Clifford Chance

With three more Latin Finance deals of the year, Clifford Chance secures its place as Latin America's go-to law firm in 2014

Latin Finance magazine announced the recipients of its 2014 Deal of the Year awards at a special dinner in New York on January 15, and the results reinforce Clifford Chance's impressive track record advising clients on innovative and business-critical matters in Latin America. The Firm advised on three of this year's award-winning transactions, earning recognition for Sovereign Bond of the Year, Follow-on Equity Deal of the Year, and Cross-border M&A Deal of the Year.

These latest recognitions follow on the Firm's acknowledgement as advisor on four deals that received seven additional awards at the magazine's Infrastructure Awards ceremony held in September. With ten total awards, Clifford Chance has been involved in more of Latin Finance's award-winning deals over the past year than any other law firm.

For additional details on all of the Clifford Chance deals honored by Latin Finance in 2014, see below.

• $2bn Republic of Ecuador bond sale —Sovereign Bond of the Year

We advised Credit Suisse and Citigroup, as joint bookrunners, in the issuance of US$2 billion of its 7.95% Notes. We advised Credit Suisse and Citigroup, as joint bookrunners, in the issuance of US$2 billion of its 7.95% Notes. This was Ecuador's first return to the market after defaulting on US$3.2 billion worth of sovereign notes in 2008.

Lead lawyers: Partners Deborah Zandstra (London) and Jon Zonis (New York), with partners Simon James (London) and Avrohom Gelber (New York), associates Azam Taiyeb (London) and Thea Gausel (London), and trainee Joe Bao (London)

• $2.5bn Fibra Uno follow-on — Follow-On Equity Deal of the Year

We advised FIBRA Uno in connection with a US$2.5 billion equity offering of more than 800 million shares priced locally at 41 pesos each.

Lead lawyer: counsel Jake Farquharson (New York), with partners Rich Catalano (New York) and Mike Seaton (New York), counsel Rob Stone (New York), and associates Allein Sabel (New York) and Brandon Jang (New York)

• $5.85bn MMG acquisition of Las Bambas copper mine in Peru — Cross-Border M&A Deal of the Year

We advised a group of Chinese lenders, Industrial Commercial Bank of China, China Development Bank, Bank of China and Export-Import Bank of China, in providing US$7 billion to a Chinese mining consortium led by MMG to fund the acquisition of Peru’s Las Bambas copper mine from Glencore.

Lead lawyer: Partner Maggie Lo (Beijing), with counsel Chin Chuan Chen (Beijing) and consultant Paul Wee (Beijing), and associates Zhibin Fan (Beijing) and Vanessa Wu (Beijing), Hannah Cobbett (Paris) and Henry Yip (Frankfurt)

• Chaglla Hydroelectric Project — Best Infrastructure Financing: Andes; Best Renewable Energy Financing; and Best Power Financing

We advised IDB and a group of commercial banks in respect of the financing of the US$1.2 billion Chaglla hydroelectric project in Peru, which is being developed by Odebrecht.

Lead lawyer: Partner Fabricio Longhin (Washington, D.C.), with special legal consultant Martin Menski (Washington, D.C), and associates Alberto Haito (Washington, D.C) and Josh Press (Washington, D.C)

• Reventazón hydroelectric project IDB A/B bond financing — Best Infrastructure Financing: Central America

We advised IDB, IFC, a syndicate of Costa Rican Banks and BNP Paribas, as sole placement agent of the "B bond", in connection with the 305.5 MW Reventazón hydroelectric project in Costa Rica, which is sponsored by ICE, the state-owned utility.

Lead lawyers: Partners Fabricio Longhin (Washington, D.C) and Jon Zonis (New York), with special legal consultants Rosalía Román (Washington, D.C) and Martin Menski (Washington, D.C), and associate Josh Press (Washington, D.C)

• Offshore Drilling Holding 8.375% 2020 Bond —Best Infrastructure Financing: Mexico

We advised Offshore Drilling Holdings as issuer of US$950 million of senior notes due 2020 placed by Citibank, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Santander. ODH used the proceeds to repay two commercial bank project financing transactions and complete a liability management transaction for existing senior notes.

Lead lawyers: Partners Alex Camacho (New York), Jay Gavigan (New York) and Gary Brooks (New York), with partners Bert De Maeyer (Brussels), Avrohom Gelber (New York) and Andrew Hutchins (Hong Kong), counsel Per Chilstrom (New York), associates Wim Aerts (Brussels), Frédérique Davister (Luxembourg), Julia Journée (Luxembourg), Nari Na (New York), Franziska Stahlberg (Luxembourg) and Katherine Ward (New York), and trainee Daisy Cheung (Hong Kong).

• Sete International Financing — Best Oil/Gas Financing; Best Infrastructure Financing: Brazil

We advised Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, The Bank of Nova Scotia, Standard Chartered Bank, Banco Bradesco and Citibank in connection with a US$1.25 billion capital call facility for Sete International that will enable the local construction of 28 ultra deep-water drilling rigs which will be built in several Brazilian shipyards, and will be chartered to Brazil’s state energy company Petrobras.

Lead lawyer: Partner Jay Gavigan (New York), with associate Mirna Cardona (New York)