Baker McKenzie Abogados, S.C.'s Guadalajara office forms an integral part of the international firm’s Mexican network, which is complemented by offices in Mexico City, Monterrey, Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. The sizeable group routinely advises domestic and multinational clients on a broad range of legal matters, among them corporate law and M&A transactions, international trade, dispute resolution, labour and employment, IP, real estate and projects and infrastructure. Fabián Monsalve, founder of the Guadalajara office and local managing partner since 2018, is the group’s key contact – he specialises in real estate, construction, foreign investment, corporate and M&A and banking and finance. Also noted are David Márquez Lechuga, who heads up the office's dispute resolution practice and focuses on civil, commercial and administrative litigation; María José Casillas (advisory and contentious labour and employment matters, social security, business immigration); and Juan Carlos Guerra Gascon (real estate, mining, agrarian, infrastructure and project finance transactions). Roberto Macías (M&A, corporate reorganisations, contractual law and matters of foreign investment); Fabián Navares (commercial law, foreign trade and customs matters, tax and litigation); Verónica Rejón and Daniel Sánchez Elizondo (international trade and customs); and Daniel Villanueva (IP, data privacy, and cybersecurity matters) complete the group of partners. The key names to note at associate level are Emilio González Guzmán (dispute resolution, public law, real estate finance); Martha Mayorga and Karina Fajardo (labour and employment); Alejandra Muriel Vizcaino (banking and finance, real estate, projects and infrastructure); and Ramón Campos (tax).

Representing domestic and international clients in civil, commercial, bankruptcy and administrative litigation, specialist litigation boutique Corona & Nepote, S.C. has notable strength in contractual disputes, shareholder conflicts and liability claims. The firm, which maintains offices in both Mexico City and Guadalajara, was co-founded by seasoned litigators Juan Manuel Corona Urquiza and Francisco José Rodríguez Nepote. Rodríguez Nepote is the group’s key contact in Guadalajara and draws on extensive experience representing clients in bankruptcy, antitrust, tort and real estate-related litigation, as well as commercial arbitration.

Guadalajara-based boutique Cosio Abogados focuses on IP, corporate and commercial law and litigation. The firm is routinely instructed by domestic and international clients in the tech and pharmaceutical segments. The group’s IP capabilities take in the filing, maintenance and prosecution of trademark portfolios and patents, as well as IP litigation. On the corporate law side, the team regularly advises on the drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts, M&A transactions and spin-offs. Founding partner Darío Cosío is the group’s key contact – he specialises in IP strategy, corporate law matters and commercial litigation.

Cuesta Campos y Asociados S.C., which in the words of one client ‘combines strong local expertise with an international mindset, making them a standout partner for cross-border legal matters in Mexico’, is a well-regarded player in the Guadalajara legal market. Also operating from offices in Mexico City and León, the Guadalajara office houses strong capabilities that span corporate and M&A, antitrust, international trade, IP, tax, real estate, labour and employment and dispute resolution. The firm advises on a wide range of transactional matters, including joint ventures, M&A transactions and corporate governance mandates. Its banking and finance practice regularly handles asset-backed lending transactions, syndicated loans and project financing mandates. The group also offers robust capabilities in tax structuring advice and representation in administrative disputes. On the real estate front, the team advises on lease, sale and purchase agreements, financings and development matters across all asset classes. Its labour practice supports clients with union negotiations, employment compliance and employer training programmes. Key contact Hugo Cuesta, who splits his time between Guadalajara and Mexico City, acts as firm CEO and focuses on corporate law and M&A transactions. Azucena Marín, who also divides her time between the two cities, handles advisory and transactional corporate work and antitrust matters. Additional notable contacts include foreign trade practice group lead Alejandro Martínez; real estate practice group head Berenice Soto; Jesús Bueno (corporate and real estate law); ‘outstanding’ principal Rafael Sánchez (corporate, international trade and tax); and fellow principal Gerardo Valencia, who directs the labour and employment practice group. Associates Sandra Chávez and Verónica Ortiz major on advisory and contentious labour and employment matters. All named lawyers are based in Guadalajara, unless otherwise specified.

HG Abogados, founded in 2021, is a well-regarded business law firm with offices in Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey and Ciudad Juárez. The firm is recognised for its expertise across a range of practice areas, among them administrative law, compliance, corporate law, wealth management, tax, real estate, labour law and business immigration. The group’s key contacts are founding partners Pedro José Godínez and Carlos Fernando Hernández. Godínez Hurtado serves as the director of the commercial law practice, focusing on civil, commercial and corporate law matters. Hernández leads the administrative law practice and also handles regulatory compliance mandates. Also noted are Miguel Alfonso Hernández (tax law); and Carlos Humberto Lira, who handles both advisory and contentious labour law matters. The key associate-level contacts are Diego Sánchez de Antuñano (corporate and commercial law); and Santiago Díaz Lizárraga (administrative law and regulatory compliance).

Founded in 2019 by Vicente Martínez and José Luis de Labra, Martínez y de Labra Abogados operates from offices in both Mexico City and Guadalajara, where the firm is headquartered. Core areas of expertise for the office include civil and commercial litigation, labour, corporate and contractual law, regulatory and administrative law, tax, compliance, and criminal and environmental law. In Guadalajara, the civil and commercial litigation department is led by Juan Pablo Brambila. Alejandra Martínez coordinates the corporate law and compliance group and has particular expertise in contractual matters. Julián Enrique Matute oversees regulatory, administrative and real estate matters; José Luis Díaz Badial leads the labour litigation team; and Mario Álvaro Figueroa spearheads the office’s criminal law capabilities. José Luis Díaz Castañeda (labour litigation and human resources matters); contracts and business law senior manager Lilia Fernanda Reyes; and M&A, trusts and IP group senior manager María José Méndez are also noted.

Palomino, Flores, Hernández & Rodríguez Abogados is a well-regarded litigation boutique with a strong presence in both Guadalajara and Mexico City. The group is particularly noted for its expertise in commercial and administrative litigation, as well as its robust capabilities in bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Clients from the real estate, financial services, tech and agribusiness segments regularly look to the team for support. Managing partner Luis Fernando Palomino is the group’s key contact and specialises in litigation, and financial restructuring and insolvency proceedings. Additional names to note include litigation specialists Óscar Javier Palomino, Jorge Miguel Rodríguez, Juan José Flores and Miguel Hernández. All mentioned partners split their time between Guadalajara and Mexico City, with the exception of Juan Antonio Ramírez who is based full-time in Guadalajara – he handles commercial, civil, bankruptcy and amparo litigation, real estate law and corporate restructurings. Associates Fernando Montero and Jesús José Sepúlveda support the partners across the gamut of contentious mandates.

Best known for its expertise in administrative law and tax litigation, Guadalajara-based Ramos Castillo Abogados has a strong focus on defending clients in complex commercial, tax, immigration and environmental disputes. Founding partner José Pablo Ramos Castillo leads the amparo, constitutional and administrative litigation practice group; his extensive experience in public law litigation positions him as a key figure in defending clients against governmental actions. Juan Carlos de Obeso heads up the firm’s tax litigation group and is well-versed in disputes involving tax credits, administrative proceedings and penalties. Focused on administrative and constitutional litigation, senior associate Edgar Adrián Moro has particular expertise in urban planning and energy-related matters.

Lauded for its ‘combination of technical expertise and exceptional availability to meet the needs of its clients’, Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster is a noted port of call for a broad range of business law mandates in Guadalajara (along with Mexico City and Monterrey, where it also maintains offices). The Guadalajara office is particularly renowned for its expertise across banking and finance, corporate and M&A, restructuring, labour and social security, project finance, real estate, arbitration and litigation. Within the corporate practice area, the group is adept at handling the setup of businesses, M&A transactions and corporate restructurings. The banking and finance practice deals with the structuring of cross-border loans and project finance transactions. The team is also noted for its strength in international trade, covering advice on import-export regulations, customs issues and trade agreements. The group’s key contacts are founding partners Diego Ramos, Alejandro Ripoll and Alejandro Schuster. Ramos specialises in commercial litigation, arbitration and banking and finance; Ripoll handles corporate and M&A, matters of foreign investment, infrastructure, public contracting and restructuring and insolvency; and Schuster focuses on civil, commercial and constitutional litigation. Additional partner-level contacts include corporate practice co-head Edmundo Elías (commercial and corporate law, customs and international trade, anti-corruption matters); Rodolfo Ramos (corporate, wealth management, real estate); Rubén Darío Gómez (commercial arbitration); and Emmanuel Ibarra (labour and social security). Also noted are of counsel Rafael Raya (IP, administrative law) and a deep bench of senior associates, comprising: Alan Francisco Barajas, José Eduardo González and Óscar Mauricio Angulo (dispute resolution); Daniel Torres Güémez (international trade and customs); Rafael Amador Espinosa (IP and privacy matters); Karla M. Peña (corporate, commercial, M&A and foreign investment); and Salvador Orozco (tax consulting).

Noted for its ‘long track record, specialised experience and good reputation’, Vazquez Aldana, Hernandez Gomez Asociados (VAHG) operates from offices in Guadalajara and Mexico City and provides ‘excellent client service’. The expertise of the Guadalajara group encompasses banking and finance, contract law, corporate and M&A, business immigration, labour, litigation and arbitration, IP, real estate and tax. In the banking and finance arena, the team specialises in assisting major financial institutions and institutional investors in Mexico with acquisition financings, structured financings, and the structuring and negotiation of loans. On the corporate side, corporate restructurings, joint ventures, strategic alliances and M&A transactions are core areas of expertise. IP constitutes a major area of focus – the group frequently handles trademark registrations, the registration of distinctive signs, franchise use licenses, copyright registration and patent registration. The practice has particular expertise in Appellations of Origin matters for the tequila industry. The key names to note are founding partners Felipe Ignacio Vázquez Aldana and Fernando Hernández Gómez. Vázquez Aldana has focused his practice on real estate, banking and finance and corporate law; Hernández Gómez, for his part, specialises in corporate and M&A, banking and finance and IP. Completing the group of partners are Cristina Vázquez Aldana and Ana Elena Ibargüengoitia (real estate transactions, corporate law); María Guadalupe Llamas (real estate, financings and corporate law); Elvia del Carmen Ríos (corporate and contractual law); Mariana González Sánchez (IP); and Ana Karen Inzunza (corporate and real estate). Senior associates Luis Andrés Estrada Intriago and Fernando Hernández de la Torre are also noted. All named lawyers split their time between Guadalajara and Mexico City.

VILA Abogados is a Guadalajara-headquartered boutique firm with a strong emphasis on IP law. The team’s expertise spans the filing of patent applications, portfolio management and a wide range of contentious mandates, including litigation before administrative and federal courts, enforcements actions and domain name dispute resolution. Beyond IP, the group is also active in corporate and commercial law, administrative law and competition law. The firm, which also operates offices in Mexico City and La Paz (Baja California Sur), is routinely instructed by clients in the aeronautical, energy, pharmaceutical, tech and automotive sectors. Founding and managing partner Víctor M. Vila serves as the firm’s key contact and specialises in administrative, corporate and IP law. Alma Hinojosa, a key member of the administrative law practice, has particular experience advising on regulatory compliance and government procurement processes. César A. Ramírez leads on trade mark prosecution and enforcement, as well as advising on competition law matters. Thaís Béjar focuses on corporate and business law, while Citlali Carlos majors on trademark matters. Elías Ríos primarily handles IP litigation and antitrust consultation work.