Brigard & Urrutia Abogados - The Who's Who Legal 100 2013

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

The firm has a particularly strong M&A practice group and three of its lawyers are singled out for their “phenomenal” work in this area. Carlos Fradique-Méndez is a “renowned” M&A lawyer and is also “highly rated” in project finance and real estate. The “excellent” Sergio Michelsen is internationally acclaimed as “one of Colombia’s leading M&A lawyers”. He has acted as lead counsel in many of the country’s largest and most complex corporate transactions over the past 20 years. Recent work includes acting for Álmacenes Éxito, the largest retail company in Colombia, in its $700 million acquisition of a controlling stake in Carulla Vivero. He is considered a “superb corporate all-rounder” by peers and garners additional listings in the corporate governance, management, labour and employment and project finance chapters. Similarly, managing partner Carlos Umaña Trujillo is also recognised in multiple practice areas including M&A, in which he is praised for by peers for being an “excellent dealmaker”, banking, competition, corporate governance, public procurement and regulatory communications. He is especially well known for his infrastructure and energy transactional work. Both Michelsen and Trujillo are also nominated to the banking and finance chapter, and area in which Brigard & Urrutia excels. The firm is frequently involved in large and complex cross-border transactions and boasts an impressive client list. In the project finance chapter, Michelsen features alongside the previously mentioned Carlos Fradique-Méndez. According to clients the firm is “the first port of call” for advice in this area due to the experience and capabilities of its team.

Brigard & Urrutia also boasts a “first-rate” competition practice, which includes merger control and disputes connected with unfair competition and breaches of free competition regulations. Alejandro García leads the firm’s competition and integrations practice, which counsels local and international clients on the process of obtaining approval from the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, advising clients on compliance and representing them in controversies.

Luis Gabriel Pérez heads the firm’s natural resources and environment practice group and stands out for his expertise in both the mining and oil and gas sectors. He frequently advises foreign investors in relation to energy and mining projects, including on exploration and production contract applications and concession applications, environmental matters, project structuring, dealing with the community, and other risks inherent in the industry.

Brigard & Urrutia Abogados continues to dominate the Columbian legal market with its top-quality lawyers.