FIRM BRIEFINGS OTHER JURISDICTIONS Alfaro Ferrer & Ramirez
2012 Firm Overview Most active disciplines
Financial and corporate: Project finance Public: Regulatory
Key energy sector 2012 Oil and gas, Renewables, Traditional power
Key infrastructure sectors Ports and shipping, Roads
Key partners
Annette Bárcenas O, Enna Ferrer, Rodrigo Moreno Jr, Alfredo Ramírez Jr
Alfaro Ferrer & Ramirez’s (AFRA) energy and infrastructure practice specializes in contract procurement and regulatory aspects of contract implementation. Among the firm’s strengths is the ability to navigate the sometimes tricky and always strict public bidding process in Panama. One partner commented, “Bid specifications in Panama tend to be very strict on form, and failure to meet formal requirements, if not cured in time, could cause an offer to be rejected even if the sub- stance is compliant. Many international clients are surprised by this characteristic of the bidding process.” In a recent public bid to install the elevators for Panama City’s new
metro, AFRA represented Otis Elevator in its winning proposal. The tender was the second to take place after the first round was thrown out when participants, who included Otis Elevator, all failed to submit all the necessary and proper documentation the bid required. The deal, led by Annett Bárcenas, worth $21 million, closed in October 2012. The firm has advised banks on financing matters including Banco
Internacional de Costa Rica’s refinancing for a hydro-power plant in- volving a $500,000 revolving line of credit and an $18 million loan. Partners at the firm, though, say AFRA typically takes a more passive role in this area.
Galindo Arias & Lopez
2012 Firm Overview Most active disciplines
Disputes: Financial and Corporate, Public, Tax Financial and corporate: Banking, Commodities trading and energy derivatives, Equipment/asset finance, Investment funds, M&A, Private equity, Project finance, Competition, Construction, Employment, Environmental, Land, Projects, Regulatory Tax: Corporate tax, Indirect tax, Transfer pricing
Key energy sectors
Mining and metals, Oil and gas, Power networks and distribution, Renewables, Traditional power
Key infrastructure sectors Airports and aviation, Education, Healthcare, Ports and shipping, Rail, Roads, Water and sewage
Key partners
Diego de la Guardia, Tomás Herrera, Ramon Ricardo Arias, Salomon Behar, Diego Herrera, Cristina Lewis
This firm is prominent in Panama’s energy sector, with particular ex- perience acting as counsel for large-scale hydroelectric projects and ther- moelectric energy generation projects. A number of its most important recent and current deals are confidential. Diego Herrera, Tomás Herrera, Ramón Ricardo Arias, and Salomón
Behar are providing counsel to the Panama Canal Authority on $5.2 billion construction contracts for the third set of locks of the Panama Canal Expansion Project. The firm characterises this deal as one of the biggest construction projects undertaken in Panama since the building of the Panama Canal. Behar, Diego Herrera, and Edgar Herrera are advising Ocean Reef
Islands as developer of the first residential complex situated on mad- made islands in Latin America. The legal work involves project financ- ing, procurement, and extensive negotiation with contractors. Behar and Cristina Lewis are representing Desarrollos Hidroelectricos Cor- poration on a concession for and the construction of a hydroelectric project in San Andres.
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | LATIN AMERICA 2013 91
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