AREAS OF PRACTICE

ROBLES, LAZO, GALLARDO & VALDEZ has been involved in important business transactions, locally as well as internationally. The vast experience and the multi-disciplinary work among the different areas of practice of our Law Firm has represented an advantage for our clients in transactions that involve the acquisition of assets from other companies and/or mergers between entities from different countries, taking into consideration not only the local legal requirements, but also those of at the international level, with the participation of foreign counsel.

Our experience covers operations in practically all economic sectors, in national and foreign transactions. Our team of specialist is prepared to handle highly complex transactions, always looking for a structure that allows efficient, expedite and comprehensive responses.

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Our firm’s immigration practice primarily serves our international corporate clients with the counseling and obtainment of all immigration documents, visas or extensions required by any Mexican law or international treaty, for both themselves and their family members, as well as for their employees.

ROBLES, LAZO, GALLARDO & VALDEZ is the regional leader in the real estate arena, representing developers and construction companies in acquisitions, development and real estate financing in the industrial, residential, tourist, corporate, commercial and mixed use developments, as well as the negotiation and structuring of commercial and industrial leases.

Our Law Firm provides services involving the structuring and negotiation of real estate trusts (including those involving land located along the Mexican Restricted Zone), the incorporation of condominiums (simple, compound and master condominiums), trusts agreements for tourism developments, Time Sharing Regimes, subdivision of land, financing and administration of real estate projects, and the execution of the different urban actions contemplated in the Urban Development Laws, due diligence process involving real estate , including their environmental aspects, conversion of common land (ejido) into private property, land use (Opinions of Uses, Tracing and Specific Destinations and/or Compatibility Opinions), divided property, co ownership, procedures for marking boundaries, appraisals, subdivision and merger of properties, right of surface, among others.

A great number of our clients are foreign investors (either companies or individuals). We assist them in complying with the different provisions applicable to foreign investment in our country (certain sectors of the economy are banned to foreign investment or limited to a specific percentage of foreign investment), as well as for the establishment of their business or branch in Mexico and the negotiation of co-investments with other business entities.

We also provide services related to the compliance of obligations before the National Registrar of Foreign Investment.

Our Administrative Law experts, together with the aid of our other specialty areas are qualified to review any governmental regulation, which presently affects or may affect our clients’ operations, whether it be through the restriction of their right to act or through the obligatory fulfillment of an administrative requirement (license, permit, approval, concession, notice and registration). Furthermore, they verify that our clients’ activities comply with such regulations, and assist them with the obtainment and preservation of any of the abovementioned administrative requirements.

Our mission is to afford advice regarding any contract entered into with the government, whether it is a supply, lease or public services or works agreement. Counseling begins with the invitation or bidding call, and finalizes with the closing and payoff of such agreements. Similarly, we defend our clients’ interests from any irregularity, which may arise during such contracting procedures, both under a Mexican standpoint as well as under any commercial treaty subscribed by Mexico, which refers to governmental purchases.

Additionally, the litigation area of the Law Firm is involved in administrative litigation, which involves the preparation and filing of amparo lawsuits, nullity lawsuits, administrative remedies and other instances before the Federal Judicial Courts, Federal and Local Administrative Courts or other administrative authorities.

We have broad experience in advising our clients in the import and export processes, advising them on the programs and regimes available.

We offer legal advice in foreign trade, through the negotiation and obtainment of licenses and authorizations for undertaking investment projects, related to temporary imports of manufacturing companies; as well as registrations for export and import programs or “In-Bond Company” status, before competent Mexican authorities. In addition, we are capable of handling procedures involving disloyal practices, countervailing duties and antidumping measures, and other customs related matters.

We have extensive experience in defending our clients in matters related to dumping and rules of origin under broad scope of Free Trade Agreements and other international treaties executed by Mexico.

ROBLES, LAZO, GALLARDO & VALDEZ has developed a very extensive and significant practice in tourism development matters. Our participation in this area has involved aspects of specialized corporate practice (necessary for performing an adequate due diligence process) as well as the preparation and negotiation of contracts for the purchase and sale of shares of companies owning hotels or hotel assets.

Our Law Firm currently represents different groups of multi-national companies in the implementation of structures for the establishment and operation of tourism developments, vacation clubs, timesharing systems and fractional property. In these transactions our services include the acquisition of land located in tourist zones (mainly under trust structures) the preparation and review of construction agreements with third parties, the negotiation and review of documents in regards to financing for the construction, the preparation of condominium property regimes to divide units assigned to hotel operation and/or units assigned to time sharing or the division of property and the preparation of special regimes of use to be destined for timesharing or fractional property.

Our experience includes the representation before the Consumer Protection Agency in regards to the application of Official Mexican Norms relative to timesharing, as well as the follow up of the necessary procedures to obtain concessions in federal marine zones, whether by the application for new concessions or by the assignment of the existing concessions.

Our Law Firm has a solid litigation practice, with vast experience in civil, commercial, administrative, and constitutional litigation, both in local and federal level. Our firm’s close working relationship with several law firms located throughout Mexico and abroad allows us to coordinate our work and diligently accomplish each of our tasks. Furthermore, we are capable of assisting our clients in commercial arbitration, as well as any other alternate methods of dispute resolution

Given the corporate orientation of the Law Firm, our area of litigation is highly specialized in controversies which relate to corporate law. Additionally we represent our clients in litigations derived from the breach or nullity of contracts, as well as in debt issues (mortgage and executive procedures), Real Estate, Insurance and Bonds, intellectual and industrial property rights, among other areas of law.

The extensive experience of our litigation practice in matters related to corporate law, contractual law and law of corporations’ is translated into a peculiar advantage from other law firms; additionally our litigation team, in constant communication with other areas of the Law Firm provides an efficient vision of prevention of vital significance, which also makes us different.

In administrative issues we represent our clients in the attention of procedures and filing of remedies before the different administrative authorities, as well as the processing of nullity trials before the administrative and Amparo Courts, in areas such as Customs Law, Industrial Property, Urban development and administrative law in general.

In Civil matters, we are experienced in proceedings derived from contractual relationships in general, as well as in family matters, in divorce and succession proceedings, among others.

We are also experienced in international arbitration matters as an alternative means for the resolution of disputes, particularly in the ones of corporate origin.

The Law Firm offers a great variety of services in this area, to wit: obtaining and preserving rights relating to patents, trademarks, logos, tri-dimensional marks, utility models, trade names and ads, industrial models and designs, the renewal of registrations; declarations of use or exploitation.

We also participate in the negotiation and preparation of agreements that involve industrial property rights, such as assignments, licenses, franchises and pledges, as well as confidentiality agreements and protection of industrial secrets.

In copyright matters, the Law Firm provides counseling and services for the registration of works of art of any type, reservation of rights (periodic publications, fictional characters, music groups and advertising promotions); preparation, analysis and registration of all types of agreements related to copyrights.

The litigation area of the Law Firm is widely trained for the preparation and follow up of judicial lawsuits and administrative procedures of imitation, illegal use, unfair practices, falsifications, infringement and confusion, as well as nullity actions, or cancellation procedures against rights possessed illegally, including the claim for damages caused by the violator.

At ROBLES, LAZO, GALLARDO & VALDEZ, we have the experience and necessary knowledge to advise our clients in the preparation of their will and testament; we provide advise to help our clients determine the most adequate manner of transmitting estate, so that in advance and in and orderly manner they can decide, upon their death, how their assets and other rights should be distributed, whether by donations, by testament or by a trust, or through a combination the alternatives most favorable in each case.

The adequate disposition and transfer of a particular estate, that ensures the preservation of the business is essential, when involving real estate property, intellectual property and other family assets passing through generations. Our experience in the design of succession strategies that involve will and testaments, trusts and other contracts allows us to offer our clients tools to simplify their estate planning.

Protocol for Family Bussiness. The preservation of the family business for various generations, as generator of employments and wealth, requires an adequate planning as well as the establishment of a protocol with clear rules, that takes into account the complexity of the relationships between the family members in charge of leading the Company and the balance of powers in the decision making process, in such a manner that, without affecting the family relationships, all the parties involved can act in an environment of certainty in regards to the present and the future of their company.

We provide advice in contracting and claiming of insurance contracts for individuals (life insurance and health insurance) as well as damages, particularly in regards to civil liability insurance, transportation and other contingencies.

Additionally, we have experience in obtaining credit insurance policies for the assurance of the risk deriving form the lack of payment by the clients, as well as title insurance, fundamental instrument to give certainty in the acquisition of real estate property.

In matters related with bonds, we provide advice likewise in the contracting and claiming of fidelity bonds, for the case of theft or breach of trust by employees and officers, credit bonds, compliance of contracts, among others.

We advice our clients, in their capacity of suppliers in accordance with the Federal Consumer Protection Law, in the compliance of the different obligations relating to commercial information and advertising matters, promotions, offers and raffles, quality assurance and limited warranties, transactions with real estate property, operations through electronic means, among others.

Additionally, we have experience in the preparation and registration of adhesion agreements in compliance applicable law and the Official Mexican Norms.

We represent our clients in the filing and attention of claims before the Federal Consumer Protection Agency as well as the defense in verification visits and other administrative procedures, initiated by such Office.

We offer formalization, authentication and validation services through one of our partners who is a Notary Public as well as a Public Broker. Notary Public services are a fundamental part of our commitment to provide full services to our clients, considering that most transactions carried out within Mexico require some type of formalization before a Mexican Notary Public. Services provided only in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.