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mazaldivar@hhlaw.com

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Miguel A. Zaldivar, Jr.
Partner, Miami

Miguel Zaldivar concentrates his practice in project finance, privatizations, cross-border corporate and M&A transactions, and employment matters in Latin America with an emphasis on energy project development.

Miguel has ongoing experience and is fully familiar with the legal system, culture, and business practices of Latin America. As a result, he has the ability to advise U.S. and European multinational corporations in their business dealings in Latin America, combining his common law training and experience with his vast knowledge of civil law. He also advises Latin American state-owned companies in a wide variety of international matters.

Miguel has represented investors with respect to significant business interests in Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and other Central and South American nations, principally in the petrochemical, oil and gas, power, pharmaceutical, retail sale of goods, and transportation industries.

Miguel teaches the “Project Development and Finance in Latin America” course at the University of Miami School of Law, and was a professor of law at Universidad Católica and visiting professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Business Administration (IESA) in Venezuela from 1990 to 1996. He has been a frequent lecturer at legal seminars and has published articles involving Latin American legal matters. He was the founding President of the Venezuelan Fulbright Association.

Miguel comments on Latin American legal affairs in the national and international media and has made televised appearances on CNN En Español and Oppenheimer Presenta, broadcasted throughout the Americas. He is listed in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, ranked #1 in Corporate/M&A: Latin American Investment by Chambers USA in 2006, and was awarded the 2005 “Most Effective Lawyer” recognition by the Miami-Dade Daily Business Review for his M&A work in Latin America.

Representative Experience
Advises multinational clients on diverse forms of market penetration to the Latin American region, assisting in the evaluation and implementation of business strategies, mergers and acquisitions, formation of joint ventures, establishment of local operations, negotiation of concessions, corporate compliance, and in obtaining relevant operation permits and licenses.

Represents Latin American state-owned companies in the development of joint ventures or other structures for the expansion of their production facilities or development of new projects in the petrochemical, oil, gas, and energy sectors. Recent project experience includes:  representing Venezuela’s state-owned petrochemical company in the formation of joint-ventures with U.S., European and Asian investors to develop multiple petrochemical facilities; advising Mexican state-owned petrochemical company in the formation of a public-private partnership to develop an olefins and poly-olefins complex; and leading teams in the greenfield development of two power generation and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities by U.S. energy company in Latin America (including combined cycle power plants, ports, LNG-marine terminals, re-gasification facilities, and pipelines).

Advises multinational corporations and project companies throughout Latin America, as well as Latin American state-owned companies, in resolution of disputes through settlement negotiations, international arbitration, or litigation in local courts. Recent experience includes:  the representation of a Latin American based joint venture in an ICC arbitration proceeding and the negotiation and execution of a multimillion dollar settlement agreement involving U.S., European, and Latin American corporations; and providing strategic advice to Latin American state-owned companies with respect to pending procedures in U.S. courts.

Advises multinational corporations with respect to the employment law aspects of their operations in Latin America. Recent experience includes:  advising on issues related to employment of expatriates, implementation of employee benefit plans, and secondment arrangements in Latin America.

PRACTICES/INDUSTRIES
Project and International Finance
International Business Transactions
Latin America
Energy
International Litigation and Arbitration
AREAS OF FOCUS
  • Corporate Transactions and Employment Matters in Latin America
  • Project Development
  • Public-private Partnerships
EDUCATION
J.D., cum laude, University of Miami School of Law, 1995 LL.M., Fulbright Scholar, University of Illinois College of Law, 1988 LL.B., Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, 1986
MEMBERSHIPS
  • Board of Directors, Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, 1995-2004
AWARDS/RANKINGS
  • Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A: Latin American Investment, 2006-2008
  • The Best Lawyers in America, International Trade and Finance Law, 2006-2008; Project Finance Law, 2006-2008 
BAR ADMISSIONS District of Columbia Florida Venezuela
LANGUAGES Spanish English Italian