Sectors

Our constant involvement in the most challenging and complex financial transactions and deeply rooted understanding of the global financial services industry makes the Firm a natural choice for many of the leading domestic and international banks, funds, and other financial institutions active in Mexico.

Our Firm pioneered the concept of a dedicated financial regulatory practice to support our Banking, Project Finance, M&A, and Capital Markets, teams.

We have been able to differentiate our offering by coupling these strong transactional and regulatory offerings, with strategic litigation capabilities and an international outlook. Our multidisciplinary team of financial experts offers a full-service approach and is experienced in working in complex, crossborder scenarios.

Several of our lawyers are board members of financial institutions, and we act as strategic advisors to the boards of directors of many leading banks and financialinstitutions.

In addition to our proximity to traditional financial institutions, we have developed recognized capabilities and experience in advising Mexico’s emerging FinTech sector and work with neobanks, e-commerce institutions, crowdfunding platforms, and other stakeholders on strategic regulatory and legal issues.

Our banking and finance and project finance teams are all top-tier practice groups, recognized for their “innovative advice and outside-the-box thinking, in addition to great execution” (Chambers and Partners 2020).

Bonds & Loans Latin America, Latin Finance, Latin Lawyer, The Legal 500, and IFLR1000 have recognized Galicia as the leading law firm in Mexico in the financial services sector.

Chambers and Partners included Galicia in its inaugural FinTech Guide published in 2020.

Energy

Ever since the first participation of the private sector in the electricity industry in Mexico in 1994, we have actively participated in all types of energy projects.

We have advised developers, investors, state enterprises, commercial and development banks, export promotion agencies, and multilateral financial institutions in the development, construction, operation, and financing of the major projects in Mexico’s electricity sector.

Our team has more than two decades of experience representing clients in the development, construction, operation, and financing of all kinds of electrical projects, including cogeneration, combined cycles, wind, solar, and mini-hydroelectric.

Our team stands out with its creative approach and has been involved in many legal innovations in the industry. We have contributed to the creation of the first contractual schemes under the figures of “buildlease-transfer” (BLTs) and commitment of capacity and electricity sales under the scheme of independent power producers (IPPs) promoted by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). We developed the first self-supply projects under regulatory, corporate, contractual, and financial schemes that had not been used in the industry. We designed the legal structure and developed the first project for an IPP which combined capacity for CFE and surpluses for self-supply, as well as the first IPP with excess capacity for export.

Our Law Firm has also participated in major electricity cogeneration and steam projects.

In the renewable energy industry, we advised financial institutions in the financing and development of the first wind farm in Mexico, having also actively participated, along with CFE and regulating entities, in drafting and negotiating the first interconnection agreement for renewable energy generating sources with the National Electricity System.

We have also advised various clients in the development, operation, and financing of substations, lines, and other electricity transformation and transmission facilities.

Our energy team has participated in the drafting of the new legal framework that resulted from the recent energy reform in the electric sector, contributing our experience of over twenty years in the sector. Under this new legal framework, we have advised our clients in the acquisition, development and financing of power projects subject to a transitional regime (proyectos legados), as well as of those regulated under the new regime.

We owe our market position to a unique combination of transactional expertise, highly specialized regulatory offerings, and strategic litigation capabilities.

International directories and publications such as Latin Lawyer, Chambers and Partners, IJGlobal, IFLR1000 and The Legal 500, among others, recognize us as undisputed leaders in the energy sector in Mexico.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure sector has been a strategic area for the Firm since its inception more than 28 years ago.

Our Firm has a vast experience in the development and financing of infrastructure projects. Our participation as legal counsel extends to virtually all areas of infrastructure development, including roads, bridges and tunnels, public transport systems, airports, ports, water treatment plants, water supply systems, prisons, hospitals, and other essential facilities for the development of our country’s economic activity.

Our infrastructure team represents all participants in infrastructure projects: sponsors, project companies, Financial institutions, private equity funds, multilateral agencies, governmental entities, export credit agencies, insurers, developers, and contractors.

We have advised governmental entities in the design of bidding guidelines, its instrumentation, negotiation and drafting of the project agreements, as well as during all the bidding process and until the award of the concession titles. On the other side, we have represented companies during the bidding processes, as well as in the daily aspects of the operation of projects.

Our infrastructure team offers a pragmatic and commercial approach. We are used to work hand in hand with other strategic practice groups, such as our market-leading environmental, administrative litigation, arbitration and tax teams, in order to provide our clients an integrated and comprehensive service, and a full understanding of the different risks and structural aspects to consider when implementing sophisticated project development and financings.

Few firms can match Galicia’s market-leading position in infrastructure matters.

Real Estate & Hospitality

Using a multidisciplinary approach, we offer our clients comprehensive services and integrated advice on acquisitions and divestments, public and private market joint ventures, structuring and formation of private equity funds and REITs, capital raising, securities offerings, portfolio-and asset-level financings, leasing and property management on behalf of proprietors and tenants, real estate litigation, and environmental and regulatory matters.

Our real estate and hospitality team are well known for its regulatory originality, as well as it is extensive cross-border experience.

We advise private and public sector clients, including developers, hotel operators, private equity funds and family offices, investors, real estate investment trusts (REITs), security trusts (CKDs), managers, lenders, and major national and international corporations.

We are particularly experienced in advising large, international players investing in Mexican real estate assets. We work with leading  companies across all asset classes, and have a proven record of accomplishment in residential, commercial, and industrial real estate.

Our Firm is very active in Mexico’s fast-growing hospitality industry. Contributing nearly 10% of GDP, Mexico’s tourism sector is an important driver behind the growth in hospitality real estate projects, and we have participated in many flagship projects in the main resort destinations along the Mexican Riviera Maya and Baja California.

Our sector team consists of a cross-practice team of industry specialists, offering marketleading capabilities in real estate, M&A, corporate finance, environmental, tax, regulatory, and strategic litigation.

Leading international publications and directories such as Latin Lawyer, The Legal500 and Chambers and Partners recognize our Real Estate practice, from which they highlight the team’s empathy, proactivity, and availability.

Galicia played an active role since the early days, accompanying a diverse range of global private equity firms, infrastructure and pension funds, sponsors, investment managers, and other financial institutions.

Our Firm soon recognized the importance and the growth potential of this emerging industry and has focused and committed to its development ever since.

This focus on the sector is intrinsically linked to our multidisciplinary approach, combined with our strengths in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, leveraged finance, tax, restructuring and antitrust to offer comprehensive advice to each of our clients.

Our private equity team can advise clients on every stage of the investment cycle, from fund formation and capital raising to investments,
acquisitions, buy-outs, portfolio company management, refinancing, to all sorts of exits and divestments.

The balance of our unique record of accomplishment combined with our dynamic and analytic approach gives us a unique edge in providing more reliable and value-added services to assist our clients in their growth projects.

Regulated Industries

Government regulations and legal frameworks for business are constantly evolving and getting more complex by the day. At the same time, the risk and potential cost of non-compliance is rising sharply. 

Galicia is one of the first firms in Mexico with a clear focus on highly regulated industries, and is committed to helping its clients deal effectively with regulatory compliance issues.

Our cross-practice team works with clients on a day-to-day basis on a variety of matters related to the regulatory framework of the industries in which they operate. We recognize the importance of providing specialized guidance of the highest standards in heavily regulated industries.

The main regulated industries in which we are active include, healthcare, telecommunications, banking and financial services, energy and transportation.

We work closely with our clients on the implementation of regulatory compliance programs of their different industries, as well as on keeping them informed about any legislative amendments that may impact their businesses.

Our cross-practice healthcare sector team helps clients take advantage of the enormous opportunities that exist, but also advise them on the regulatory and compliance aspects that are crucial to success.

Galicia’s healthcare sector team draws on the expertise of our specialist Life Sciences practice, that teams up with the Firm’s other relevant
practices such as M&A, Antitrust, Environmental, IP. Tax, Regulatory and Litigation, offering clients integrated service and understanding of all key issues affecting this sector.

We represent leading pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufactures, food and food supplement companies, vaccines, think tanks and trade associations in healthcare-related matters in Mexico.