Rodrigo Ibarra

Rodrigo has advised national and foreign companies dedicated to various economic activities, covering the generation of electrical energy, hydrocarbons, telecommunications, banking and finance, industry and commerce in general, as well as companies in the agricultural and tourism sectors. He has worked on various complex transactions that have involved multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional teams for the structuring and/or acquisition of companies and in the financing of projects for electricity generation companies, among other sectors. Rodrigo has collaborated as a foreign lawyer in the Panama City offices on various occasions.

• Arias provided comprehensive legal counsel to New Fortress Energy (through its Nicaraguan subsidiary NFE) for the development and operation of Nicaragua's first 300MW gas-based power plant. Their scope encompassed all corporate, regulatory, environmental, port, and infrastructure aspects, including construction of the plant, port facilities, and a gas pipeline, positioning of an offshore FSRU, building a demineralization plant, upgrading substations, negotiating the first marine concession for NFE's port activities, and amending the Power Purchase Agreement with energy distributors. This project marked a significant milestone in Nicaragua's energy sector.
  In the past year Arias played a key role in the negotiation of new contracts for the project, both with the public sector and private companies, and in the processing of the required permits, licenses and authorizations related to the generation of energy, maritime logistics, interconnection to regional transmission system, among others.
• Rodrigo Ibarra was part of the team of experts attorneys conducting an innovative and well-structured due diligence on ESG matters across six countries in Latin America. This groundbreaking approach not only highlighted Arias' expertise in coordinating multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions but also played a crucial role in significantly expanding the client´s (a distributor of lubricants and fuels) presence in the region and exemplifying the growth of Central American businesses in international markets.
• Rodrigo Ibarra was part of the Arias team that advised the law firm King & Wood Mallesons, who represented China Communications Construction Company (a Chinese entity with a branch in Nicaragua). The advice focused on a potential financing arrangement for Nicaragua's Ministry of Finance. This financing was intended to cover the design and construction costs of a Photovoltaic power plant located in San Isidro, Matagalpa, which would support the Nicaraguan Water and Sewage Company System's operations.

• M&A
• Competition

• Energy
• Oil and gas
• Real estate

• International Bar Association (IBA)

• Degree in Law and postgraduate degrees in Corporate Law, American University, Nicaragua (2009)
• Master in Globalization Law, University of Navarra, Spain (2012)
• Diploma in Administration and Leadership, Keiser University, Nicaragua (2020)
• Diploma in Business Administration for Lawyers, INCAE Business School, Costa Rica and Nicaragua (2015)