Law Firm of the Year: Mexico - Ritch Mueller
January 17, 2018 | Toni Baini
Ritch Mueller’s legal advice was noted across many of Mexico’s most important deals in 2017
Mexico
In a year when Mexico’s equity, bond, loan, and infrastructure markets all saw healthy activity, Ritch Mueller participated in deals across the spectrum of asset classes.
In the equity markets, Ritch Mueller provided counsel to the lead underwriters Credit Suisse and Citibanamex on the $650 million IPO of Vista Oil & Gas, the first special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, to go public in Latin America.
In Becle’s 18.6 billion-peso ($966 million) IPO, one of Latin America’s largest initial offerings of the year, Ritch Mueller advised the underwriters JPMorgan, Santander and GBM in addition to the initial purchasers Morgan Stanley.
In the secondary equity markets, Ritch Mueller participated in Gruma’s 3.3 billion-peso purchase of Gimsa’s outstanding stock and in Cemex’s $166 million sale of shares in Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua.
In the debt capital markets, Ritch Mueller counseled Goldman Sachs on Mexico’s $1.8 billion 4.6% 2048 bond offering and was involved in the Unifin’s high-yield offering of $450m in 2025 notes.
It also represented Mexico Infrastructure Partners in the reopening of the public offer of CKDs, equity structures friendly to the nation’s pension funds, helping raise more than 7 billion pesos in total commitments for the firm’s second private equity infrastructure fund.
In midstream, it advised the lenders for Fermaca’s La Laguna and Occidente pipelines, which exceeded $1 billion in total financing. It also participated Fisterra Energy’s $600 million financing for the Terra Mojada thermoelectric plant, as well as renewable power and toll road projects.
The firm continues to be very active in areas related to cross-border acquisition loans, real estate, and structured finance products such as asset-backed securities and derivatives, says partner Pablo Perezalonso.
In 2017, Ritch Mueller expanded into a new area of practice by bringing in two partners and 10 new associates specializing in tax advisory. This year, the firm intends to continue growing, both organically and by incorporating at least two partners. LF