Mexico

Founded in 1947, Santamarina and Steta provides experience and strength in the legal field backed by a deep knowledge of the business environment and an extensive practice in a great variety of domestic and international matters. The Firm offers tradition and comprehensive practice in practically all areas of law related to business activities and industries. It represents individuals, businesses and organizations with influence in the private and public sectors, and provides solutions in complex cases and transactions, with creativity and efficiency, while preventing conflicts and potential contingencies.

Client service and client relationships are identified by fundamental premises of KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE, COMMITMENT, COST-EFFICIENCY, CLOSE COLLABORATION, ADDED VALUE.

More than 1,000 active clients permanently rely on the Firm’s service to face business challenges. Some of them have been with Santamarina and Steta for over 60 years, a result of continuous development and expertise to cover several sectors of the productive economy. The Firm’s partners have an extensive professional background and between 15 and 45 years of experience within Santamarina y Steta. A significant number of members have complemented their formation at international law firms and universities abroad.

Santamarina y Steta is the exclusive Mexican member of various international alliances with other premier law firms, allowing it to offer a solid network without borders, and is among the few Mexican law firms with broad experience in representing aviation industry clients. Coupled with our expertise in other areas of practice, this experience allows us to offer a broad range of services to businesses engaged in the aviation and airport industries. For many years, we have represented airlines, aircraft financiers, lessors, lessees, trustees, mortgagees, and practically all other participants in the aviation industry, involving aircraft used in commercial or private air transport. Our role includes assistance in:

• compliance with aviation regulation;
• negotiating and documenting the financing for commercial and corporate aircraft;
• preparing, negotiating, and closing on financing packages, including operating and finance leases, secured loans, sale and leasebacks, securitization, and other finance structures, as well as providing ancillary documents required to comply with international law and practice; and
• registering relevant documentation with Mexican aviation authorities, as well as following-up on any related proceeding.

Santamarina y Steta has been involved in the development of the Mexican airport industry. We acted as counsel to the federal government in the privatization of the Mexican airport system. The privatization process included granting to operating companies concessions at more than thirty of the airports that Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares operated in Mexico, as well as the subsequent sale to strategic partners of a minority interest through public bidding processes. We actively participated in the initial public offering in Mexican and international markets of one of the airport groups. This was the first public offering of an airport company in Latin America and New York. The Firm also participated in designing the structure through which experts currently provide technical assistance to private airports in Mexico. More recently, Santamarina y Steta participated as counselor to the Mexico City International Airport as sponsor in the financing of airport infrastructure projects: the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of a new passenger terminal and related facilities, such as new taxiways for airplanes, new commercial space, waiting rooms, airline counters, a customs system, airline boarding gates, a hotel, a 3,000-space parking lot, access roads, and automated inter-terminal transportation.

For more information please visit: www.s-s.mx