation and PPPs, and Fernandez Lagunas across a range of energy project types. Giancarlo Schievenini is a key contact in transactional and regulatory matters, and senior associate Gabriel Salinas provides additional expert support on electricity matters. Fellow senior associate Manuel Ferrara - formerly at energy regulatory body, CRE - is a litigator with experience in energy-related controversies.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘What makes the CMS team stand out, particularly Manuel Ferrara, is the exhaustive analysis he performs of client documentation, which allows him to fully understand the regulatory status of clients, including technical documentation. Which is extremely important in the regulatory part because the permits that must be requested depend on it. This analysis has helped us to conclude that certain permissions that we considered necessary are not really necessary.’

Key clients

Walmart
Suburbia
Troy Energía
Thermion
EDF
CDPQ
CKD IM
Corporación Inmobiliaria Vesta
Thermion
Brillo Desarrollos SPV 7
Promotora Ibe
Vitol Electricidad de México
Banverde Solar I
Liberty GTS

Work highlights

Advising Walmart, Suburbia, Troy Energía, Thermion, EDF, CDPQ, and CKD IM, on combatting a CRE (Energy Regulatory Commission) and CFE (Federal Electricity Commission) resolution resulting in transmission fees for legacy projects increasing by 500% - 800%.
Advising Vesta on the implementation of an electricity resale scheme according to the electricity industry law within its industrial parks.
Assisting Banverde with a credit agreement and in regard to a guaranteed trust agreement.