Souza, Cescon, Barrieu & Flesch Advogados has advised Hypermarcas in the acquisition of a Brazilian subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. 

Rodrigo, Elias & Medrano Abogados and Muniz Ramirez Perez-Taiman & Olaya are acting as Peruvian counsel in Hong Kong-based investor China Sci-Tech’s acquisition of Canadian Chariot Resources, the owner of the Mina Justa copper project in Peru. 

As Brazil names the US products on which it will be imposing import tariffs following the WTO’s ruling in the two countries’ cotton dispute, trade lawyers say there are interesting implications for the future settlement of WTO disputes. 

An ICSID tribunal has refused to grant provisional measures preventing Venezuela from seizing vessels once owned by cement manufacturer Cemex, ruling that the request was neither “urgent” nor “necessary”.  

Peru's Estudio Grau has helped retail company Malls Perú win a loan from Banco de Crédito del Perú, BCP, to finance the construction of the Anagamos Open Plaza shopping centre. 

Consortium - Centro America Abogados office in El Salvador has expanded its partnership with the promotion of four former associates. 

The IBA's biannual Latin American forum meeting, which was to be held in Chile on 17 March, has been postponed until 14-16 April because of logistical issues after the country's earthquake. 

Venezuela has filed a lawsuit against US oil company ConocoPhillips for its bid to buy out state-run oil company PDVSA's stake in a Texas refinery.
 

A week after announcing its alliance with DLA Piper, Brazilian firm Campos Mello Advogados has hired banking and finance partner Roberto Vianna from Lefosse Advogados, the Brazilian arm of Linklaters. 

Lawyers from Robles Miaja Abogados, which broke away from Mexico’s Galicia y Robles SC last week, have advised the Mexican conglomerate Grupo Carso in setting up a 3.5 billion peso (US$275 million) fund to invest in the health and energy sectors. 

Brazil's Azevedo Sette Advogados has helped Belo Horizonte-based steel producer Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais, or Usiminas, buy a minority stake in Codeme Engenharia and Metform from Codepar and Isa Participações.
 

US firm Haynes & Boone LLP has helped Monterrey-based copper tube parts producer Manufacturas Especializadas (MESA) acquire a Texan rival. 

Senior partner Rafael Robles has left Mexico’s Galicia y Robles SC to form his own firm. 

Chile's Claro y Cia is advising Grupo Cueto on its purchase of a stake in national airline LAN from the country's incoming president, Sebastián Piñera. 

Pérez Alati, Grondona, Benites, Arntsen & Martínez de Hoz (h) has represented Argentine energy company YPF as it made a US$106 million bond offering on the local markets.