We assist our domestic and international clients in tax planning at every level, tax returns and responses to audits from the tax authorities. We first seek to understand the business of each of our clients to provide high quality service and design efficient tax structures with the least risk.
Practice areas
Services
- Tax planning at the national and municipal levels.
- Tax planning and structuring for a full spectrum of business projects, such as corporate restructurings, mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs involving either domestic or international entities, purchases and sales of assets and interests in companies.
- Tax planning and structuring for projects involving assets and activities subject to tax benefits or reliefs.
- Negotiation of joint venture agreements.
- Advice on the interpretation and application of double taxation agreements.
- Advice on the interpretation and application of special tax regimes and regulations on tax benefits and reliefs.
- Response to audits from the tax authorities.
- Preparation of tax returns at the national and municipal levels.
- Assistance in analyzing and resolving transfer pricing issues.
Labor Law
The firm advises domestic and international clients on Colombian labor issues. We provide advice on matters of individual labor law, and collective bargaining and social security payments, as well as immigration issues.
Attorney:
Camilo Bernal García
Services
- Drafting and negotiating employment contracts, social security payment structures, severance mechanisms.
- Assistance in job security matters.
- Assisting clients in judicial and administrative labor law procedures, conciliations and disciplinary matters, as well as alternate dispute resolution.
- Drafting and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.
- Assistance in mechanisms to ensure that our clients are full compliance with Colombian labor and social security laws.
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
We assists investors, companies both private and listed on the stock exchange, investment vehicles and other commercial establishments in mergers, spin-offs and acquisitions of assets and interests. We have experience with highly complex transactions such as those involving regulated industries, as well as with leveraged buyouts and in general, the integration and restructuring of companies.
Attorneys:
Services
- Negotiating, structuring and executing integrations, mergers, spin-offs and corporate restructuring.
- Negotiating, structuring and executing acquisitions involving domestic and international companies and assets.
- Assisting and handling requests for any required authorizations and filings with government authorities.
- Due diligencie procedures.
Corporate Law
The firm advises domestic and international clients in negotiating, drafting and enforcing compliance with civil and commercial contracts, in the creation, opening and ongoing management of companies and branches, with due account of the impact of currency issues, foreign investment status and labor law dispute resolution.
Attorneys:
Services
- Drafting and negotiation of by-laws, investment agreements, shareholder agreements, capitalizations, capital reductions, reorganizations, corporate administration, transformation, dissolution, winding-up and liquidation of companies, as well the formalization of decisions made by corporate governing bodies.
- Incorporation or formation of companies including administrative procedures with the applicable commercial registry, tax authorities, among others.
- Creation and registration domestic and international companies’ branches, agencies and commercial establishments.
- Structuring and negotiations of transactions between shareholders, investors, entities and others.
- Business structuring, choice of investment vehicles and agreements both domestic and international, including the applicable foreign exchange matters.
- Dispute resolution between shareholders and administrators’ liability matters.
- Structuring, drafting, negotiation and execution of all types of civil and/or commercial contracts, such as purchase and sale, lease, distribution, procurement, and agency agreements, as well as MLM, joint ventures, among many others, including non-binding preparatory works related agreements.
- Advice on day-to-day commercial, civil and foreign exchange matters.
Banking and Capital Markets
We advise domestic and international companies, financers and investors in corporate or project financing transactions (Project Finance), domestic and international, as well as in securities market operations.
We have experience in structuring the active credit operations of companies supervised and not supervised by the Financial Superintendence of Colombia, and in regulatory matters and procedures before said superintendence.
Attorney:
Nicolás Fernández de Soto
Services
- Structuring, preparation and negotiation of domestic and international financing transactions.
- Structuring, preparation and negotiation of Project Finance transactions.
- Structuring and registration of guarantees and payment source mechanisms.
- Advice on financial regulation and the securities market
- Structuring and preparation of securities market operations such as public offerings, registration of companies in the National Registry of Securities and Issuers (“NRSI”) and requests for authorization of public offering.
- Opening and operation of representation and negotiation offices and preparation of correspondent contracts.
- Advice on procedures for the acquisition, constitution or conversion of entities supervised by the Financial Superintendence of Colombia.
- The team has the knowledge and experience to deal with foreign exchange issues derived from financing or foreign investment operations. The firm oversees exchange declarations and investment records or information on operations that may arise.
Trusts and other Investment Vehicles
We have extensive experience in structuring trust vehicles and investment funds for different purposes, which allows us to provide reliable and excellent quality advice that meets the needs of clients.
Attorney:
María Fernanda Arango
Services
- Structuring, constitution, operation, execution and liquidation of investment trust vehicles, administration and payments, administration of securitization processes, portfolio administration, guarantee trust and payment source, among others.
- Structuring, constitution, preparation of the information prospectus and investment regulations, operation and committees, Commissioning, merger, assignment and liquidation of collective investment vehicles among which are families of real estate funds and private equity funds, including the authorization procedure by the competent authority.
- Advice to management companies in the daily operation of investment vehicles, as well as in the operation of the fund’s assemblies and bodies and the relationships with the entities that monitor or supervise their operation.
Infrastructure and Project Finance
In infrastructure and investment projects, we advise on the legal structuring of the financial closing, articulating different financing mechanisms and we provide advice on public and private contracting processes.
Attorneys:
Services
- Processing of licenses to start and operate projects in Colombia.
- Analysis and negotiation of current contracts and licenses.
- Advisory and representation within the bidding processes with the State, which includes the review and study of the specifications of the project, legal support in the drafting of the offer and legal assistance throughout the process
- Advice to public entities, in the structuring and preparation of the specifications and advisory throughout the process.
Energy and Natural Resources
We advise national and foreign clients in the oil, mining and energy sectors.
Attorneys:
Services
- Structuring of investment vehicles belonging to the sector.
- Advice on environmental licensing and authorization to acquire E&P contracts and mining titles.
- Preparation and negotiation of assignments of interests in mining and oil concessions.
- Mergers and acquisitions of the sector.
- Contracting of services, negotiation of land and easements, sale of assets, tenders and tenders with Ecopetrol and other operators.
- Contracts for exploration, development and production of fields and mines, transportation, storage and export of hydrocarbons and minerals.
- Structuring of electricity generation and self-generation projects through any source or technology, and with respect to non-conventional sources of renewable energy, the consequent application of the fiscal incentives provided in Colombia for these projects.
- Advice to companies in regulatory matters and in the negotiation and signing of contracts in the Colombian electricity sector.
- Advising on energy efficiency projects, response to demand and other mechanisms provided for in Colombian regulations on efficient use of energy resources.
Intellectual Property and Copyright
Our team protects all intangible assets of our clients.
Attorneys:
Services
- Procedures for registration, renewals and affectations (use licenses, assignments, name changes) of trademarks and other distinctive signs.
- Structuring and establishment of franchise schemes, and negotiation of related agreements.
- Litigation and protection of Industrial Property.
- Structuring of copyright exploitation schemes.
Real Estate Law
Our team has experience in structuring operations of diverse nature and investment projects that involve the acquisition or disposal of real estate.
Attorneys:
Services
- Structuring of real estate projects through trust vehicles, collective investment funds and securitization schemes.
- Preparation and negotiation of contracts for operations that involve the tradition, encumbrance and limitation of the right of ownership of real estate, as well as concessions and use of public real estate.
- Due diligence studies, study and reorganization of titles, land use, land use planning plans, delimitation, material division and horizontal property regime, among others.
- Structuring of hotel projects.
Not-for-profit and Social Purpose Entities
We support the country’s solidarity sector and the sustainability of companies.
Attorney:
María Claudia Armenta
Services
- Advice on the constitution, operation, administration and liquidation of non-profit entities and the solidarity sector.
- Advice on the administration of public and private, national and international resources.
- Inter-institutional and national and international cooperation agreements.
- Legal analysis of corporate social responsibility projects.
Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Protection
Our team advises our clients to generate value in an environment of free and fair competition, ensuring the free choice of consumers.
Attorney:
Victor Ayalde
Services
- Analysis of distribution schemes, structuring of new products and market development strategies.
- Review of marketing strategies, compliance with the parameters of false advertisement, consumer information duties and product labeling requirements.
- Structuring of electronic commerce and electronic contracting projects.
- Compliance programs, training and management of contractual and sector risks.
- Merger Control and analysis of collaboration agreements between competitors.
- Representation in administrative investigations and advisory in leniency program.
- Unfair competition actions.
- Class actions.
- Analysis of industry economic regulation and representation in the said processes before authorities.
Technology Media and Telecommunications
Our team advises our clients on the online and digital models of their businesses.
Likewise, he represents and advises companies in the telecommunications infrastructure industry regarding compliance with the regulatory standards.
Attorney:
Victor Ayalde
Services
- Structuring of electronic contracting and electronic commerce schemes, B2B and B2C.
- Analysis of governance models of information and personal data.
- Structuring of personal data processing programs, including privacy impact analysis and personal data processing policies.
- Representation in orders and investigations by the personal data protection authority.
- Contracts for technology and transfer of information and personal data.
- Analysis of compliance with regulation standards for telecommunications networks and services.
- Representation in regulatory processes before the Communications Regulation Commission.
- Obtaining permits to provide telecommunications services and satellite capacity providers.
- Representation before the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications in administrative processes.