The sheer volume and variety of transactions that White & Case has executed in Latin American infrastructure in the past year demonstrates their presence and penetration in the region. The firm has represented Latin America’s largest sponsors and lenders on projects that are providing solid footing for domestic growth and development.
Highlights include the Panama Canal expansion and financings supporting the Kelar power plant and Metro de Santiago projects in Chile, the Matarani port project and the $7 billion Las Bambas copper mine acquisition in Peru, as well as offshore drilling projects in Brazil and road and sanitation projects in Panama.
Latin America has been a focus of the firm for at least a decade, says Carlos Viana, partner at White & Case in Miami. Project finance has been identified by White & Case as a global trend for some time, he adds. The firm has worked to diversify its project finance practice beyond lenders to include more sponsor clients over the past several years, Viana says, an effort that took stronger hold after the financial crisis.
“At a time when other firms really suffered from the financial crisis, I think we were able to really capitalize on our sponsor side relationship and develop that side of the business,” Viana says, adding that roughly half of their project and infrastructure clients are developers. “We’re following our clients’ growth and benefitting from our clients growth. Investing in that growth has gotten us where we are today.” LF
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LatAm staffers: 189, including 163 in the region LatAm offices: São Paulo, Mexico City Head partner: Donald Baker Remarkable deals: Las Bambas acquisition, Los Ramones II Sur and Norte acquisition, Kelar, Matarani Port |
WINNER: White & Case