Shearman & Sterling’s prominence in Latin America is reflected in Latin Business Chronicle’s 2014 list of “Latin Legal Stars,” which includes three of the firm’s partners. Partners Robert Ellison (São Paulo-Capital Markets), Antonia Stolper (New York-Capital Markets) and Cynthia Urda Kassis (New York-Project Development & Finance) are ranked among the 50 lawyers who have made the list of “some of the brightest legal minds operating in Latin American business today.”

One of the region's most significant business publications, Latin Business Chronicle selects the Latin Legal Stars based on a number of criteria, including involvement in recent prominent deals and transactions in Latin America, special focus on Latin America within their firm, a long history of excellence dealing with the region, importance of their law firm in Latin America, and rankings by third parties such as Chambers and Partners.

Here is more information about the three Latin Legal Stars:

Robert Ellison, who was named a Latin Legal Star in 2012, is Managing Partner of Shearman & Sterling’s São Paulo office, with a practice focused on financings for non-US companies and cross-border M&A transactions. He speaks English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Ellison, who joined Shearman & Sterling in 1994, was Managing Partner of the firm’s Rome office for six years, and practiced in the Paris office for seven years in addition to practicing in New York. He is ranked as a “leading lawyer” by both Chambers Guide to the Global Legal Profession and IFLR 1000 Americas—2012 Edition, and was listed as “first class” in Who’s Who Legal—Brazil 2010.

Antonia Stolper, named a Latin Legal Star for the past three years, is head of Shearman & Sterling’s Capital Markets-Americas group and of the firm’s Latin America practice group. Stolper’s practice focuses primarily on corporate finance transactions in emerging markets. She has extensive registered public offering experience for foreign private issuers. Recently her practice has focused on debt and equity securities offerings for Latin American corporate and sovereign issuers, representing both underwriters and issuers, and on restructuring transactions, primarily in Latin America, representing issuers, dealer managers and creditors. In addition, she advises a number of Latin American issuers on their ongoing SEC reporting requirements, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and corporate governance matters. She has also advised the Climate Bonds Initiative pro bono on establishing standards for financing the transition to a low carbon economy, and is active in the Vance Center of the New York City Bar Association, promoting pro bono work by private lawyers in Latin America. Stolper is currently ranked Band 1 in Latin America-wide Capital Markets Chambers Latin America and Band 1 in Latin American Investment in Chambers Global.

Cynthia Urda Kassis, who also appears on the Latin Legal Stars list for the third straight year, is consistently ranked as one of the leading project finance lawyers by Chambers & Partners, IFLR 1000, Legal 500, Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers in Project Finance and The International Who’s Who of Project Finance Lawyers, of Banking Lawyers and of Mining Lawyers. She has been named “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer for her work on the historic Panama Canal expansion financing and the Quintero LNG project in Chile as well as “Projects/Energy Lawyer of the Year” by Chambers & Partners. She represents sponsors/borrowers and lenders in project, finance and joint venture transactions worldwide, with extensive experience in the energy, infrastructure, mining and general manufacturing industries, as well as in power and infrastructure restructurings.