Holland & Knight has hired a six-strong capital markets team from DLA Piper in Mexico City as the firm seeks to bolster its corporate offering in Mexico.

The incoming team is led by partner Xavier Mangino, who is joined by senior counsel Elena Ibarrola and associates Adolfo Obregon and Alejandro Briceño Suárez, along with two law clerks. Mangino’s practice focuses on advising large Mexican corporates and multinationals on debt and equity capital markets transactions, as well as foreign investment, M&A and other financing matters, including structured and leveraged finance.

Luis Rubio Barnetche, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Mexico City office, said: “Xavier is recognised and highly regarded by general counsel of Mexican public companies, as well as by Mexican regulatory authorities. His team will provide a strong complement to the securities work we currently perform for our clients, which includes both Mexico- and US-based legal work.”

Barnetche added that Mangino’s arrival is part of the firm’s “ongoing and targeted growth” of its Mexico City office.

Mangino spent more than three and a half years as a corporate partner at DLA Piper having previously spent roughly two decades as a partner at Diaz de Rivera y Mangino and six years at legacy firm Gutierrez, Diaz de Rivera y Torres, which he joined in 1992 as an associate.

Roberto Pupo, leader of Holland & Knight’s Latin America practice, said: “Their practice is very complementary to our existing cross-border capital markets and corporate finance practices. We also see opportunities for our new lawyers to collaborate with our New York-based capital markets practice, providing a full-service component that sets us apart from our competitors.”

Ibarrola has worked with Mangino for almost two decades, bringing with her extensive experience representing domestic and international debt and equity issuers and advising them on Mexican reporting laws and corporate governance.

Mangino said: “Holland & Knight offers a unique platform that will allow my team to easily work across offices and pursue business opportunities in both the US and in Latin America.”

Mangino’s arrival takes Holland & Knight’s Mexico partner tally to 13 across its three Mexico offices—two of which are in Mexico City, with a smaller outpost in Monterrey.

The team’s move to Holland & Knight follows partner Leslie Palma leaving the firm’s Mexico City last December along with six associates to join the labour and employment practice of US rival Greenberg Traurig. 

And in January, DLA Piper boosted its corporate, finance, litigation and tax offering in the Mexican capital with the arrival of a six-partner team from White & Case.