Mayora & Mayora, S.C. is a leading law firm in Central America that has existed for more than five decades with offices in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The firm has a team of over 35 lawyers to assist clients in a wide-spectrum of legal matters.
The Firm believes in a client-centric approach, assigning specialists to each matter so that the client receives the best possible solution. Most recently, the Firm was chosen by IFLR 1000, a leading ranking agency for the legal industry, as “Most Innovative Law Firm in Guatemala” and Dr. Eduardo A. Mayora was recognized as a “Thought Leader” for Guatemala in the Banking and Finance and Corporate and M&A practice areas, where only 20% of lawyers are ranked in Latin America.
Representative Clients: Avianca; Banco Industrial; Bolsa de Valores Nacional de Guatemala; Cementos Progreso; Chevron; Citibank; Cofiño Stahl; Crowley; DIAGEO; Energuate; First Cash Financial; Fresenius Medical Care; Gas Natural Fenosa; GBM (an IBM alliance company); Ingenio Palo Gordo; Interjet; International Finance Corporation; JP Morgan; Monsanto Company; Marriott International, Inc.; Obrascon Huarte Lain; Pasmo de Guatemala; Payless Shoe Source; Philip Morris; Productos Roche; Santander Sugar; The Kellogg Company; UFINET.
Among our team, there are several lawyers capable of providing their services in more than one language including English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
In addition to proudly being Guatemala’s Lex Mundi member, the Firm belongs to other well-known associations such as the International Bar Association, Lataxnet/WTS, Euro Latam Lex and the International Fiscal Association.
Banking and Finance
The Firm boasts Claudia Pereira and Maria Fernanda Morales Pellecer on its roster, who have both been recognized as some of the area’s most sought-after lawyers in banking and finance. The Firm handles all areas of bank and finance law including loan financing (secured and syndicated), insurance and reinsurance, financial transactions and guaranties, structured finance, project finance, and financial regulation. It represents some of the largest financial institutions such as, Banco Industrial, Citibank, and JP Morgan Chase. For years, the Firm and its lawyers have been recognized by LACCA, Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000, The Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal for this practice area.
Civil Law
The Firm handles all types of cases dealing with contract law, torts, estates & trusts and real estate.
Commercial and Securities Law
The Firm deals with commercial contracts, unfair competition, and other commercial matters. Further, Mayora & Mayora advises clients on law pertaining to investment funds, securities, and derivatives. It also assists investment firms to structure and license their operations, and has been outside counsel for the national securities exchange in Guatemala since its creation.
Corporate
The Firm is renowned as one of the best corporate firms in the region. It provides legal services for a variety of corporate matters, including but not limited to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate governance, and corporate restructurings. For years, the Firm and its lawyers have been ranked highly by LACCA, Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000, The Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal for this practice area.
Energy and Telecommunications
The Firm has one of the most renowned lawyers in this area of practice on our team—Rafael Briz. He has been ranked as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, the latter of which the Firm stands alone in the highest tier for this practice area. The Firm takes care of all the legal aspects in this area, including representing some of the region’s largest energy and telecommunications providers and servicers. For example, our Firm was integral in the privatization of the national telecommunications providers and electricity distributors in Guatemala.
Government Contracts and Administrative Law
The Firm is constantly handling national and international clients’ bids for government contracts, including some of the largest government jobs solicited. The Firm also deals with many administrative cases in front of different ministries and their counterparts, such as permits for fuel storage, navigation of the importer and exporter codes, health licenses, and food and pharmaceutical product registrations. The Firm has also handled many crucial cases for the infrastructure and transport industries including opening airline routes and the building of infrastructure.
Intellectual Property
This practice area is exclusively handled by our sister firm, Mayora IP, S.A. They specialize in the registration and protection of marks, patents, and other intellectual property rights. The lawyers at Mayora IP negotiate licensing agreements and protect clients when those agreements are breached. Mayora IP is a member of the International Trademark Association. Additionally, it is complemented by Mayora Domains, which has focused its services on domain name registration, management, and recovery of the client’s domain name.
Labor and Immigration
The Firm practices frequently in labor related matters including but not limited to, drafting and reviewing labor contracts, applying for labor permits, filing documents with the labor authorities, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and preparing internal procedure manuals. The Firm also provides immigration legal services such as filing temporary and permanent resident applications and applying for work permits for foreigners.
Litigation and Arbitration
The Firm is responsible for some of the most important commercial suits and arbitrations in the region in this practice area led by partner, Paola Galich. The team has had experience in both litigating in national courts, as well as arbitrating here and abroad. Our lawyers can be seen in all levels of the national judiciary, defending clients in the Constitutional Supreme Court, as well as in the lower-level trial and appellate courts. We are well-versed in the arbitral rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), among others. Partner, Rafael Briz, is the number one ranked lawyer for Guatemala in Arbitration by LACCA.
Taxation and Trade
The Firm is renowned for its tax work in planning, negotiating with the authorities, and representing clients in front of the tax authorities and courts. Many of our lawyers have had specialized training in tax or have worked for the national tax authority in the past. In addition to our general experience in tax planning and tax litigation, Eduardo A. Mayora was a member of the Board of Directors of the national tax authority from 1998 until 2000. The Firm and lawyers, Eduardo A. Mayora and Juan Carlos Casellas, have been top-ranked by The Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, and IFLR1000 for years in this practice area. Also, the Firm has much experience in trade regulation and international trade matters.
