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ASIPI, INTA, IBA, AIPPI, MARQUEES, LMA, ASPI, ABPI
Spanish, English, French
Arias is the leading global business law firm in Central America and the firm of choice in the region. The firm stands out for providing innovative and effective solutions that help clients achieve their business goals, while enjoying the benefits of working with an integrated firm, with presence in six countries through seven offices, 41 partners, and 130 highly trained and experienced attorneys and offices in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Since 1942, Arias has been setting the standards in the region by combining its global reach with local expertise, and providing a visionary outlook on the world’s business environment.
Our team: Among our staff, we have attorneys with many years of experience in several practice areas combined with young lawyers. This means our firm is constantly innovating and adapting to the needs of today’s world, which ensures we are able to offer our clients the best legal talent in the region.
Areas of practice: Arias is a full-service firm, providing advice in over 35 practice areas, with renowned specialists in each jurisdiction. Some of the firm’s main practice areas include: corporate, antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, tax, arbitration and litigation, compliance, banking and finance, intellectual property, labor law, energy, oil and gas, real estate, immigration, and general counsel services, among others.
Our focus: We make things happen. We provide creative and innovative legal solutions that add value to our clients, taking the time to know and understand their business goals, while always focused on providing reliable and accurate legal services, with their best interests in mind.
International reach: The firm advises on local and cross-border transactions, assisting some of the major international corporations doing business in the region, and also providing legal support to local clients going abroad.
Recognitions and awards: Consistently, we have been honored with important recognitions and awards such as “Firm of the Year in Central America”, “Firm of the year” in the countries we operate, “Client Service Award”, “Best Regional Firm for Women in Business Law”, “Deal of the Year”, among other relevant regional and local awards for the firm and our members.
Equal opportunities: We promote diversity within the firm, professional growth is based on each individual’s merit regardless of gender or ethnics.
- 47% of our partners are women
- 48% of our associates are women
- 57% of our management positions are held by women
- 100% of our managing partners are women
- 2,000 Pro-bono hours per year: Corporate social responsibility and Pro-bono work have always been an important part of our DNA. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to inspire and generate positive changes in our environment in order to achieve and ensure a better future for the next generations.
- Asset finance
- Banking
- Capital markets: Debt
- Capital markets: Equity
- Competition
- Covered bonds
- Financial restructuring
- Financial services regulatory
- Investment funds
- M&A
- PPP/PFI
- Private equity
- Private equity funds
- Project development
- Project finance
- Real estate finance
- Real estate funds
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Securitisation
- Structured finance/securitisation
- Trade finance
Mergers & Aquisitions
Roberta Gallardo
roberta.gallardo@ariaslaw.com
Ana Mercedes López
anamercedes.lopez@ariaslaw.com
Mario Lozano
mario.lozano@ariaslaw.com
Lilian Arias
Lilian.arias@ariaslaw.com
- Arias advised the renowned Colombian insurance group Suramericana on the sale of the insurance company Asesuisa in El Salvador for US$ 53,000,000.00. Ana Mercedes López and Rafael Burgos led the transaction.
- Arias in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama provided legal advice to Univar Solutions Inc. in the acquisition of the regional chemical company Chemsol in the Central American region. Our team provided advice to Univar in all stages of the acquisition, from the initial due diligence process, advice on the applicable legal and regulatory aspects required to make the sale, as well as support in the drafting of the transaction documentation and post-closing actions. In addition, we advised Univar in the identification of risks and the coordination of corporate, labour and tax matters essential for the transaction. We also advised the buyer with antitrust assessments. In El Salvador counsels Roberta Gallardo, Eduardo Ángel, Carolina Lazo, Fernando Montano, partners, and Rolando Alvarenga, Raquel Romero, René García, Senior Associates were involved in the deal.
- Corporación TS sold 100% of the shares in Seguros del Pacifico, a longstanding Salvadoran insurance company, to Inversiones Atlantida, S.A, a local financial conglomerate part of the Honduran financial group Atlantida. Ana Mercedes López, partner and Rafael Burgos, Senior Associate acted as advisors to seller, in the drafting, negotiation and execution of the sale purchase agreement, in the regulatory filings and authorization process and closing of the transaction.
- Our regional team at Arias advised Hoshizaki in the strategic alliance with Fogel through the acquisition of shares in Fogel Company Inc. During the negotiation process, ARIAS played a key role as Hoshizaki's lead legal advisor in Central America. With its six regional offices, ARIAS provided legal advice in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, facilitating Hoshizaki's first investment in the Central American region. Luis Pedro del Valle, Partner in Guatemala coordinated the transaction, in El Salvador Roberta Gallardo and Ernesto Sanchez led the transaction
Banking and Finance
Armando Arias
armando.arias@ariaslaw.com
Lilian Arias
Lilian.arias@ariaslaw.com
Roberta Gallardo
roberta.gallardo@ariaslaw.com
Ana Mercedes López
anamercedes.lopez@ariaslaw.com
Mario Lozano
mario.lozano@ariaslaw.com
Luisa Rivas
Luisa.Rivas@ariaslaw.com
Carolina Lazo
carolina.lazo@ariaslaw.com
- Roberta Gallardo and Ernesto Sánchez acted as El Salvador local counsel for Procaps Group in a US$60 million financing by Bancolombia, S.A. and Banco Davivienda, S.A. Procaps, S.A. de C.V., a Salvadoran subsidiary, guaranteed the loan for Colombian borrower Procaps S.A.
- Corporación Multi-Inversiones (CMI), a leading food industry player in Central America, has secured a $250 million loan from the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB) to boost its operational capacity, working capital, and environmental footprint. Arias, a prominent regional law firm, served as local counsel to the IDB throughout the complex cross-border transaction.
- Arias' team acted as local counsel, led by Senior Counsel Ernesto Sánchez in El Salvador, meticulously navigated the legal landscape across four countries – El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, Roberta Gallardo was leading partner for El Salvador.
- Banco Santander and Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (Bladex) granted a loan of up to $54,375,000.00, in favor of RANSA CORP S.L., to acquire a group of corporations in the logistics business in Latin America. Ana Mercedes López and Rafael Burgos acted as local counsels to Banco Santander in El Salvador. This transaction involved all our offices in Central America, our team of experts from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama advised our client in each jurisdiction.
- Mario Lozano, partner, acted as local counsel in El Salvador for GLAS Trust Corporation Limited, the security agent for the Note Purchasers. In this role, our team advised GLAS Trust on a security structure to protect the Note Purchasers' rights. This involved meticulously preparing, executing, and registering the following securities granted by Atento El Salvador: A comprehensive Corporate Guarantee, A strategic Pledge over receivables, A secure Pledge over Bank Account. The transaction handled the local aspect of Atento´s debt restructuring.
- Automotive
- Aviation
- Banking
- Construction and materials
- Consumer goods and services
- Energy
- Financial services
- Food and beverage
- Government and public policy
- Healthcare
- Industrials
- Insurance
- Investment management
- Media
- Natural resources
- Oil and gas
- Pharm and life sciences
- Real estate
- Social infrastructure
- Tech and telecoms
- Tourism
- Transport
- Utilities
Arias Guatemala
6ª. Avenida 12-24 zona 10, Edificio HQ Fontabella, Nivel 8, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala. C. A.
T: +(502) 22401600
F: +(502) 22401600
E: contact.guatemala@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com
Arias Honduras
Centro Comercial El Dorado 6° Piso,
Boulevard Morazán. Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, C. A.
T: +(504) 22214505
F: +(504) 22214522
E: contact.honduras@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com
Arias Nicaragua
Pista Jean Paul Genie,
Edificio Escala, 3er piso,
Managua, Nicaragua, C. A.
T: +(505) 22981360
E: contact.nicaragua@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com
Arias Costa Rica
CLS Business Center, 9th floor.
Sabana, San José,
Costa Rica, C.A.
T: +(506) 40362800
F: +(506) 40361268
E: contact.costarica@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com
Arias Panamá
The Towers Business Plaza,
3rd Floor, Calle 50 & 66,
San Francisco, Panama City,
Panama
T: +(507) 2821400
F: +(507) 2821435
E:contact.panama@ariaslaw.com
W: www.ariaslaw.com
