Bruchou & Funes de Rioja

Steering Committee: Hugo Bruzone, Ignacio Funes de Rioja, Liban Kusa, Rodrigo Funes de Rioja.

Board of Directors: Florencia Funes de Rioja, Lucila Winschel, Eduardo J. Viñales, Guillermo F. Perego, José Bazán, Mariano Luchetti, Hugo Bruzone, Ignacio Funes de Rioja, Liban Kusa, Rodrigo Funes de Rioja.

Number of partners: 53

Number of lawyers: +150

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Firm Overview:

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja is recognized as a leading law firm in Argentina providing a full range of highly specialized and value-added legal services covering all the areas of practice required for doing business in Argentina.

With a multidisciplinary approach, our full-fledged platform moves forward to offer our clients creative and sophisticated legal advice as required by the current challenges of business dynamics.

Our vision of enhanced specialization in the different law practices allows us to deliver expedite service with a solid depth of knowledge and know-who best suits our clients' needs through our experienced teams and the support of our technological, knowledge management, quality assurance and innovative infrastructure in place.

As the legal services market continues to evolve, we are committed to keep the pace ahead of legal and business trends promoting a sustainable approach to business with a focus on ethics, strategic thinking, and commitment towards our core values.

Main Areas of Practice:

Banking & Finance:

Since its inception Bruchou & Funes de Rioja has been a leading legal firm in Banking & Capital Markets, a position acquired through 30 years of working along with its large client base within the international and local financial communities in different type of innovative transactions, as market dynamics evolved through time. The firm helps its clients to achieve their goals with a smooth and efficient deal execution. As a consequence of having one of the largest teams that is fully and exclusively dedicated to the Banking & Capital Markets, the firm was able to keep the pace of the market’s dynamics by acquiring a leading and distinctive know-how on all financing products that were available in the financial market in Argentina. Its counselling extends to all legal aspects of banking and financial law: Restructuring; Investment funds; debt capital markets; equity; sovereign debt & public sector finance; private banking; project finance; acquisition finance; derivatives; leasing; structured products; syndicated loans and other bank financings.

Compliance:

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja leads the Compliance, Investigations and Corporate Criminal Law practice in Argentina. It has an unparalleled expertise in advising corporate clients in the context of internal investigations as well as in designing compliance risk-mitigating strategies in the context of specific transactions and day-to-day operations.

The department’s services include: Advice in and development of internal investigations, e.g. of corporate fraud and in the context of FCPA or other transnational anti-bribery law enforcement actions; criminal compliance counselling; design and implementation of industry remedial strategies in sectors or operations exposed to high or structural corruption risks; Advice on the design, implementation, updating and evaluation of compliance programs.

Corporate & M&A:

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja’s General Corporate and M&A Department is one of the largest and most experienced in the field of corporate and M&A, and has been routinely recognised for the experience and knowledge of its members by clients and counterparties alike; with special mentions to its members’ comprehensive view of market dynamics, zealous advocacy and pro-business orientation.

The firm provides its clients with comprehensive legal corporate services that help them complete sophisticated transactions in a rapidly changing competitive environment, both at home and abroad. In addition to the firm’s outstanding Argentine experience, the firm also has a strong international focus. In this regard, the firm’s attorneys have substantial experience advising clients on international transactions, and are familiar with the political, economic and cultural complexities of negotiating and structuring cross-border acquisitions.

Dispute Resolution:

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja’s dispute resolution team provides a service based on Court background and business understanding, due to its leaders broad personal experience both at the Commercial Courts and in the private sector. They are widely recognised by the Argentine legal market as leading practitioners in dispute resolution.

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja actively intervenes in dispute resolution procedures of any nature, which affect its clients and hear before administrative authorities and arbitration and judicial courts. The team has a strong practice in the arbitration field, both in domestic and international proceedings. They provide counseling in the design of legal structures and preventive scenarios to adequately face any potential conflict. It also analyses and provides legal opinions and report regarding highly complex legal matters, supplying the client with extremely sophisticated advice from the legal standpoint as well as a practical understanding that allows to take clear and expeditious solutions for the company’s needs.

International Trade/WTO:

Bruchou & Funes de Rioja provides integral consulting services in import and export matters, including — among others — tariff classification, customs valuation, regulations regarding origin, non customs-related restrictions and regulations on imports and exports (e.g., licenses, permits and quotas), unfair trade practices (i.e., antidumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, safeguards) as well as free trade agreements.

The firm’s Customs team has vast experience advising national and foreign investors on benefiting from export promotion programs, such as temporary importation for inward processing; it provides advice regarding foreign exchange regulations applicable to foreign trade, and represents its clients in any related proceeding, before the Central Bank and financial institutions. The firm has the adequate know-how in the strategic planning of foreign trade operations, and in carrying out internal audits.

Tax:

The Tax team works closely with other areas in the development and implementation of tax structures for complex transactions. The firm pioneered the analysis and discussion of important tax law and regulation reforms in the Argentine market, which significantly modified the tax burden imposed on local debtors and other market participants.

The firm’s tax counselling focuses on two main categories: Tax advisory (financial products; M&A; cross‐border structuring; corporate income tax and tax planning; value added tax; provincial and local taxes; promotional tax regimes; advice on the daily tax issues and on the planning of family assets) and tax litigation (defence at administrative courts and judicial levels before all instances and jurisdictions in Argentina; defence before interjurisdictional tax entities; procedures before national, provincial and municipal tax agencies; defence regarding tax contributions and tax administrative infringements; follow up, advising and audit of tax litigation issues; filling, defence and procedures before tax authorities and advice on the daily tax issues).

Energy & Natural Resources: Mining, Oil & Gas; Power:

The departments are the response of the firm to the confidence entrusted by its clients and has been confirmed as an strategical and distinctive movement of the firm to maintain their leading position in the Argentine legal market. Bruchou & Funes de Rioja represents and assists international and local companies in their legal and regulatory needs, including the negotiation of project investment agreements, joint operating agreements, sale agreements, the processing and tracking of permits, due diligence performance and title assessment, among others, as well as all kind of regulatory work needed to conduct their daily activities. The firm’s practice in the field of oil and gas, mining, power and environmental law is an integral part of its overall services to players in the energy sector.