Fulbright & Jaworski LLP

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Fulbright & Jaworski LLP has over 800 lawyers in 17 cities around the world. With clients operating in virtually every country in Latin America, Fulbright regularly handles energy transactions, infrastructure development and financing projects, equity and debt offerings and investments, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, banking and finance, privatisations, tax structure and planning, insolvency, debt restructuring, trade and customs matters and dispute resolution in the form of international litigation, arbitration and cross-border investigations. Co-chairs Laura McMahon and Willie Wood lead Fulbright’s Latin America group, which comprises over 50 members, many of whom are fluent in Spanish or Portuguese.

Fulbright maintains a thriving corporate practice throughout Latin America, handling mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution arrangements, bankruptcy and tax matters. Fulbright recently represented an Asian client in a joint venture for the ownership and operating of a mining concession in Mexico. Fulbright also represented a Mexican company in the negotiation and execution of a long-term franchise agreement with a US retailer to develop and operate stores in Mexico under the retailer’s brand, entering into a joint venture arrangement if certain conditions are satisfied. In addition, Fulbright represented a US construction company in establishing a joint venture for a mining construction project in Peru, a railroad construction company in a joint venture in Ecuador and one of Mexico’s largest retailers in the offering and sale of euro-commercial paper in multiple transactions.

In project finance, Fulbright represented multilateral lenders in loans for a large industrial distribution centre in Argentina, a crude oil fired thermal power plant in Colombia, a denim manufacturing plant in Ecuador, a textile plant and a clothing manufacturing plant in Haiti, the first two wind power projects in the Dominican Republic and a hydroelectric power project located in Honduras. In Brazil, Fulbright represented lenders in connection with the expansion of the São Paulo subway system, as well as the development of a loan and guarantee programme to support energy efficiency service companies, a microfinance bank and an acai-pellets project. In addition, Fulbright represented sellers in the sale of the direct and indirect interests in the largest thermal power plant in Colombia. Fulbright served as project counsel in the development and financing of a Dominican Republic power project as well. Fulbright was also involved with the financing of two inter-related hydroelectric power projects in Panama.

In litigation, Fulbright handled significant matters involving a dispute over the termination of drilling contracts regarding drilling operations in Mexico, disputed ownership of an Ecuadorian oil and gas concession, a Mexican company in connection with post-acquisition pricing adjustment issues, a Mexico- US cross-border bankruptcy, a dispute over power plant operations in Colombia, along with disputes in commercial transactions and product liability actions related to products manufactured in Brazil and Mexico.

Fulbright’s international arbitration team is widely acknowledged as a specialist in major Latin American disputes, twice receiving Latin Lawyer ‘Deal of the Year’ recognition. Recent representative matters include advising on a number of multimillion-dollar contractual or treaty claims brought against the governments of El Salvador, Peru and Venezuela. Fulbright is also providing ongoing advice in relation to claims against Bolivia. Representative commercial matters in South America include major disputes in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Fulbright partners are frequently appointed as arbitrators in Latin American disputes.

www.fulbright.com