Legal 500 Suriname

Karla Valenzuela Pérez is General Counsel for Consumer Banking and Regulatory Affairs at Citibanamex. Karla has nearly 15 years of experience in the financial sector. In the public sector, she worked for more than nine years at the Department of Finance, where she participated in the drafting of financial regulations. Prior to joining Citibanamex, Karla worked at BBVA as Director of Strategy and Development in the Legal Office. She developed tailor-made solutions for internal customers and strengthened the strategy vis-à-vis the authorities. Karla holds a law degree from ITAM and a master`s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She is co-author of Prevention of Operations with Resources of Illicit Origin in Mexico and a member of the Americas section of the Global Coalition Against Financial Crime. During the pandemic, our team has strengthened existing relationships with our clients by providing them with legal knowledge and informing them more frequently of relevant developments. As physical events were no longer possible during the lockdown, we decided to focus on hosting webinars. This was an accessible opportunity for our lawyers to get in touch with (potential) clients and regularly inform them of current legal developments. Agustin Ballina Casares, Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer (Mexico), JLL Disclaimer: The information and opinions expressed in these country comparison guides are provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal or other professional advice and should not be used or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to specific circumstances.

Legal 500 UK 2022 is regularly recommended by legal directories and ranked as a key person, recognising Rachel as “an important advocate recommended to advise banks and sponsors on the financing of cross-border projects, particularly in African markets”. Clients praise her as “a very likeable personality who combines deep knowledge of the mining sector with excellent results for her clients on time and within budget” (Legal 500 UK 2022), noting that “Rachel takes a business perspective and will not hesitate to give an opinion rather than sit on the fence” (Chambers UK 2022). Clients also note that “she is extremely knowledgeable and always able to find an effective solution to any problem” and that “she gives very practical advice and ensures that we, as an organisation, are doing the right things” (Chambers UK 2021). “In-depth technical and legal knowledge as well as good business management make it very special, as it`s not always easy to combine the two at the same time.” Agustin Ballina leads JLL`s legal function in Mexico, the market business for Latin America, and is JLL Mexico`s Head of Ethics and Compliance. Agustin joined JLL, one of the world`s leading real estate companies, in 2015. Prior to that, he spent more than eight years at Walmart where he was responsible for Mexican real estate. In addition, he has experience in the financial sector, having worked in prestigious institutions such as the Banco de México (Central Bank of Mexico). Agustin obtained his law degree from the Universidad Anahuac and completed postgraduate studies at the Universidad Panamericana as a specialist in financial law institutions. He has also taught as a professor of real estate law at Anahuac University.

“Partners like Cathleen McLaughlin, who have more technical and legal knowledge in this area, are 100% available at all times and lead the banking and sponsorship teams very effectively during negotiations and always work with a pro-transactional attitude.” Javier Coronado is a bilingual litigator who advocates cases, conducts parallel investigations, advises on litigation strategies and negotiates solutions in complex, high-risk criminal and civil litigation. He brings to his practice legal experience in the United States and Colombia, which includes international white-collar crime litigation and government investigations. M. Coronado advises and represents individuals and companies in criminal law, domestic and foreign corruption, tax evasion, anti-money laundering, OFAC sanctions and financial fraud. He also advises clients on business transactions, corporate governance and business formation, particularly on compliance with international, U.S. and Colombian legal standards, regulations and best practices. His experience includes drafting and negotiating legal reforms, tender guidelines and contracts required for project development and financing, as well as compliance with regulatory controls. Pedro advises companies in a variety of industries, including highly regulated industries, on internal investigation processes and the design and implementation of effective compliance programs that incorporate the Mexican regulatory framework as well as the FCPA and other foreign regulations. Carolina Machado is an ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) admitted to the bar and holds an LLM from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Carolina worked at Creel García Cuéllar y Müggengburg in Mexico City and Shearman & Sterling in New York.

She joined JPMorgan in 1997 in the legal and compliance department in Mexico, where she served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer from 1999 to 2015. In 2015, she moved to New York to set up a proper global financial crime program for Latam at JPMorgan. She worked at JPMorgan for 19 years. In 2016, Carolina joined Citibanamex, a subsidiary of Citigroup, as General Counsel for ICG (institutional and corporate clients). In 2019, his role also expanded to commercial banking. She worked at Citi for four years. In April 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Carolina jumped at the chance to enter the tech industry. She began her new role as Assistant General Counsel – Latin America for Uber, where she led a team of knowledgeable and dedicated lawyers in various countries, handling exciting and challenging legal issues.

All of the firm`s lawyers are specialists with expertise in their respective fields. Each of our lawyers is able to fully represent their clients in the Dutch Caribbean. VAN EPS continues to distinguish itself with authentic and unparalleled specialist legal advice throughout the Dutch Caribbean region. Financial institutions, large national and international companies as well as government agencies are among the company`s strong customer base. The lawyers in our firm are specialists with expertise in their field (almost all other law firms in our Caribbean region are general practitioners). All of our lawyers are able to fully represent their respective clients in these jurisdictions. “Latam has a great knowledge of the market and a great proximity to the legal market.” Winston & Strawn LLP continues to excel in complex and headline transactions. The Company continues to lead future stream securitizations, SEC-registered offerings and initial bond issues and recently advised Nueva Elektra del Milenio and its parent company Grupo Elektra on a future flow transaction involving remittances from the United States to Mexico. Corporate restructuring is another strength of the team, which represents a number of Latin American companies listed in the United States. The group is particularly strong in Mexico, Chile and Argentina. It is also well positioned to expand its practice in the Brazilian financial markets following the hiring of Rodrigo Carvalho, a “renowned corporate lawyer”, in April 2021; Previously, he was Head of Investment Banking (Legal Division) at Bank of America in Sao Paulo.

The co-head of the Latin America team, Allen Miller, is evaluated for SEC-registered transactions, corporate governance exposures and future flow securitizations.