Pedro Mauricio Morales Gómez

Practice Areas

* Environmental

* Life Sciences

* Port

* Administrative

* Administrative and Constitutional Litigation

* Regulatory

* Energy

Career

Pedro Morales is one of the most recognized environmental lawyers in the country, with more than twenty years of experience. His practice focuses on environmental and climate change law, as well as occupational health and safety, sanitary and real estate law. Prior to joining GLZ Abogados, he was a member of the environmental and climate change practice group of two global firms, also working at the Ministry of Health and the former Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries ("SEMARNAP"). He has also been an academic in Mexico and abroad. He has vast experience in the development and supervision of real estate and infrastructure projects (including tourism, industrial, energy and mining projects), conducting audits, negotiating with authorities and communities, obtaining environmental and sanitary authorizations, as well as participating in multiple mergers and acquisitions, attending to all environmental and real estate aspects thereof in the negotiation and drafting of the corresponding transactional documents. His practice also includes litigation in environmental, health and safety and hygiene matters. He has also provided lobbying services for the private sector or national and regional industrial chambers, in relation to different initiatives and law proposals (such as the change of the General Law on Climate Change) and various regulatory instruments (such as the ecological management program for the coast of Jalisco). His practice also includes providing advice related to climate change, including the elaboration of regulatory proposals, both for public and private institutions, and the elaboration of emission reduction purchase and sale agreements (ERPAs). To this end, he has provided advice to both domestic and foreign institutions and governments. The following is a brief list of some of the projects in which he has participated:

* Providing legal advice to global companies in the energy sector, in connection with the environmental implications of the Energy Reform, as well as the creation of carbon and clean energy registries and markets, and project finance.

* Providing legal support and advice in soil contamination cases in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

* Providing legal advice to global mining companies in the development and operation of some of the most important mining projects in Mexico.

* Providing legal advice to tourism and residential projects, enabling their continued operation, including precedent-setting administrative litigation in the enforcement of federal and local laws.

* Negotiations with water authorities regarding the applicability of availability zones and payment of water consumption rights, in favor of one of the main textile plants in the country.

* Providing advice in the negotiation of an ERPA related to the “Sustainable Light” project, which is related to the national project for the replacement of incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps, being the first programmatic project under the Clean Development * Mechanism scheme implemented in the country.

* Negotiation of ERPAs with public entities, such as PEMEX and CFE, representing several of the most important financial institutions.

* Environmental advice in several bidding processes.

* Support to the private sector in the lobbying of the initiative of the General Law on Climate Change, attending several meetings with the Senator in charge of such initiative and his team of advisors.

* Assistance to foreign governments and institutions in the development of their climate change legislation and protocols for the implementation of climate change projects, including advice to the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) of California, for the development of a forestry protocol, as well as to the Guatemalan authorities, in conjunction with the Rainforest Alliance, for the development of regulations related to REDD projects.

* Legal advice for infrastructure projects for the development, construction and operation of wastewater treatment plants, desalination plants, and centers for the treatment and disposal of hazardous waste.

* Provide legal assistance in environmental aspects related to infrastructure projects, construction and maintenance of roads and transportation.

* Participate, by providing environmental advice or environmental, health and real estate audits, in various mergers and acquisitions, participating in the preparation and negotiation of transactional documents in order to address or mitigate potential or existing risks in such areas.

* Drafting of laws, regulations, agreements and official Mexican standards on health and environmental matters.

* Drafting and negotiation of a Shared Facilities Agreement for the implementation of two adjacent wind projects, addressing regulatory and real estate issues.

* Lobbying and legal assistance in the proposed modification of land use planning programs.