Von Wobeser y Sierra, SC

Firm Details:

Managing & Senior Partner: Claus von Wobeser

Number of partners worldwide: 23

Number of other lawyers worldwide: more than 100

Languages: Spanish, English, French, German, Dutch and Japanese

Firm Overview:

Von Wobeser y Sierra is a Mexican law firm founded in 1986 that offers a wide range of legal services (full-practice) through seventeen practice areas, six industry groups and one German desk. Our founders started the firm to challenge the statu quo and serve the needs of clients with a practical, agile and creative mindset, which they thought was missing in the Mexican market. This purpose has inspired us for over 38 years.

We develop long-term relationships with clients, through a collaborative and problem-solving approach. Many of our clients are leaders in their industries and are part of the Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 lists, as well as of the Dow Jones, S&P 500, FTSE, DAX, Nikkei or IPC indices.

We have a strong and diverse team of world-class talent of more than 150 lawyers (including23 partners, 6 of counsel and 11 counsel), plus administrative staff. Our lawyers have a strong academic and professional preparation. Many of them have pursued graduate degrees in the most prestigious universities of the United States and Europe, and have visiting lawyer experience in globally renowned law firms.

Everything we do is supported by our core values: integrity, excellence, commitment, agility and diversity. They define our culture and who we are as a firm.

In recent years, our firm has grown strategically, in a steady and sustainable fashion, at a pace that is hardly matched by any other leading-tier Mexican law firm. We are proud of what we have built, and we are excited about our future.

The firm has earned international recognition from the most prestigious rankings and legal directories: Chambers and Partners Global, Chambers and Partners Latin America, The Legal 500, Latin Lawyer 250, Global Arbitration Review 100 (GAR 100), Global Competition Review 100 (GCR 100), Global Investigations Review 100 (GIR 100), Global Restructuring Review 100 (GRR 100), Who’s Who Legal (WWL), Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA) and IFLR1000, among others.

Main Areas of Practice

Practices:

• Arbitration
• Banking & Finance
• Bankruptcy & Restructuring
• Competition & Antitrust
• Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Environmental
• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
• Immigration & Global Mobility
• Industrial & Intellectual Property
• International Trade & Customs
• Investigations, Anti-corruption & Compliance
• Labour, Executive Compensations & Benefits
• Litigation
• Real Estate
• Tax (Consultancy, Controversy & Litigation)
• Telecommunications, Media & Technology

Practice Industry Groups:

• Automotive, Mobility & Manufacturing
• Consumer Goods
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Financial Services
• Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences
• Real Estate

Pro bono:

Von Wobeser y Sierra is proud to be a pro bono leader. The firm signed an agreement for the promotion of pro bono work with Fundación Barra Mexicana, A.C., with the objective of filing a quarterly report stating the number of pro bono hours worked, as well as a detailed description of the work done and the clients to whom it was provided during that period. The firm has been fulfilling this obligation since January 1, 2007.

In addition, Von Wobeser y Sierra took part in the committee that prepared the preliminary draft of the Declaration of Pro Bono Work for the American Continent (in effect since 2008), the purpose of which is the promotion and development of this important labor throughout Latin America.

Since 2013, and for eleven consecutive years, Von Wobeser y Sierra has received the Leading Lights recognition, from the Vance Center and Latin Lawyer, as one of the law firms in Latin America most committed to pro bono work.

Diversity and Inclusion:

While there is much work to be done in the Mexican legal industry, we are proud of the progress we have made as a firm in diversity and inclusion, and our commitment is unwavering.

Von Wobeser y Sierra strengthened its commitment to D&I with the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee in 2016, which promotes an inclusive work environment regardless of gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic level, disabilities, or any other social identities.

Regarding sexual diversity, since 2019, and for five consecutive years, the firm has obtained the recognition of LGBTQ+ Best Place to Work, a certification of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation of Mexico.

The firm signed the commitment of Equal Representation in Arbitration (ERA), which was launched in May 2016, in London, to increase the number of women arbitrators on an equal opportunity basis.

Von Wobeser y Sierra actively supports Abogadas MX, a non-profit organization established in 2015, whose mission is “[to] work so that every female lawyer in Mexico can thrive in an inclusive professional environment and have the necessary tools to enhance her development and be a change agent.”

Since 2022, our Diversity and Inclusion Committee has successfully organized the annual Von Wobeser y Sierra Diversity Week, in the interest of opening a space for reflection and dialogue on the challenges and opportunities we face in matters of D&I. Several of the activities are open to the participation of clients and friends.