PPU APPOINTS FIVE NEW PARTNERS AND TWO NEW DIRECTORS AT A REGIONAL LEVEL
We are proud to inform that, today, the General Meeting of Partners has appointed five new Partners at a regional level: Juan Sebastián Arias, Daniel Parodi, Milagros Pastor, Daniel Ramos, and Guillermo Vial. Likewise, starting January 1st, 2024, there shall be two newly appointed directors: Víctor Abad and Iván Páez. Martín Acero, Managing Partner at PPU stated, at the end of the meeting, and on behalf of all law firm members, that he was proud of this group of new partners and directors, who have the best of skills and abilities both professionally and personally. “We are hopeful and excited to have with us professionals that boast the strictest standards in terms of ethics, client service, and collaborative work, along with their profound understanding of markets, and who share with PPU its principles and core values, as well as the strongest of institutional commitments as one Law Firm at a regional level.” The following includes descriptive summaries for each of the new appointees: Juan Sebastián Arias – Partner; Dispute Resolution: His professional practice has focused on the representation of clients in international and domestic arbitrations, and on litigation before national courts of law. He has been part of international commercial arbitrations conducted under the rules of several arbitral institutions, such as the ICC, the LCIA, the CCB, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, and investment arbitrations pursuant to the ruled of the ICSID and the UNCITRAL. Admitted to the Bar both in Colombia and the state of New York. Juan Sebastián is an arbitrator at the Arbitration and Conciliation Chamber of Bogota (“CCB” [from the Spanish Centro de Arbitraje y Conciliación de la Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá]). He has extensive experience in domestic arbitrations conducted under the regulations of the Conciliation and Arbitration Centre of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce. He has participated in multiple litigations before national courts, including the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia Juan Sebastián has been involved in multiple disputes related to the following industries: oil & gas, infrastructure, real estate, and telecommunications. Recognized in the Legal 500 ranking in the areas of Litigation and Arbitration. Daniel Parodi – Partner; Banking, Finance and Capital Markets: His professional practice focuses on advising national and foreign developers, debtors, and financiers in asset and project financing. Daniel conducts a significant part of his practice in aircraft and vessel financing. He also counsels Chilean companies and foreign underwriters in bond issuances by Chilean debtors in international markets, such as 144A and Reg. S bonds. He has been recognized as Associate-to-Watch: Banking & Finance in Chambers & Partners Latin America (2023 – 2024); as Rising Star: Banking & Finance (2022 – 2023 – 2024) and Capital Markets (2022 – 2023 – 2024), and Rising Star Associate of the Year 2024, in Legal 500. He has been recognized, as well, as Outstanding Lawyer – Sub-45 Category – Project Financing in Leading Lawyers (2022). Milagros Pastor – Partner; Tax and International Trade: Her professional practice focuses on tax consulting for various clients, with extensive experience in strategic planning, financing operations, capital markets, corporate reorganizations, and acquisitions. Experienced in tax audits, administrative contentious tax procedures, and customs taxation. Milagros has been recognised by Chambers and Partners as Associate to watch. Daniel Ramos – Partner; Criminal Law / Compliance: His professional practice focuses on the assessment, initiation, and monitoring of criminal investigations and proceedings. He provides counsel on the scope of an indictment and potential liabilities, to minimize potential criminal contingencies. Additionally, he implements tailored compliance programs for each company. Daniel has been recognized by Chambers and Partners as Up and Coming and Leaders League. Guillermo Vial – Partner; Corporate/M&A: His professional practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial law, infrastructure and projects, highly complex contracts, and corporate law in general, counselling both local and foreign clients. Additionally, he counsels startups and investors in Venture Capital matters, as well as local and foreign FinTechs dedicated to digital wealth management, payment systems, alternative transaction systems, investment platforms, among others. Víctor Abad – Director of Corporate/M&A: His professional practice focuses on Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Financing. He has extensive local and international expertise in prestigious law firms in three different jurisdictions (Peru, Florida, and New York). Víctor has been consistently recognized, for seven consecutive years (2017 – 2023), by British publications Legal500 and International Financial Law Review, as one of the rising stars in the Peruvian market in Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions matters. Iván Páez – Director of Environment and Sustainable Development: His professional practice focuses on environmental law in public and private field and environmental licensing processes advising companies in the infrastructure, energy, oil, mining, and agro-industry sectors. He has relevant experience designing legal strategies for litigation and environmental sanctioning processes, and in the judicial and administrative representation of national and international companies. He led for more than 8 years the group of litigation and environmental sanctioning processes of an important legal firm in Colombia.
Dayan Flores
Member of the Dispute Resolution team. His professional practice focuses on the areas of civil law, civil procedure, arbitration and government contracts.
Santiago Cruz
Principal Associate of the Dispute Resolution team. His practice focuses on international and domestic arbitration, litigation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. He has experience in matters related to engineering and construction, oil and gas, mining, sale and distribution of goods, technology and social media, among others. He has participated in commercial arbitration proceedings as counsel, arbitrator and as administrative secretary under the rules of different arbitral institutions, including ICC and the Arbitration Centre of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota. He is an arbitrator of the Arbitration Centers of the Colombian Superintendence of Companies, and the Cali and Bucaramanga Chambers of Commerce. Also, he is a secretary of the Arbitration Center of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce. He is an official translator and interpreter English-Spanish certified by the Colombian Government. Distinguished by Chambers & Partners as “Associate to Watch” 2023, by The Legal 500 as “Rising Star” 2022 and by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA) as “Approved Litigation Private Practitioner” for 4 consecutive years since 2019.
Manuela Cross
Director of the Dispute Resolution team. Her professional practice focuses on litigation and arbitration on civil, commercial, and environmental matters, both in and out court, including special and arbitral tribunals in Chile and abroad. She advises domestic and foreign companies in high complex litigation in energy, mining, natural resources, and construction fields, among others. Manuela teaches Civil and Constitutional Litigation at Mayor University of Santiago, and in 2020 was appointed as Young Arbitrator of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce. Manuela obtained her LL.M. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015.
David Cueva
Member of the Dispute Resolution and Corporate Law team. His practice focuses on contract law and arbitration, with extensive experience in both negotiation and disputes relating to EPCs, BOTs, FIDICs and infrastructure contracts in various areas, having acted as counsel and negotiator for both owners and contractors, subcontractors and lenders. His experience also includes negotiation of financing agreements and corporate transactions, which has involved him in various aspects of agreements in the infrastructure and construction law field.
