Miguel Flores Bernés

Practice Areas

Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation

White Collar Defense & Special Investigations

Latin America Practice

Career

Miguel Flores Bernés focuses his practice on antitrust and competition issues, assisting national and international clients in investigation proceedings of alleged anticompetitive conduct, concentrations, and defense strategies before specialized antitrust courts.

He has assisted clients in the competition clearance of transactions by the Mexican competition authorities, such as Federal Competition Commission (Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica - COFECE) and Federal Telecommunications Institute (Instituto Federal de las Telecomunicaciones - IFT). Likewise, he represents economic agents in: i) proceedings for the investigation of alleged anticompetitive conduct (cartels, abuse of dominance and unlawful concentrations), including fine reduction programs (leniency and early closure of a probe with commitments); and ii) proceedings related to barriers to competition, essential inputs and declarations of lack of effective competition.

His experience also encompasses the development and implementation of defense strategies before specialized competition courts, and compliance advice to mitigate and prevent risks of violating competition law, including internal investigations for companies in various industries including, transportation, health, energy, specialized services, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, among others.

Prior to joining the firm, he was a Commissioner in the Federal Competition Commission (2006-2013) and before that, he acted as economic legal advisor in the office of the President of Mexico. Previously, he focused his practice in the cost-benefit analysis of economic regulation at the Mexican Ministry of Economy. He also acquired extensive experience in negotiation and international affairs by being part of the group of lawyers that negotiated Free Trade Agreements and Bilateral Investment Treaties with the European Union, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Iceland, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and in different international organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Concentrations:

Antitrust

Cartels and Investigations

Mergers Control and Joint Ventures

Competition

Technology, Media and Telecommunications

Agribusiness

Professional Memberships

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Competition Commission, Mexico Chapter; President, 2019-Present; Vice President, 2013-2017; Member of the Board of Directors, 2017.

Member and Coordinator, Mexican Bar Association, Competition Commission of the Bar Antitrust/Competition Section, 2015-2017

Member of the fourth "Antitrust in America Conference", joint sponsor with the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law and Mexican Bar Association, 2017

Personal

Ph.D. candidate, Antitrust/Competition Law, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2013

LL.M., with distinction, International Economic Law, University of Warwick, 1997

Law Degree, Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico, 1992