Latin America

Businesses and individuals invested or interested in Latin America and Mexico need legal counsel with an in-depth knowledge of region-specific business practices and regulatory requirements, and who can effectively deliver advice tailored to their client’s needs and goals.

Snell & Wilmer attorneys who practice in our Latin America group have diverse experience with legal matters unique to the region; are familiar with the region’s cultures; in many cases, are fluent in Spanish and/or Portuguese; hold leadership positions in international organizations; and have established relationships with regional counsel and business leaders.

Our local presence in Mexico expands our ability to advise U.S. and international clients with inbound investments in the region, and assist Latin American companies with their international operations and capital markets activities. Our clients rely on us for a broad array of country-specific and cross-border transactional and litigation services.

Our clients doing business in Latin America are based locally and internationally. Their businesses represent a broad cross-section of industries including emerging companies establishing distribution and franchising channels in Latin America and multinational corporations involved in multi-million dollar infrastructure developments. Our attorneys regularly represent manufacturers, real estate developers, investors, financial institutions, private equity firms, and energy and communications project developers. Our attorneys regularly assist clients with intellectual property licensing, financing, investing, securities issues, labor issues, immigration, tax, mergers and acquisitions and international trade matters.

Invested and Involved: Snell & Wilmer's Latin America practice group includes more than ten attorneys located throughout our offices in the western United States and Mexico. Many of these attorneys hold leadership positions in international organizations including Arizona-Mexico Commission, Texas-Mexico Bar Association, Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association and the Border Trade Alliance, involvement that helps them stay abreast of changes in the Latin American legal and economic landscape, and further strengthens their connections with leaders and businesses in the region.

International Connections: Our firm is a member of Lex Mundi, the leading association of the world's top 160 independent law firms.  Through our active involvement with this recognized worldwide resource, our clients can have the confidence that they will receive quality representation from an elite selection of law firms with local market knowledge. This extensive network enables us to stay on the forefront of our profession and to provide a full range of quality legal services to our clients in more than 76 countries worldwide.

Our Latin America practice group has been involved in numerous significant transactions over the years. A brief but representative list of transactions includes:

• Represented U.S. investors in the joint venture and investment in the Mexican port operations
• Assisted in the establishment of manufacturing operations in Mexico for Tier One suppliers to the automotive industry
• Represented a Mexican financial group in the tender offer and acquisition of a publicly held U.S. financial institution
• Assisted in the development of 600 MW power plant project in Mexico on behalf of U.S. energy company
• Represented an energy company in connection with the development of a cross-border (Mexico-U.S.) natural gas pipeline
• Represented a U.S. brewery in the purchase of Mexican brewery and establishment of brewing operations in Mexico
• Assisted with the international expansion and development of secured lending programs in Mexico on behalf of a U.S. financial institution
• Assisted with the negotiation and establishment of franchise operations in Latin America, Mexico and Canada for various U.S. and Canadian franchise chains
• Represented a multinational food producer in a sugar trade dispute with Mexico
• Assisted with the establishment of maquiladora and Pitex operations in Mexico for various U.S. multinationals and emerging companies
• Represented U.S. development company in establishing several resort projects in Mexico
• Advised in connection with the acquisition of real estate in Mexico
• Advised in customs and trade advice relating to imports and exports, NAFTA, MERCOSUR and other South American trade agreements
• Advised U.S. companies on customs and trade issues relating to NAFTA and MERCOSUR
• Represented a Workers' Union in their defense against efforts to enforce judgment in various U.S. states and Mexico, involving the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
• Represented a U.S. company in the acquisition of a major dairy operation and establishment of operations in Mexico, involving a joint venture, labor contracts, product labeling and qualification issues, and NAFTA issues