Mayora & Mayora, S.C

Managing Partner: Eduardo A. Mayora

Partners: Rafael Briz, Claudia Pereira, Sandra Castillo, Odín Guillén Leiva, Juan Carlos Casellas, María Fernanda Morales Pellecer, Manuel Telles, Paola Galich

Firm Overview:

Mayora & Mayora is a leading law firm in Central America that has existed for more than fifty-five years with four offices in the region in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula). Eduardo Mayora Dawe founded the firm in Guatemala City in 1966, with a vision to create the first institutionalized firm in the country, a legacy carried on to this day.

At Mayora & Mayora, there is a team of over 35 legal specialists ready to assist clients in a wide-spectrum of legal matters. Renowned for its excellence and ethical approach, the firm offers legal assistance in administrative, banking, civil, corporate, finance, immigration, labor, litigation and tax matters, among others. The firm is also the exclusive member for Guatemala of the largest network of private law firms in the world, Lex Mundi, since its inception in the early eighties. As part of the Lex Mundi global network, the firm has privileged access for its clients to more than 22,000 lawyers worldwide, through one single point of contact.

Mayora & Mayora offers its clients what many regional firms do not: a fully integrated firm that provides seamless, efficient and robust legal services. Regional integration is at the core of Mayora & Mayora’s mission and a direct response to clients wanting exceptional legal support across multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, the firm strongly encourages providing pro bono legal services and is a founding member of the Pro Bono Foundation of Guatemala, which has a direct alliance with the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, and pledges to the Pro Bono Foundation of Lex Mundi. Lastly, the firm is proud that its workforce is predominantly female.

Main Areas of Practice:

Administrative:

Administrative law is all about successfully navigating the various government agencies and regulations in order to operate in some of the most lucrative industries in the region, such as mining, energy and telecommunications. Our firm has the level of expertise needed to apply for and obtain licenses, permits and other authorizations from administrative agencies in a timely manner, so that our clients can carry out their operations without unnecessary delays.

The firm was integral in the privatization of the telecommunications industry in Guatemala, opening the market for companies to enter, many of which still are our important clients.

Our unmatched expertise in energy law sets us apart from other law firms in the region, as we are the sole firm ranked in the highest band for Chambers & Partners in this practice area. We assist clients in a variety of matters in the energy sector, including but not limited to bidding processes, energy generation, distribution and purchasing, infrastructure development and project finance. We also advise on regulation and administrative proceedings.

A growing area of law under the purview of this practice group is environmental law and renewables, where the firm has extensive experience. We have assisted companies in wide spectrum of industries in performing environmental impact studies required by local agencies.

Banking & Finance:

Banking and finance are integral for the business world to march forward. At Mayora & Mayora, we boast a team of professionals that are on the cutting edge of regulations and insights in the industry.

Our integrated offices bring together a breadth of experience assisting both sides of the table—those providing the financing and those receiving it—so that you have experts by your side throughout the entire process. Before working at the firm, some of our attorneys in this practice group have worked in some of the largest financial institutions in the world, as well as in the government bodies regulating banking and finance, instilling in them an intimate knowledge of the laws and regulations that affect the industry.

We help notable banks open up operations in the region, represent large businesses in obtaining financing for their next big project, and assist individuals in investing capital in the region. For this and much more, Mayora & Mayora is a prime choice for legal assistance in the banking and finance area.

Civil:

Mayora & Mayora specializes in civil contracts covering a wide-range of subject matters such as non-profit organizations, partnerships, private sales and purchases, and real estate transactions, among others. We also handle estate planning matters for high-net worth clients, who have a diverse portfolio of assets and investments. Our team of experts has executed some of the most complex transactions in the real estate development industry in the region.

The firm assists one of the largest telecommunications companies in expanding its operations and opening markets around the world, by executing land leases, constructing telecommunications towers and installing fiber optics together to either provide passive telecommunications services or to lease space to third party providers.

Commercial:

We have some of the foremost experts in this area of law, including a strong niche practice in securities law. Commercial aspects of business are some of the most crucial multinationals and local companies who import, export and operate within the region. Our attorneys have kept abreast of the evolving regulations in the region, including those regarding antitrust and competition.

We are the external counsellors for the National Securities Exchange in Guatemala since 1987 and our firm participated in the drafting of the Securities Law in Guatemala, which has been in force since 1996.

Corporate & M&A:

Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions is a core practice at Mayora & Mayora and something we have been specializing in for over 50 years. We are consistently sought out for our unparalleled experience in the region and our lawyers’ ability to truly understand the business of our clients.

With an ever more global market, our integrated offices help our clients achieve business opportunities in the region through one single point of contact. Our attorneys have advised on the largest mergers and acquisitions in Central America and helped globally recognized companies open up operations in the region.

We have advised on multiple multi-million-dollar mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures in the energy, agro, automobile, pharmaceutical, real estate development and health services industries. This advice spans from the due diligence phase into the closing of the deal.

We have managed and grown a strong portfolio of day-to-day corporate work and governance, acting as our clients outside counsel. With both the resources and responsiveness needed for the most crucial of deals, we enable our clients to focus on their business instead of the legal challenges that must be cleared to achieve it.

Labor & Immigration:

Labor and Immigration law is essential to any business looking to operate in Central America. At Mayora & Mayora, we have the foremost experts on the subject, ready to assist on a variety of tasks from drafting an employment contract to advising on occupational safety, and beyond.

Our team knows the intricacies of the latest labor regulations and industry trends in the region, so that the client can focus on managing their most precious resource its workforce, instead of worrying about the legal ins-and-outs governing it.

Immigration law is a perfect complement, and we have helped numerous foreigners gain access to the region and the proper permits to work locally.

Litigation and Arbitration:

We represent our clients in crucial litigation and arbitration in the region. Whether in court or arbitral forum regionally or abroad, our team has the expertise and knowledge to defend our clients’ rights and positions, when problems arise.

At Mayora & Mayora, we favor settling a dispute outside of the courtroom, due to the legal uncertainty in judicial institutions in Central America. If an agreement cannot be reached between the parties involved, we resolve the case in the quickest, most beneficial way possible for the client.

Our experience is broad, spanning from defending against and filing administrative actions for one of the largest energy distributors in Central America against municipalities and government agencies, to representing one of the biggest telecoms in administrative and contract disputes with millions of dollars of damages at stake. We represent clients on an ongoing basis in complex commercial lawsuits, and labor disputes, such as mandated severance payments and other guaranteed labor benefits.

In the arbitration domain, Mayora & Mayora brings decades of seasoned experience both in representing clients as well as acting as expert witnesses, regionally and abroad. The firm has particular knowledge in arbitrations for the energy and telecommunications industries, in addition to an unmatched expertise in foreign investment claims.

Tax:

Tax liability and strategy is crucial in any industry for any business. Our seasoned team of tax experts knows how to navigate the most complicated tax situations and defend against illegitimately levied taxes.

Our tax experts have worked in the national tax authorities and Eduardo Mayora A. has served as a member of its board of directors. This means our lawyers know the regulations as well as the authorities enforcing them do.

The firm is the Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran member of LATAXNET (a regional tax network in cooperation with WTS), a renowned Latin American network of law firms focusing on tax and transfer pricing matters.

Across the region, we have saved our clients millions of dollars in tax liability, meaning they have more capital to invest elsewhere.

Intellectual Property:

In addition to our own offices and practice areas, together with our sister firm MAYORA IP, S.A., we are able to assist in any case related to intellectual property. Mayora IP has a broad scope of IP practice, which means that we help our clients acquire, manage and protect their intellectual property. Mayora IP’s team of lawyers and legal assistants work in the areas of patents, trademarks, trade dress, domain names and copyrights, and provide constant advice on acquisitions, prosecution, enforcement, licenses and disputes for non-compliance and other aspects of the Intellectual Property Law. Like Mayora & Mayora, Mayora IP has offices in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Clients:

Avianca; Banco Industrial; Banco Davivienda; Bolsa de Valores Nacional de Guatemala; Chevron; Cofiño Stahl; Diageo; Energuate; Exor Investment Corp.; Fresenius Medical Care; GBM (an IBM alliance company); Grupo Terra; Hyatt Hotels; Ingenio Palo Gordo; Laboratorios Vijosa; Marriott International; Monsanto; Neon Energy; Obrascon Huarte Lain; Otis Elevators; Papa John’s Pizza, Payless Shoesource; Philip Morris; Hoffmann-La Roche; Santander Sugar; Telus; Ufinet.