Paul Hastings LLP

Paul Hastings LLP has developed a phenomenal Latin America practice over the last decade with M&A being very much at the heart of this growth. The core M&A group is known for deals in Peru and Colombia, along with Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina; the firm also has a highly-rated M&A group in its Sao Paulo office. A measure of its success lies in its impressive client base of Latin America-based businesses, coupled with multinational corporates and global financial institutions. Robert Leung is co-vice chair of the global corporate department and has a major focus on Latin America M&A and private equity, particularly in Peru and Colombia, as does Mike Huang. Jonathan Kellner is chair of the Sao Paulo office and has an outstanding reputation for inbound and outbound M&A in Brazil. Sao Paulo of counsel Filipe Lima also has an excellent reputation. Houston partners Luis Gomar and Rocio Guadalupe Mendoza are also noted for energy transactions in the region, especially Mexico and Brazil. However, former head of the Latin America group Michael Fitzgerald -one of the architects of its success in the region- left the firm in June 2023; as did Luke Iovine in 2022. Named individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise. Since publication, Alexander Temel has joined the Boston office from Sidley Austin LLP.