Latin America

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Overview

Walkers has been advising clients located in or connected to Latin America for many years and its Latin America Group provides unmatched expertise and a commitment to excellence upon which its clients have come to rely. We deliver highly commercial and innovative legal solutions across practice areas and sectors providing a seamless service to clients.

The Latin America Group services clients throughout the region across all of the key practice areas, including Finance, Corporate, Funds, Private Equity, Private Wealth and Trusts, Insolvency and Corporate Recovery and Litigation.

As the ‘International Financial Centre’ law firm of choice, Walkers has long standing relationships with corporations, major financial institutions, asset managers and onshore law firms and service providers either based in, or doing business in, Latin America. Within the firm, we have Portuguese and Spanish speaking capability and a number of professionals that possess a deep understanding of the local structures and operating environments, providing significant benefit to clients. The Latin America Group compromises a number of senior practice group leaders, partners and specialist regional attorneys who spend a significant amount of time working on matters originating from or related to Latin America.

Select Representative Experience

  • Advised Didi Chuxing, the ride-sharing giant of China, on the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands elements of its highly-publicised US$1 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in 99 Taxis. 99 Taxis is a leading ride-sharing app in Brazil, and a direct competitor of Uber in the Latin America market.
  • Acts as Cayman Islands counsel to a number of leading local and international managers located in or connected to Latin America in relation to the establishment and on-going maintenance of their offshore investment fund structures, including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital funds and real estate, infrastructure and timber funds.
  • Represented a number of Latin American start-up companies, including in Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Colombia, with respect to early stage investment and offshore holding company restructurings.
  • Advised Continental Gold Limited, a TSX-listed advanced-stage exploration and development company with operations in Colombia, in relation to the Bermuda law aspects of (i) a US$250 millon secured debt facility provided by RK Mine Finance (a division of Red Kite) and a related US$25 million equity investment and (ii) a metals purchase and sale agreement for a US$ 100 million financing package provided by Triple Flag Mining for, among other things, the construction, commissioning and start-up of Continental Gold's Buriticá Project located in Antioquia, Colombia.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Loggi, a Brazilian delivery app, in relation to the Series D investment by Softbank.
  • Advised Colombian infrastructure company Grupo Odinsa S.A. on the British Virgin Islands elements of a multifaceted transaction that resulted in the acquisition of an equity interest in Corporacion Quiport S.A., the concessionaire and operator of the Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito, Ecuador.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to First Reserve on its wind farm joint venture with Mexico Power Group.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Petroamerica Oil Corp., a Colombian oil and gas company, in connection with the acquisition by Gran Tierra Energy Inc. of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Petroamerica Oil Corp.
  • Advised certain financing parties in relation to the Bermuda aspects of the restructuring of Pacific Exploration & Production Corporation, the Canadian oil and gas company with principal operations in Latin America. This was the largest restructuring in Colombian history and involved bankruptcy proceedings in Colombia, Canada and the United States.
  • Advised Vale S.A., a Brazilian listed multinational corporation, on the British Virgin Islands elements of its cross-border merger with Fortlee S.A. and Balderton Trading Corporation.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Colombia’s Terranum Hotels on the Cayman Islands aspects of a group reorganisation in anticipation of its acquisition of Decameron Hotels.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to an Asian sovereign wealth fund in connection with the investment by a group of investors in Netshoes, a Brazilian online sporting goods retailer.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A. in connection with the Cayman Islands aspects of its acquisition of Vale Florestar FIP.
  • Advised EDC on the British Virgin Islands elements of an aircraft export financing transaction for a Latin America corporation.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel on the establishment of a number of DPR programmes for various financial institutions in the region, including Banco General, Banco Industrial S.A. and BAC Credomatic.
  • Acted as Cayman Islands counsel in an innovative bond transaction for Merrill Lynch, which completed a long running health project financing in Peru for three projects overseen by EsSALUD, the Peruvian government health organisation.
  • Advising Avianca Holdings SA on the Bermuda law aspects of its financial re-profiling and US$375 million new financing which completed in December 2019
  • Acting as Bermuda counsel to LifeMiles Ltd, which operates the exclusive loyalty programme for Avianca airlines and sells to airlines, financial and commercial partners primarily in Colombia and Central America

Primary Contacts


BERMUDA
Jonathan BettsPartnerT +1 441 242 1511jonathan.betts@walkersglobal.com
Natalie NetoPartnerT +1 441 242 1533natalie.neto@walkersglobal.com

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Matthew Cowman Managing PartnerT +1 284 852 2208matthew.cowman@walkersglobal.com

CAYMAN ISLANDS
Tim BuckleyPartnerT +1 345 814 4646 tim.buckley@walkersglobal.com
Tony De QuintalPartnerT +1 345 914 6388tony.dequintal@walkersglobal.com
Dorothy ScottManaging DirectorT +1 345 914 4202dorothy.scott@walkersglobal.com

LONDON
Patrick OrmondPartnerT +44 (0)20 7220 4983patrick.ormond@walkersglobal.com

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