Latin America

Since the 1980s, Chadbourne has been one of the major international law firms active in Latin America. Chadbourne has represented clients in many of the highest profile transactions in the region, in such areas as mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, project finance, banking and restructurings.

Chadbourne has been recognized as a leader and pioneer in the region. Some of Chadbourne’s signature transactions in the region include representation of clients in the following transactions:

• first use of Cayman “branch” for offering by Chilean issuer of Yankee bonds
• the only issuance by a Latin American company of 100-year bonds
• representation of clients in three of the largest cross-border tender offers in the past decade
• first takeover/tender offer of a U.S. registered and listed Venezuelan company
• first ADR-driven proxy contest relating to control of a Latin American company
• the first Brazilian utility to be listed on the U.S. Stock Exchange
• the largest industrial energy project in South America
• local bond offerings credit enhanced by U.S. financial insurers
• designed political risk product in Latin America for OPIC’s participation in award-winning transaction
• first Latin American real estate company to be listed on a U.S. stock exchange
• first Latin American agricultural company to be listed on a U.S. stock exchange
• first Latin American rights offering
• first U.S. prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for a Latin American company with no operations in the U.S.

In addition to Chadbourne’s success in executing transactions, Chadbourne uniquely combines its legal excellence with entrepreneurship and sound business advice. As business lawyers, Chadbourne offers to its clients value-added services such as:

• assistance in strategic planning
• introductions to strategic partners in key geographic markets and industries
• assistance in capital raising activities of its clients through introductions to potential investors
• access to senior officials at banks and multilateral agencies
• in-house seminars to clients
• secondment of attorneys at client’s headquarters
• access to Chadbourne’s worldwide resources

As a service business, Chadbourne’s Latin America practice consists of a number of attorneys who are fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, as well as attorneys educated and admitted to practice law in various Latin American countries. They provide a thorough knowledge of the local customs, legal systems and political environments of most countries in Latin America. In addition, a number of Chadbourne partners have held senior positions at private equity firms, corporations and multilateral agencies which provides clients with invaluable insight from a business and government perspective.

Representative Experience