CMS Rodríguez-Azuero

Managing Partner: Juan Camilo Rodríguez
Founding Partner: Sergio Rodríguez Azuero
Partners: Daniel Rodríguez, Jacques Simhon, Karl Mutter, Lorenzo Villegas-Carrasquilla, Adriana Escobar, Santiago Arbouin, Álvaro Josué Yáñez, Álvaro Yáñez, Henry Sanabria, Felipe Andrade, Juan Carlos Ucrós and Daniela Vergel
Firm Contact: Leonardo Álvarez: [email protected]

Firm Overview:
CMS has a strong presence in Latin America, with offices in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The firm is one of the few law firms present in all Pacific Alliance countries. It is built on deep local roots with more than 40 years of experience offering a unique combination of expertise including 17 practice areas and 7 sectors.

Main Practice Areas: 

Antitrust, Competition & Trade:
Advises on anticompetitive practices, dominant position abuse, and unfair competition. Also advises on international matters regarding anti-dumping, subsidies, dawn raids and safeguard measures.

Banking & Finance:
Advises financial institutions and other key players in relation to banking regulation, securities, capital markets, fiduciary law, trusts products and insurance. Advises lenders and borrowers in structured projects, corporate finance and structuring of security packages.

Commercial:
Advises on supply arrangements, services, distribution and joint ventures agreements and on any type of commercial or bespoke contract.

Corporate/M&A:
Advises on all corporate matters, and represents clients in transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, joint ventures, drafting and negotiating transactional documents for the sale of assets or shares, Due Diligence, incorporation of companies and branches of foreign companies, statutory reforms, dissolution and liquidation of companies and shareholders' agreements.

Compliance:
Advises local and international clients on a broad spectrum of Compliance-related matters such as risk management issues that can impact domestic and international activities and transactions.

Corporate Criminal Law:
Advises on matters of criminal liability and procedure. Also creates risk prevention programs that allow the avoidance of criminally relevant situations and the correct reaction when these arise. The firm aids in the prevention of economic and reputational damage that may be irreparable in any productive activity.

Customs Law & Trade:
Advises on comprehensive services in customs and trade matters to national and foreign companies that, due to the ordinary course of their business they export or import goods and services, or execute operations in foreign currency.

Dispute Resolution:
Advises clients in litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, related to commercial, civil, criminal, tax, and insolvency proceedings among others.

Environmental Law:
Advises on compliance matters regarding environmental obligations that encompasses not only obtaining environmental licenses, along with concessions, permits and authorizations for the use and exploitation of natural resources, but also includes social aspects, such as preventive archeology and prior consultation processes.

Employment & Pensions:
Advises on matters related to labour relationships; due diligence and best practice reports regarding the compliance of labour and social security regulations; representation in processes before administrative authorities and labour courts; and employment of foreigners in Colombia.

Intellectual Property:
Full IP shop, advising on the proper protection of trademarks, patents, designs, IPRs like and PBRs. Prosecution and enforcement with infringement actions and border measures. Advise on licensing and exploitation; strong experience on due diligence and managing regional portfolios.

Insolvency, Restructuring & Liquidation:
Advises debtors and creditors on issues related to the re-profiling and refinancing of their debts, judicial and extra-judicial, voluntary, local, international and crossborder insolvency proceedings.

Lifesciences & Healthcare:  

Advises local and foreign companies, in the fields of manufacturing and distribution, related to pharmaceuticals, medical devices and equipment, dietary supplements, food, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages. The firm also handles procedures for agricultural and livestock products.

Public Procurement:
Advises on all matters regarding public procurement and public contracts; preparing documentation for bids, negotiation and performance of public contracts. Assists clients in filing appeals and claims before administrative courts and governmental entities.

Real Estate:
Advises on the design of innovative business structures and development of major real estate projects, as well as on the financial and legal structure of real estate deals. Provides legal advice to owners of leasable properties regarding ownership structures, infrastructure projects and horizontal property structures.

Tax:
Advises on tax and exchange matters, diagnosis and representation before relevant authorities, due diligence, wealth planning, tax planning and advise in international transactions, and advice to non-profit organisations.

Technology, Media & Communications:
Advises on telecommunications’ regulatory matters, media and advertising, privacy and data protection, Internet law, e-commerce, and technologies developments. Participation in public tenders in the technology and telecommunication sectors.

Languages:
Spanish, English, French, German.

Key Clients:
GIZ, HP, Proksol, BASF, Boticario, Equion, FCC Aqualia, RedBull, Bavaria, Decathlon, Sanofi, Bayer, Bodytech, Inter-American Development Bank, Citibank, Grupo Sura, Kuehne+Nagel, Scotia Bank, Fiduprevisora, Khiron, Davivienda, Elite Flower, Team Foods.