José Rafael is a partner in Consortium Legal – Honduras. With more than 29 years of experience in the banking, financial and corporate sectors, he also specializes in economic analysis of law with a focus on corporate finance. His areas of practice also include commercial law, insurance law, agency and distribution law, franchise law, trademarks, patents, copyright, antitrust, civil and commercial litigation, commercial arbitration and administrative law.
He is a commercial arbitrator appointed by the Center for Conciliation and Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Tegucigalpa, where he has presided over arbitration tribunals. Throughout his career he has been the contact attorney for local, multinational and foreign companies, banks and financial institutions, mainly for foreign investment, financial, corporate and commercial law matters. In 2005 he was named one of the 40 most influential lawyers under the age of 40 in Central America by Latin Lawyer Magazine.
- He has counseled multiple multinational and international financial institutions as Administrative Agents, Collateral Agents and Sole Lead Arrangers in loans and syndicated loans for the financing of operations in Honduras and Central America, as well as foreign and multinational companies in corporate and antitrust matters.
- Advised Daimler/ Mercedes Benz on antitrust and complex distributorship law issues in 2022.
- Capital markets: Debt
- Capital markets: Derivatives
- Capital markets: Equity
- Capital markets: High yield
- Financial restructuring
- Banking
- Consumer goods and services
- Financial services
- Food and beverage
- Member, Honduran Bar Association
- Member, International Bar Association (IBA)
- Member, Board of Directors of several leading Honduran companies, Honduras
- Lawyer and Notary Public, Corte Suprema de Justicia, Honduras (1999)
- Master’s Degree in Law (Fulbright scholar), University of Chicago, United States (2000).
- Bachelor of Science in Law and Social Sciences, (summa cum laude), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Honduras (1994).