- Number of partners worldwide: 21
- Number of other lawyers worldwide: 111
THE FIRM:
Bruchou, Fernández Madero & Lombardi is one of Argentina's leading full-service law firms and regularly advises major international and domestic banks and companies in connection with the establishment, development and ongoing operation of their business.The firm has handled some of the largest transactions involving Argentine parties or assets, including many landmark mergers and acquisitions,debt and equity offerings, and corporate reorganisations. In addition, the firm is well known for its litigation and tax practices. The firm is member ofAffinitas, an Ibero-American alliance of law firms promoted by Garrigues with associate firms in Chile, Colombia,Mexico, Peru, Portugal and Spain.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
Banking & Finance: The firm regularly represents and advices domestic and international financial institutions, as well as the Argentine Banking Association, and has vast experience in secured and syndicated lending, acquisition finance, structured and project finance. Capital Markets: The firm has participated in almost all international debt offerings by Argentine issuers since the beginning of 2004. In 2008 the firm represented both JP Morgan and world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal in the take over of Acindar through a US$552MM tender offer.
Constitutional & Administrative Law: Critical in Argentina as privatised companies, public utility service providers, banks and other businesses are facing increased regulation from, and frequently conflict with the Argentine public sector, this practice is headed by a former member of the Buenos Aires Administrative Appeals Court.
General Corporate Practice: The firm provides a broad range of advisory services covering all key business law areas and regularly assists clients in connection with their ongoing contractual relationships, competitive best practices and regulatory issues.
Intellectual Property, Media & Technology: A specialised team provides a full range of legal services related to the acquisition,protection,management, enforcement and commercial exploitation of intellectual property assets.
Litigation: The firm regularly handles litigation before federal and local courts and administrative authorities, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution panels. The practice is led by former President of the Buenos Aires National Commercial Appeals Court, and includes four other former members of such courts.
Mergers & Acquisitions: The firm, repeatedly listed among the top M&A Argentine law firms by International Financial Law Review, has been involved in some of the most significant M&A transactions of the last decade, representing sellers, buyers or financial advisers in various industry sectors. The various landmark transactions in which the firm has played a leading role include Molinos Río de la Plata's acquisition of Italian Delverde Industrie Alimentarie and two consecutive cash tender offers for its own stock for a total amount of up to US$217 million (2008); the acquisition by Grupo Televisa, the largest media corporation in Spanish worldwide, of local magazine publisher Editorial Atlántida, and SADESA group's significant acquisitions in Argentina's electricity sector (2007); Tenaris's US$3.1 billion acquisition of Maverick Tube Corporation (2006); Standard Bank Group's acquisition of BankBoston's banking business in Argentina and Ternium's US$2.3 billion acquisition ofHylsamex (2005); the sale of the Argentine branches of Sociétè Générale and Lloyds Bank (2004); the sale by the Perez Companc Family Group of its controlling interest in Pecom to Petrobras (2002 M&A of the Year Award); and Repsol's US$13 billion tender offer for YPF's entire capital stock (Argentina's first hostile takeover and largest M&A transaction ever) (1999).
Public Sector Finance: The firm has acted as underwriters' counsel in almost every international bond offering made by the Republic of Argentina. The firm was sole Argentine counsel of both the local and international financial advisors assisting the Republic of Argentina in the restructuring of its US$88 billion public debt.During 2008 the firm continued diversifying its expertise by participating in innovative transactions such as the US$300MM financing made to Empresa Provincial de Energía de Córdoba by ANSES (public agency in charge of the pensions system), this being the first transaction of this nature made by ANSES.
Tax & Customs: The firm's Tax Department has been ranked as one of the most prominent tax specialists in Argentina by International Tax Review, which awarded the firm the 2008 Latin America Capital Markets Tax Transaction of the Year for its assistance to JP Morgan and Credit Suisse in the US$110MM Argentine IPO by real estate developer Consultatio. In recent years it has been involved in high profile tax litigation and has ample expertise advising the firm's banking and M&A clients. It also provides advice through its customs and foreign trade practice group, handling all aspects of customs planning, litigation and compliance (including, among others, antidumping investigations).
CLIENTS: The firm's clients include major industrial and commercial companies from all sectors: leading banks, financial institutions, professional firms, corporations, governments, public entities and other organisations. Representative clients include ABN Amro Bank,Accenture,AGFA,Alicorp, ALL Argentina, Alsea,Arcor,Asociación de Bancos de la Argentina,Banco Comafi,Banco de Galicia,Banco Itaú,Banco Macro,Banco Santander,Bank Julius Baer,Bank of America, Barclays Bank, BBVA Banco Francés, BNP Paribas, BST Bank and ST Group,Bunge Argentina,Calyon,Candy,Cargill,Caterpillar,Central Puerto, CIARA,Citibank,Citigroup,Citigroup Global Markets,COFACE,Credit Suisse,Deustche Telekom/T Systems,Deutsche Bank, Dreyfus, Edesur, Electroingeniería, Fargo, Formametal (Ball Corporation), GIRE, Glaxo SmithKline, Global Crossing, Goldman Sachs, Goyaike,Grupo Marsans, HERMES, Hidroeléctrica Piedra del Aguila,HSBC Bank, Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona, Inter American Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Juan Minetti, Lloyds TSB Group,Macmillan, Merrill Lynch,MGM,Mitsubishi,Molinos Río de La Plata,Morgan Stanley, Munchis,Natixis,Odebrecht, Pan American Energy, Perez Companc Family Group,Perez Companc Foundation,Petrobras Energía,Rabobank, Sociedad Argentina de Energía, Société Générale, Sotheby's International Realty, Standard Bank, Swift Armour, Telepuerto Internacional Buenos Aires, Televisa, Telmex,The Value Brands,Transportadora de Gas del Norte,Trefoil Limited, Tribeca Fund I FCP,Turner, UBS and Werthein Group.