Lara Rios

Practice Areas

Financial Services | Latin America Practice | Banking Law | Project Finance | Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) | International and Cross-Border Transactions | Public Companies and Securities | Energy | Structured Finance | Wind Energy | Green and Sustainable Finance | Solar Energy | Renewable Energy | International Energy | Private Equity

Career

Lara M. Rios is a financial transactions attorney in Holland & Knight's New York and Miami offices. Financial institutions, corporate borrowers, private equity sponsors and project developers rely on Ms. Rios' extensive experience to represent them in connection with structuring complex finance and capital markets transactions, both domestic and cross border, with a particular focus on the energy/infrastructure industry and Latin America. Many of the transactions she has worked on have been designated "Deals of the Year" in their respective categories.

Energy sector clients commend Ms. Rios on her experience and skills, saying:

She is super organized, knows the electrical sector very well and is really helpful.

– Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business guide, 2021

Ms. Rios understands clients. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Rios was deputy general counsel at a growing, privately owned international power generation company with traditional and renewable energy projects representing 3,700 megawatts (MW) across 17 countries. She was responsible for overseeing corporate and project-level transactions and supporting all phases of development, acquisition, construction, operations, and project and corporate financings. Ms. Rios led the in-house team in connection with the company's first corporate bond issuance in the international capital markets and first green bond issuance by a Latin American issuer, the proceeds of which helped to finance the construction of a 114 MW wind farm in Peru as part of the country's renewable energy program. The financing was recognized by IJGlobal as Latin American Wind Deal of the Year 2015 and by Environmental Finance as Environmental Bond of the Year 2015.

Ms. Rios' extensive experience also includes having previously practiced with two international law firms in New York, where she represented clients on a wide variety of syndicated lending, acquisition finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), equity and debt securities, and corporate advisory matters.

During law school, Ms. Rios interned in the chambers of the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Passionate about helping others, Ms. Rios maintains an active pro bono practice having represented small business owners, civil rights and not-for-profit organizations and U.S. veterans.

Professional Memberships

Hispanic National Bar Association

American Bar Association

New York Civil Liberties Union, Board of Directors and Treasurer, 2007-2015

Education