Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has maintained an impressive deal flow thanks largely to the standing of its established São Paulo office, where the team has continued to work on a series of debt, equity and SPAC deals, along with debt restructurings. The firm also has a New York-based group that has a strong focus on the region, particularly debt offerings, including high-yield bonds. More generally, in Brazil, the firm has landed a number of SPAC transaction engagements and continues to work on numerous public M&A deals, while elsewhere in the region it has a wide-ranging client list of underwriters and issuers. São Paulo partner Filipe Areno has emerged as a strong player in equity and debt transactions, along with São Paulo office head Mathias von Bernuth who has an outstanding record in equity, debt (including high-yield) and recent SPAC deals. New York’s Alejandro González Lazzeri is a Latin America specialist with huge experience in bank financings, and debt and equity offerings; he recently led advice to Mexico's Grupo Kaltex on the refinancing of its 8.875% senior secured notes (due 2022), an associated $100m senior secured loan from Bancomext, and a transaction support agreement with an ad hoc group of holders of its existing notes to complete an exchange offer for up to $118m of the new notes.