Spanish law firm J&A Garrigues has hired an equity party to head its infrastructure practice in Colombia, a country with one of the most ambitious agendas in Latin America for energy and other projects.

Adriana Espinosa joins from Colombian firm Arrieta Mantilla & Asociados, where she coordinated the infrastructure practice as a partner. With the incorporation, Garrigues' office in Bogotá will have seven partners and more than 50 professionals covering the main areas of business law.

Javier Ybáñez, coordinator of the Latin American practice, said Espinosa's hire "reflects the firm's commitment to continue bolstering its team with the best professionals." Last summer, the firm hired Mario Ybar, former acting national economic prosecutor for the Chilean antitrust authority, to head its antitrust practice in Chile.

Garrigues says infrastructure is a strategic area for its clients in Colombia and Latin America, with the firm having participated in such major projects as the legal structuring of the Bogotá metro system. Garrigues operates in 13 markets across Europe and Latin America.

Espinosa has more than 15 years of experience as a lawyer. According to Garrigues, she is well-known in the Colombian market for her advice to companies and government on the structuring and execution of large projects.

Espinosa said she was attracted to the prospect of joining an international law firm with a "lengthy and significant track record and which has become a benchmark in the Colombian market in such a short space of time."

Her appointment as an equity partner will be submitted to the next Garrigues partners' meeting.

Bogotá was the second office that Garrigues opened in Latin America, after establishing roots in São Paulo nearly a decade ago. Garrigues is a fully integrated international law firm that has been present in Latin America for more than 40 years through alliances with various firms in the region.

Colombia is seen as a bright spot for infrastructure work in Latin America as protests and rising nationalism curtail private sector investment elsewhere in the region.

Lawyers say Colombia has the political will to attract greater private sector investment that could potentially reduce energy prices. The country depends heavily on hydroelectric power, which means prices rise significantly as generators turn toward older, more expensive fossil fuel facilities during the country's dry season.

|

Read More:

Garrigues Hires Former Antitrust Regulator in Chile