Celebrating its decade-long presence in Colombia, Garrigues has forged a name for itself as a leader in M&A, project finance and banking work. Its reputation is supported by client commendations, which praise the firm for its commitment, quality of service, expertise and responsiveness.
Whilst its transactional practice areas are often the ones to receive the most public plaudits, its non-transactional offering is consistently growing. Garrigues is preparing for an uptick in tax-related mandates in 2023, as President Gustavo Petro plans to increase taxes for businesses and wealthy individuals. In response to this expected increase, the firm has hired a tax partner from Deloitte.
Garrigues’ global network allows the Colombian team to attract some of Latin America’s largest corporations. According to a study, ‘Who Represents Latin America's Biggest Companies,’ published by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA), which is affiliated to Latin Lawyer, Garrigues (Colombia) represents 22 of the 100 biggest companies in the region, placing it among the top three Colombian firms in the ranking. These clients include Italian energy group Enel, Chilean retailer Falabella and Telefónica.
These high-profile clients benefit from Garrigues’ network of Latin American offices. A regional approach allows the firm to pool its widespread expertise and provide market-leading advice to companies. All of the firm’s regional offices have access to cutting-edge technology, which includes artificial intelligence tools to automate legal processes.
Garrigues cares about its staff and their wellbeing. It offers training programmes on legal skills, family conciliation schemes that promote a healthier work-life balance as well as a mentoring programme for female lawyers, encouraging them to take leadership positions. The firm has also introduced its Optimum Plan, which allows employees who have recently become parents to reduce their working hours during the two years following the end of their parental leave, with no reduction in pay.
Offices
In addition to Bogotá, Garrigues has offices in Lima, Mexico City and Santiago. The Latin American teams have support from offices in Spain and Portugal (and several other European countries). The Iberian firm has additional outposts in China, North Africa and the US.