IPBA 2021

What is Happening in Latin America?

Organised by: Latin America Region

Session abstract:

Latin America is currently facing what seem to be deep changes in the political scenario of several countries. Is this a permanent tendency in the region? What is the incidence of the pandemic in this process, and the economic consequences thereof? How does the current situation of the region affect existing and future foreign investments? This panel will discuss the impact of political and economic situations throughout different economic sectors, and most importantly the new conditions for attractive opportunities that Latin America offers to Asian investment.

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Luciano Ojea Quintana
Partner
, Marval O’Farrell Mairal
Buenos Aires

Luciano Ojea Quintana is a partner of Marval O’Farrell Mairal, and heads the Asian Desk since 2010. He specializes in M&A and Corporate Finance. His professional practice has been basically focused on international M&A transactions, foreign investments, joint ventures, project finance, as well as in the advice on the banking regulatory framework. He advises several Asian companies and banks when developing their businesses in Argentina, and is a Director at the Argentine Commerce Chamber for the Asian Pacific. Luciano holds an LL.M. degree from Duke University, and worked at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, New York in 1997/8.

Gabriel Kuznietz
Lawyer
, Demarest Advogados
São Paulo

Partner of Demarest’s Mergers and Acquisitions area, as well as head of the Asia Practice and co-head of the Ibero-American Practice of the firm, Gabriel Kuznietz holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (USA) and is admitted to practice law in both Brazil and in Argentina. He is specialized in the areas of Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Aviation and Maritime Law and Infrastructure. Among his main clients are aviation companies, vehicle assemblers, large multinationals and multilatinas, some of them operating in the maritime sector. Gabriel is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA), Vice-President of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (Camarbra) and Officer of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Aviation Committee.

Speakers

Gonzalo Grez
Partner
, Cariola Diez Pérez-Cotapos
Santiago

Gonzalo Grez has been a partner of Cariola Diez Pérez-Cotapos SpA since 2008, having first joined in 1999. He is one of the partners in charge of the Natural Resources and Mining area, with experience in Mining Law, Business Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Project Development, Foreign Investment and Contracts. He has worked as a legal advisor for several national and foreign companies, providing corporate and mining advice on different sales processes for companies and projects, acquisitions and mergers, private and public tenders, cross-border transactions, financing, due diligence, preliminary agreements, negotiation and drafting of contracts, determination of corporate strategies and structures, and regulation.

Gonzalo is a member of the Chilean Bar Association, Inter-Pacific Bar Association, International Bar Association and Rocky Mountain Mineral Law.
Gonzalo is admitted to practice in Chile and has an LL.M. from Northwestern University.

Juan Carlos Hernández
Partner
, Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C
Mexico City

Member of Basham since 2002 and partner of the firm since 2017. Juan Carlos advises clients on copyright and trademark matters, and entertainment law. His responsibilities include the development of preventive protection strategies and the coordination of negotiations and litigation, focusing on the use of IP on the internet and social media.

Juan Carlos is a member of the board of the Mexican Group of AIPPI for the period 2021-23, and participates in the International Trademark Association, the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) and the IPBA. He has written articles relating to intellectual property for national and international publications.

Juan Carlos is admitted to practice in Mexico and has an LL.M. from The George Washington University Law School, in Washington, D.C. (2010).

Fernando Hurtado de Mendoza
Partner
, Kennedys
Lima

Fernando Hurtado de Mendoza specializes in corporate, aviation and insurance law. Lawyer by Universidad Católica del Perú, with a LLM in U.S. & Asia Business and Trade Law from New York University and a LLM in Corporate & Financial Services from the National University of Singapore. Arbitrator for the Lima Chamber of Commerce in insurance and transport matters. Consistently recognized by international publications such as Chambers & Partners, Who’s Who Legal and Legal 500.
Former vice-president of the Cross Border Investment Committee of IPBA. His corporate practice focuses on advising local and foreign clients in relation to their commercial needs, related to the initiation, continuation, expansion and exit of local operations, including the advice to Asian, European and North American investors for their potential entry into Peru.

Fernando chairs the Aviation and Aerospace Committee of IPBA. He has significant experience in regulatory advisory to air carriers, and in aircraft finance as advisor to international financial entities and foreign lessors in the placement of assets in Latin America. Likewise, continuously receives instructions from reinsurers to handle claims for aviation losses.

Fernando is vice-president of the Peruvian Association of Insurance Law and leading member of the Reinsurance Working Group of the Ibero Latin American Committee of the International Association of Insurance Law. He has broad experience on insurance advisory and claims handling related to a set of insurance lines.

Jose Francisco Mafla
Partner
, Brigard & Urrutia
Bogotá

Attorney with wide expertise in commercial law, international business law, mergers and acquisitions, and customs and international trade. Mr. Mafla is also an arbitrator at the Center for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá. He performed as the Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM Colombia) and currently is member of the Board of Directors and the Academic Committee of Customs and Foreign Trade of the Colombian Institute of Tax Law.

He worked as foreign attorney in Harkins Cunningham LLP in New York, and in Uría Menéndez in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Mafla joined Brigard Urrutia in 2006 and is Partner of the firm since 2015, focusing on the Corporate/M&A, and Customs and International Trade practices. Mr. Mafla is admitted to practice law in Colombia (2001), in the state of New York (2006) and in the United States Court of International Trade (2015).

Mr. Mafla is an attorney from the School of Law of Universidad de los Andes, and obtained a postgraduate degree in Business Law from Universidad Externado in Colombia. He also holds an LL.M from New York University School of Law. Aside from his legal practice, He is professor (undergraduate and postgraduate studies) of Commercial Law and International Economic and International Trade Law at Universidad Externado, Universidad de los Andes, ICESI and EAFIT in Colombia.

He was recognized as star associate by Chambers and Partners Latin America in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is also recognized as a leading individual by Legal 500 and by Who’s Who Legal. After his appointment as partner in 2015, Chambers and Partners recognized him as an “Up and Coming” lawyer for Colombia in connection with International Trade/WTO and 2020 International Trade Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers.