Grepe, Lavin & Zavaleta, SC

The 11-strong team at Grepe, Lavin & Zavaleta, SC is co-led by Pedro Morales (a former counsel and head of the environmental practice group at White & Case S.C. and whose past experience also includes time at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources – SEMARNAT); and administrative litigator David Perales, whose practice reaches into environmental and regulatory matters and who also has experience in the real estate sector. Indeed, their respective strengths are very much complimentary, ensuring the team has a full contentious and non-contentious offering. Moreover, the pair can call on tax partner Juan Ignacio López Domínguez with regard to environmental tax matters (especially at the State-level, where such levies are a growing issue), as well as for additional administrative-litigation support; and at associate level, on corporate associate Luis Ayala who is active on environmental matters. Recent headline work includes advising Californian-entity Climate Action Reserve (CAR), on the drafting of its new Forest Protocol for the development of carbon-related forest conservation projects (subsequently assisting it with the drafting and review of documentation pertaining to various agreements with forest land owners for the development of such projects); and counselled civil association BlueMX on obtaining carbon rights from communities and regarding carbon-rights transfer agreements in relation to mangroves in Mexico. Other matters have seen the team particularly active in relation to near-shoring and associated permitting and licensing issues, and it also picks up considerable work from a range of mid-to-large law firms that do not have their own environmental practice – particularly concerning transactional due diligence issues.