Edmundo Elías-Fernández

Languages Spoken

Spanish, English

Practice Areas

Mr. Elías joined the law firm Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster to head its Tax and International Trade group (2018).

Mr. Elías was special counsel of the Mexican private sector in the negotiations of the USMCA and served as co-coordinator of negotiation tables of the Cuarto de Junto and was part of the Cuarto de Inteligencia. He actively participated in the negotiation through the private sector.

Mr. Elías headed the Guadalajara, Mexico office of Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton (2015-2018).

Previously, practiced with Baker & McKenzie from 1992 to 2014. Among other responsibilities, he was head of its Mexican and Latin American International Trade and Customs Practice, and he also chaired in two occasions the Global International Trade, Compliance and Customs Practice Group of Baker & McKenzie.

Previously, Mr. Elías founded the law firm Bufete Elías, S.C. (1989-1992) specialized in commercial and corporate law; he worked at Estrategia Bursátil, S.A. de C.V. (1987) assisting the General Counsel and in Gallástegui y Lozano, S.C. (1985-1986) as a law clerk.

Mr. Elias is a licensed Mexican customs broker since 1995 and is authorized to operate throughout Mexico.

He has been a professor of international trade and commercial law and ethics at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) and currently, at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) Campus Guadalajara and at the School of Law of the Universidad Panamericana (Graduate and Postgraduate) at their campi in Aguascalientes, México City and Guadalajara

Experience

Mr. Elías has 34 years of experience in law practice. Mr. Elías has focused his practice on customs and international trade, commercial and corporate law, corporate compliance (anticorruption) and government affairs. Mr. Elías has experience in various sectors and industries, including the maquiladora sector, the pharma and life sciences, automotive, consumer products and information technology industries, among others.

He has advised various companies (Fortune10, 100 and 500) on cross-border matters relating to corporate, commercial, trade and customs and anticorruption issues. He has also represented these companies in matters relating to preferential trade agreements, duty relief programs, customs compliance, government affairs, tariff classification, customs valuation, rules of origin and non-tariff regulations, among other.

Mr. Elías is recognized by Chambers & Partners Global and Latin America and Legal500 as a Leading Lawyer in International Trade practice in Mexico and as a Foreign Expert by Chambers & Partners Global.

Career

Mr. Elías has been a speaker and panelist on international trade, customs and foreign investment seminars organized by recognized organizations such as the World Customs Organization (WCO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Fiscal Association (IFA), the American Management Association, the Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos en Finanzas, A.C. (IMEF), the Secretaría de Comercio y Fomento Industrial, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Confederación de Asociaciones de Agentes Aduanales de la República Mexicana (CAAAREM), the Barra Mexicana, Colegio de Abogados (Mexican Bar Association), the Consejo Nacional de la Industria Maquiladora de Exportación (CNIME), among others.

- Co-author, NAFTA Handbook, CCH.

- Co-author, “Customs Chapter,” Mexican Tax Guide, CCH.

- Author of various essays and papers.

Professional Memberships

- Barra Mexicana Colegio de Abogados, A.C.- Member of the Board and Chair of the International Trade Commussion, Capitulo Jalisco

- American Bar Association

- Academia Internacional de Derecho Aduanero

- National Association of Customs Brokers (CAAAREM)

Education