Month: February 2020

 

We are proud to be included in Chambers and Partners Global 2020 guide, where Affinitas continues to be listed in Band 1 in the category Leading Regional Law Firm Networks.

“This is a closely integrated network comprising first-rate firms in Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Chile. The network focuses on assisting clients with transactional work in the M&A and finance spaces, though all members are full-service firms.”
– Chambers Global 2020 –

All Affinitas member firms achieved an outstanding result in the 2020 edition of Chambers and Partners Global. Collectively, the Affinitas member firms have now 75 individual rankings, outperforming all other regional firms active in the four jurisdiction of the Pacific Alliance.

 

The results are equally impressive when considering the quality of our rankings. Together we have now 10 practice areas ranked in Band 1, 9 practice areas ranked in Band 2, and 5 practice areas ranked in Band 3.

These results are testimony of true leadership in our respective markets, hard work and a consistent focus on quality and client service.

Congratulations to our four member firms for their outstanding results!

For more information, please visit the Chambers’ website.

Affinitas is proud to share the announcement made today by Mijares, Angoitia, Cortes y Fuentes -Affinitas’ member firm in Mexico- regarding the election of two new partners and one of counsel, effective as of April 1st, 2020.

• Patrick Meshoulam and Carlos Orci Berea have been elected as partners in the Corporate/Capital Markets and Antitrust/Telecommunications areas, respectively.
• Alejandro Diaz has been elected as of Counsel in the Intellectual Property area.

With these promotions, our Mexican member firm will be made up of 17 partners, 4 of counsel and more than 100 professionals. Affinitas is delighted to see its member firms go from strength to strength.

“We are very happy to have invited Patrick, Carlos and Alejandro to this new stage of their professional lives. This shows that our Firm has no limits for those who want to continue growing at the Firm through commitment and hard work. Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary, we are convinced that our talent is the most valuable asset we have to serve our clients’ needs. Our continued growth and our constant evolution reflect the Firm’s commitment to keep strengthening our capabilities to provide top quality innovative legal services with the highest ethical standards,” said Pablo Mijares, one of the founding partners.

For more information, please consult the press release issued by

Affinitas spoke to José Villafuerte, asssociate of Miranda & Amado since 2014, about his recent experience in Chile, where he spent 6 months as secondee.

José was selected to participate in Affinitas secondment program, which took him to Santiago de Chile, working at Affinitas’ member firm in Chile, Barros & Errázuriz. He lived through some very significant and historic moments and came back with a wealth of impressions and experiences he will not soon forget.

– José, why did you decide to participate in this program?
Because I was motivated to grow professionally and personally and I knew that the experience of working abroad (and in a firm with the prestige that B&E has) would help me achieve both goals. Whenever I can, I challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone because only then can I be sure that I am growing, and I could not imagine a better way to do this than working abroad, adapting to a new way of working and new colleagues.

– What area did you work in? What kind of matters did you handle?
I was assigned to the Financing and Infrastructure team, where I participated in the advice for the structuring of financing, as well as in the preparation and negotiation of construction, operation and maintenance contracts and several contracts related to the business of clients in that area. I was also part certain M&A and Capital Markets, where I was involved in company acquisitions and issuance of debt instruments.

– What do you highlight from your professional experience during the secondment?
I believe that working at B&E has allowed me to be more versatile in the types of assignments I am given, due to the variety of issues I have been able to see during my stay and thanks to the great work of the lawyers at B&E in structuring the secondment program, who from the first day were concerned that I could participate in a broad range of legal matters, and had the confidence to assign me complex assignments.

I also appreciate the experience of working on infrastructure issues, which is a subject I do not normally deal with on a daily basis, but which, partly due to the structure of the B&E areas (and also thanks to the confidence of people like Nicolás Balmaceda, Francisco de la Barra and Maria Olga Rivera) I was able to see more closely and learn in practice.
And in your personal experience?

I lived through a significant moment in the history of Chile and, like the entire B&E team, I believe that this phenomenon has generated several questions to the ideas and preconceptions that we have rarely tried to revise or rethink from a different perspective than our own. It is disturbing to recognize that many of the ideas we assume to be true are in fact correct, only from the point of view of our privileges. I believe that the life experience I take with me from this period in Chile is invaluable for many reasons, for the quality of people who have received me and welcomed me with great affection, for the great friends I made at B&E and for the lessons learned from a society that does not -and will not- stop surprising me.

“I lived through a significant moment in the history of Chile and, like the entire B&E team, I believe that this phenomenon has generated several questions to the ideas and preconceptions that we have rarely tried to revise or rethink from a different perspective than our own.”

– Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Just a word of thanks to the entire B&E team and especially to the Finance and Infrastructure team. I have learned a lot from them, I admire a lot the great work they do and I will always be grateful for their friendship.

 

 

Affinitas’ international secondment program, which was founded in 2004 and formalized 10 years later, offers young lawyers a unique opportunity to spend a number of months working in one of the other member firms, gaining both personal and professional experiences of a lifetime in the process. Selected lawyers have 5-6 years of professional experience, demonstrate outstanding professionalism, and an advanced level of English.

For more information on Affinitas’ Secondment Program, please contact Ms. Natalia Chu: nchu@affinitaslegal.com