Latin Lawyer Awards
7th Annual Awards
Published March 2013
As Latin American legal work expands and matures throughout the region, more complex and more challenging work is being undertaken in every practice area all the time. Each year, Latin Lawyer identifies landmark Latin American deals and cases across seven categories, and recognises the achievements of practitioners in areas such as law firm leadership, diversity and pro bono – as well as those who have dedicated their careers to the advancement of the profession.
Deal of the Year
Deal of the Year 2012
Marieke Breijer profiles the winners of Latin Lawyer’s Deal of the Year Awards, celebrating the lawyers working on the cream of the crop of transactions coming out of Latin America in 2012
M&A Deal of the Year 2012: Creating LATAM Airlines
For over two years, leading external lawyers for Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM worked as if they were full-time employees of the airlines, preparing to launch a US$3.8 billion merger to create one of the most ambitious and innovative merger processes the aviation sector has ever seen
Private equity Deal of the Year 2012: The making of Peru’s leading home appliance retail chain
This winning private equity deal saw a Peruvian retail store team up with several private equity investors and a bank to create Peru’s largest home appliance retail chain at the end of 2012
Disputes Deal of the Year 2012: A debt to settle
In July 2012, CIESA and its lawyers finally drew an end to years of litigation and settled with the energy company’s creditors
Restructuring Deal of the Year 2012: A brief window of opportunity
It was the first, the last and the only restructuring of a public utility in Brazil, made possible through a brief window of opportunity in the country’s legislation. Struggling energy company Celpa successfully restructured its debt, sidestepping a government attempt to block public utility concessionaires from undergoing judicial restructuring proceedings along the way
Corporate finance Deal of the Year 2012: Mixing public and private
When Telefónica found two of its Colombian ventures in stormy waters, it called in its lawyers to devise a plan that would not only address their financial problems but also improve the companies’ future
Outbound investment Deal of the Year 2012: Cervecería Costa Rica takes to the US
Seeing Latin American companies invest outside their home region is a far more common sight compared to 10 years ago, but such transactions are often reserved for companies from the region's larger economies. That did not deter this Costa Rican brewery from making a bold move into the US market
Project finance Deal of the Year 2012: Paving the way for home-grown plastics
At the end of 2012, Braskem Idesa secured a US$3.2 billion project financing for the construction of a petrochemical complex that will drastically reduce Mexico’s reliance on imports of the plastic polyethylene. In organising the largest-ever petrochemical financing in Latin America, the lawyers gave guidance to banks – a number of which had never dealt with Mexican entities before – while racing against the clock to get the deal signed before the change in Mexico’s government
Regulatory Deal of the Year 2012: Race to the finishing line
In its bid for Guarulhos airport, the winning consortium and its lawyers came together at the very last minute to put together a proposal that beat off the competition to help Brazil tackle its infrastructure deficit as it prepares to play host to two of the world’s largest sporting events
Latin Lawyer Deal of the Year Awards announced
Latin Lawyer announced the winners of its Deal of the Year Awards at its annual charity dinner held in São Paulo and attended by more than 230 guests.
Deal of the Year Awards full shortlist and charities announced
Ahead of tomorrow's charity awards ceremony we are republishing our 2012 Deal of the Year shortlist, the winners from which will be announced tomorrow night.
Individual Awards
Latin Lawyer announces Law Firm Leader Award
Latin Lawyer is delighted to announce the winner of its Law Firm Leader of the Year Award: Andrés Ochoa-Bünsow of Baker & McKenzie (Mexico).
In the driving seat
Having been invited by Christine Lagarde to sit on Baker and McKenzie’s global executive committee and having acted as the firm’s managing partner in Mexico for 20 years, Andrés Ochoa-Bünsow has learnt a thing or two about driving strategy. Latin Lawyer’s Law Firm Leader of the Year talks to Rosie Cresswell about the recent restructuring process he implemented to increase profitability across the firm’s Mexican operations
Latin Lawyer announces Lifetime Achievement Awards
Latin Lawyer is delighted to announce its Lifetime Achievement Awards, which will be presented to two senior statesmen of Latin America’s legal community at its annual charity awards ceremony in São Paulo on 19 March.
The three pillars of success
Altamiro Boscoli, winner of Latin Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, talks to Clare Bolton about the three pillars on which he built both his career and law firm, Demarest Advogados – hard work, talent, and technology
Professionalism in practice
Samuel García-Cuéllar, recipient of Latin Lawyer’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Awards, talks to Marieke Breijer about his four-decade-long career at Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enriquez SC, Mexico’s changing economy and the secret to having a successful, stable firm in a fractious legal market
Latin Lawyer announces International Lawyer of the Year Award
Latin Lawyer is very happy to announce its International Lawyer of the Year Award, which goes to two lawyers this year: Richard Aldrich and Paul Schnell of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Latin Lawyer announces Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award
Latin Lawyer is delighted to present Paula Samper of Gómez-Pinzón Zuleta Abogados with its Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution towards strengthening access to justice in Latin America.
Organisations we support
Pro Bono Profile: Comisión Pro Bono
Latin Lawyer’s seventh annual Deal of the Year Awards is being held in aid of three of the region’s pro bono clearinghouses. In the first of three profiles, Joe Rowley talks to one of the founders of Argentina’s Comisión Pro Bono about the “baptism of fire” of its first year and the organisation’s continuing efforts to raise the profile of pro bono work in the country
Pro Bono profile: Instituto Pro Bono
Latin Lawyer’s seventh annual Deal of the Year Awards is being held in aid of three of the region’s pro bono clearinghouses. In the final of three profiles, Joe Rowley talks to the executive director of Brazil’s Instituto Pro Bono (IPB) about his continued efforts to lift a ban preventing lawyers from providing pro bono legal services to individuals and what impact such a change could have on some of the country’s poorest people.
Pro Bono Profile: Fundación ProBono Colombia
Latin Lawyer’s seventh annual Deal of the Year Awards is being held in aid of three of the region’s pro bono clearinghouses. In the second of three profiles, Joe Rowley talks to the legal director of Fundación ProBono Colombia about the challenges of running the country’s only clearinghouse and why pro bono work is of such vital importance.
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