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Latin America Desk

Spanning a range of legal disciplines, from mergers and acquisitions and regulatory compliance to intellectual property and high-stakes litigation, our Latin America Desk provides integrated, full-scale support to both Latin American businesses expanding into the U.S. market and U.S. companies looking for viable investments and business partners in Latin America. Our team includes attorneys who are fluent in Spanish and possess a deep understanding of the regionโ€™s legal systems and cultural dynamics.

We also have a long history of helping clients execute complex cross-border transactions and navigate challenges related to litigation, investigations and other enforcement proceedings. Whether itโ€™s counseling on jurisdiction-specific regulations or negotiating and litigating as needed, our team is uniquely equipped to help clients protect their investments and deliver on new market opportunities.

Latin America Desk Contacts

Raรบl F. Salinas Profile Image
Raรบl F. Salinas

Office Partner-in-Charge

Los Angeles, CA

Ruben A. Smith Profile Image
Ruben A. Smith

Office Partner-in-Charge

Santa Ana, CA

How We Help Clients

Core Capabilities

  • Assist clients with inbound, outbound and โ€” of course โ€” purely domestic mergers and acquisitions.
  • Advise foreign investors on greenfield and other direct investments, joint venture formations, contract manufacturing and other strategic alliances.
  • Help businesses market and sell their products, services and inventions through global distribution, agent, franchise, direct sale and licensing agreements.
  • Work with clients to develop, protect, and profit from their international patents, trademarks and other intellectual property.
  • Counsel on international trade compliance, navigating clients through the increasingly complex import and export requirements governing global commerce.
  • Represent clients in U.S. and foreign litigation, arbitration, cross-border discovery, the enforcement of judgments, as well as anti-dumping, customs and other regulatory disputes.
  • Assist clients with global personnel matters, including securing visas, work permits and secondments for employees inside and outside the U.S.

Experience Highlights

  • Negotiated and drafted contracts on behalf of Sony Music Entertainment U.S. Latin LLC for recording artists throughout Latin America.
  • Assisted a medical devices manufacturer pursuing patent protection in Brazil and Mexico.
  • Represented a U.S.-based client in a lawsuit against a Mexican corporation in the U.S. regarding its failure to comply with contractual obligations arising from the sale of property in Mexico. Obtained a significant settlement for the client.
  • Represented a restaurant franchisor and its franchisees in Latin America in trademark proceedings.
  • Assisted a client with regulatory requirements for repatriation of remains from the U.S. to South America.
  • Assisted a large architectural firm in Cincinnati, Ohio to start operations and hire local personnel in Panama.
  • Assisted a client in an unfair competition case in a Colombian court.
  • Assisted a Brazilian company with developing locations for a restaurant chain in Ohio and Kentucky.
  • Assisted with regulatory and compliance advice to insurance companies offering international travel insurance protection.

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