Holland & Knight announced today that Luis Rubio Barnetche has joined the firm as a partner and will serve as executive partner of its Mexico City office. In addition to Mr. Rubio Barnetche, a team that includes Partner Octavio Lecona Morales and Senior Counsel Selene Espinosa, Blanca Luévano García and Jaime Rodriguez also will join the firm’s Mexico City office. All previously practiced at Jones Day.
The addition of this group represents a significant expansion of Holland & Knight’s Mexico City office, which was established in 2013. It now includes 25 attorneys primarily focused on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, REITs, telecommunications, energy, environmental, project finance, litigation, international arbitration and real estate.
“Luis has an incredible reputation in both the local and international markets, and his experience in the telecommunications industry is unparalleled,” said Steven Sonberg, Holland & Knight managing partner. “He has a proven track record of leadership, and we are confident that with his guidance our Mexico City office will continue to grow and provide clients in the region with high quality legal services.”
“Our group brings experience in new areas to the office that complements the services currently offered by the firm both in Mexico and in Latin America,” said Mr. Rubio Bernetche. “We are particularly excited about joining Holland & Knight with its excellent reputation throughout Latin America. We look forward to teaming with lawyers across the firm to increase its prominence in the region.”
“We are very pleased to have Luis and his team join us. Luis and Octavio will add much strength to the regulatory, corporate, labor and arbitration practices in our Mexico City office,” said Roberto Pupo, leader of Holland & Knight’s Latin America Practice. “The firm has a significant commitment to Mexico, and to Latin America overall, and we look forward to further expanding our relationships with Mexican companies with their help.”
Mr. Rubio Barnetche has extensive experience representing domestic and international corporations, trade associations and the Mexican government on complex corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, international contracts and international trade proceedings. He pioneered the practice of dispute resolution in Mexico under Chapter XIX of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and was a member of the team that negotiated NAFTA on behalf of the Mexican government, particularly as it relates to foreign investment.
Mr. Rubio Barnetche has represented foreign public companies and their Mexican subsidiaries in the implementation of policies to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and provided legal counsel for issues related to voting agreements, anti-money laundering, extraterritorial application of foreign laws in Mexico, investment in regulated entities, e-commerce and data protection. He has authored several articles on co-investment and telecommunications in Mexico and is a member of the Mexican Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Mexico-North American Bar Association (“U.S.-Mexico Bar Association”).
Other Key Team Members
Octavio Lecona Morales, partner, concentrates his practice on telecommunications, communications media and technology, and M&A.
Selene Espinosa, senior counsel, focuses on Mexican corporate service, project finance and M&A.
Blanca Luévano Garcia, senior counsel, practices in the areas of telecommunications, antitrust and M&A.
Jaime Rodriguez, senior counsel, focuses his practice on labor, employment and benefits, representing clients in individual and collective labor litigation, as well as social security matters.
