Four Shearman & Sterling partners—Robert Ellison, Michael McGuinness, Antonia Stolper and Cynthia Urda Kassis—were recognized by Latin Business Chronicle as "Legal Stars" in the publication's list of Latin America's 30 leading attorneys from international law firms. No firm had a greater representation on the Latin Business Chronicle list, and the acknowledgment reflects the firm's decades of involvement and preeminence throughout the region.
According to Latin Business Chronicle, the selections were based on a number of criteria, "including involvement in recent prominent deals and transactions in Latin America, prominence of Latin America within their law firm, importance of their law firm in Latin America and rankings by third parties such as UK-based Chambers and Partners."
Ellison, who leads Shearman & Sterling's São Paulo office, was selected for his work on a number of noteworthy transactions and the firm's significant presence in Brazil. Ellison recently advised Brazil’s Renova Energia S.A. in its US$85 million initial public offering on BM&FBOVESPA, the São Paulo stock exchange; Hypermarcas S.A. in its US$692 million follow-on global equity offering; and Fleury S.A. in its initial public offering. Previously, Ellison was recognized for his role in advising: Banco Itaú and Unibanco on their merger, a transaction that created Latin America’s largest bank; VisaNet and its principal selling shareholders, Visa International, Banco do Brasil, Banco Bradesco and Banco Santander, in the US$4.3 billion (R$8.4 billion) initial public offering of VisaNet’s common shares; and the underwriters in the $8 billion SEC-registered global offering of shares by Santander Brazil.
McGuinness, a New York-based M&A partner, advised Industrias Romi SA, the Brazilian machine tools manufacturer, in its unsolicited offer to purchase US-listed company Hardinge Inc.; CSN, the Brazilian steel company, on US law aspects of its $5.6 billion offer to purchase Cimentos de Portugal, SGPS, SA; and JBS in its $2.8 billion acquisition of a majority stake and certain assets of Pilgrim's Pride through a US bankruptcy proceeding.
Stolper, who leads Shearman & Sterling's Latin America practice and is based in New York, has been a fixture on significant Latin America capital markets transactions for more than 20 years. She advised Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol on its New York Stock Exchange listing and other transactions and, recently, advised CABEI in its $500 million notes offering. In addition, she recently represented the underwriters in connection with several significant transactions: the reopening offering by the Republic of Peru of $1 billion in global bonds; the public offering of $500 million bonds of República Oriental del Uruguay; and on a Rule 144A/Regulation S private placement of investment grade notes by Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited.
The New York-based Urda Kassis leads the firm's project development & finance practice in the Americas. Active in many of the major project financing transactions in the region, Urda Kassis advised the Panama Canal Authority on the financing aspects of its $5.2 billion expansion program and on Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation, a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation and Goldcorp Inc. in the $1.035 billion project financing for the development of its gold/copper resource in the Dominican Republic -- the largest mining project in the country. She also advised the mandated lead arrangers in connection with the $1.1 billion historic project financing for GNL Quintero SA, a joint venture among ENAP, Endesa, Metrogas and BG, which is building, and will own and operate, a receiving, storage and regasification terminal for liquefied natural gas in Chile.
"We appreciate Latin Business Chronicle's recognition of the prominent role our firm has played and continues to play in major transactions throughout the region," Stolper said. "It is very gratifying for the four of us, and for all of our colleagues who work in the region, to know that the good work we've done on behalf of our clients has contributed to the continued development of the economic infrastructure in Latin America."