Santamarina y Steta’s labour and employment team is ‘one of the most recognised in Mexico’ and its ’excellent lawyers’ are some of the country’s best-regarded advisors for collective bargaining issues and designing union negotiation strategies. Union conflicts are a standout specialism and the team has recently seen plenty of activity assisting companies with rapid response mechanisms. The team is also well-versed in representation before the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the local labour ministries in several Mexican states. On the non-contentious side, the department works closely with transactional teams to support clients with M&A processes. Clients strongly endorse employment litigator Francisco Udave, who is one of four practice heads, along with Juan Carlos de la Vega, the firm’s Monterrey-based managing partner; Andrés Rodríguez, whose expertise includes legal audits focused on labour compliance; and counsel María Elena Abraham, head of the firm’s immigration law department. A further key contact is counsel Jaime Vázquez, who represents clients at all court levels, as well as in investigations.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Santamarina y Steta's labour team is one of the most recognised in Mexico, it has excellent lawyers with very competitive rates compared to other firms of similar quality.’
‘Francisco Udave is capable of clearly and precisely communicating the legal and operational aspects related to his practice. His quality of being bilingual (Spanish-English) is undoubtedly a great differentiator in the matter. Reliable and with a very deep knowledge not only of the letter but also of the operation of the law.’
Key clients
- General Motors de México
- Teksid Hierro de Mexico
Work highlights
- Represented Teksid Hierro de México against claims of violations to the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining.
- Acting for Martinrea Internacional de México on a claim in which the CTM local union in Sonora demanded recognition as representative of the majority of employees and a party to the collective bargaining agreement of in the company's Hermosillo plant.