Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s Latin America group has a major focus on M&A and corporate transactions. Both Latin America department heads Paul Schnell and Paola Lozano are based in New York and specialise in M&A, private equity and other corporate matters, with Lozano also sitting as head of the Spanish language corporate practice. The firm is a global powerhouse in M&A and this is very much in evidence in Latin America where it routinely advises on high-value deals, including those valued in excess of $1bn. It regularly advises multinationals on their most significant investments and divestments in the region. Lozano led the team that advised Citigroup on its sale of Citi International Financial Services (Puerto Rico) and Citi Asesores de Inversion Uruguay to Insigneo Financial Group in 2022. The practice also has an impressive track record in representing Brazilian corporates, recently advising Embraer (and its subsidiary, Embraer Aircraft Holding), on UAM’s merger with Zanite Acquisition Corp, with UAM subsequently becoming a publicly traded company; this was one of a series of SPAC transactions that the firm has advised on. Filipe Areno is a key figure in Sao Paulo where he is playing a pivotal role in SPAC deals and representing Brazilian businesses in their outbound acquisitions. Mathias von Bernuth is another key figure in Sao Paulo. Since publication, private equity and M&A-focused counsel Ralph Pérez has been raised to the partnership - effective as of May 2024.