Basila Abogados

Website: https://www.basila.mx/

Office: Mexico City, Arcos Bosques Bosque de Alisos, 45B Floor 1, Bosques de las Lomas, Cuajimalpa, 05120.

Number of managing partners: 1 Number of senior partners: 1

Number of partners: 2 Number of other lawyers: 5

Contacts:  

Mauricio Basila, Partner

Fernando Serrallonga, Partner

Firm Overview:  

The specialization and leadership of the firm in financial areas, including a consolidated practice in private equity, and capital markets, allows its members to offer their clients a competitive advantage by structuring innovative and alternative sources to finance projects. The firm shares the vision of its clients in finding new opportunities, offering its knowledge and groundbreaking approach in order to create and implement new instruments for the development of businesses, through all its stages. The firm offers its clients a personalized service, with high responsiveness and complete approachability, prompt replies to its clients’ requests, and affordable costs, resulting in an altogether rewarding service.

Main Areas Of Practice:  

Capital Markets: 80%

Corporate/M&A: 20%

The firm specializes in the following practice areas:  

■ Private Equity & Venture Capital

■ Capital Markets & Securities Transactions

■ Banking & Securities Regulation

■ Mergers & Acquisitions

■ Real Estate Projects Financing

■ Regulation of Financial Services

■ Structured Finance

■ Corporate Financing

■ Corporate Governance

■ Foreign Investment

Capital Markets & Private Equity:  

Basila Abogados has broad experience in advising foreign and Mexican clients, in the incorporation of the most suitable vehicle for private equity funds operating in Mexico, as well as through the process of investment and disbursement of portfolio companies in several industries, such as: transportation by land or air, pharmaceutical, real estate, hospital, entertainment, education, among others. The members of the firm have broad experience advising clients in the issuance of debt and capital placements, including private placements.

The firm also has experience in the structuring of new financial instruments and securities, such as Equity Development Certificates (CKD’s), to raise private equity funds, for the financing of companies and real estate projects.

The firm pioneered the development of CKDs in Mexico, collaborating directly with the CNBV and the BMV in the creation of such vehicles and the issuance of regulations for its structure.

In the past year, the firm has successfully represented:  

■ ALLVP Venture Partners in the first closing of its third fund focused on investment in Venture Capital, raising USD $50,000,000.00 dollars, through the public offer of CKD’s (Equity Development Certificates)

■ Vector Partner in the final closing of its first fund focus on the mezzanine credit, raising USD $104,350.00 dollars, through the public offer of CKD’s (Equity Development Certificates)

■ Fund of Funds, at the third closing of one of its funds focused on co-investments with other private equity funds, through the public offering of CKDs to reach a total amount of USD $32,500,000 dollars

■ Fund of Funds, at the second closing of one of its funds focused on co-investments with other private equity funds, through the public offering of CKD to reach a total amount of $4,704 million Pesos

■ Advising Fortem Capital, at the second closing of its fund focused on real estate investments, through the expansion of the maximum amount of the issuance of CKDs, to reach a total amount of $2,685 million Pesos

■ Advising a Mexican manager in the first closing of a private equity fund focused on investments in mining projects, through a Canadian Limited Partnership

Currently, the firm is working on the following transactions:  

■ Advising StepStone Group, to structure negotiating investment platforms for institutional investors, through the issuance of CERPIs

■ Advising in a joint venture, involving a fintech

■ Advising a listed company, in a restructuring process

■ Advising the formation of a private fund investing in real estate

■ Advising a Mexican banking institution in a joint venture with a private company to develop fintech services

■ Advising a fund investing in infrastructure

■ Liquidation and closing of an international broker-dealer obtaining regulatory approvals

■ Advising several CKD’s issuance Trusts in its term extensions or termination and liquidation of such vehicles

Corporate/M&A:  

The firm has broad experience in representing national and international clients in initiating businesses in Mexico, advising in the incorporation and operation of new companies in Mexico, as well as negotiating and representing clients in several mergers and acquisitions of local and foreign companies. The members of the firm have broad experience in the drafting and negotiation of domestic and international contracts, including investment agreements, sales purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements, debt restructuring agreements, trust agreements, among others.

Partners at the firm serve as Secretary of the Board for several private companies, managing their corporate governance.

The firm has experience advising foreign and Mexican clients in the participation of foreign investment entities in regulated companies, as well as obtaining neutral investment authorisations from the General Direction of Foreign Investment of the Ministry of Economy.

International Work:  

Mauricio Basila has acted as an expert witness in high-profile cases before US courts.

The firm was engaged by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in order to analyze the existing model for the institutional management of the Financial Fund for the Development of Cuenca del Plata and develop a new model with improved and renovated structures to devise a more efficient operation.

Fernando Serrallonga is active in the area of CKDs and Certificados de Proyectos de Inversión (CERPIs) and is also experienced in working with hedge funds. He advises on CKD and CERPI issuances and provides further expertise in securitizations.

Languages: English, Spanish.  

Clients:  

ABC Capital; ALLVP Venture Partners; American Cash; Angel Ventures; Beel Infra; BlackRabbit Capital; CIBanco; Columbus; Dalus Capital; Da Vinci Capital; Deloitte México; Deutsche Bank; Discovery Americas; Evolve; Fondo de Fondos; Fortem Capital; Galca Energy; Galileo Investment Management; Ideas y Capital; NSC Asesores; Soliq; StepStone; Tierra y Armonía; Urbi; Variv Capital; Vector and Wamex.