Profile

Becerra de la Roca Donoso & Asociados S.R.L. (BDA Abogados) is a law firm with a solid, modern, and up-to-date vision of the law, committed to provide excellence in legal services that satisfy the needs of its clients in an efficient, practical and personalised manner. The firm possesses the knowledge and experience, necessary to guarantee optimal decision making. Providing qualified legal counselling paired with high commitment and dedication, in order to handle complex legal and contractual issues with reliability, suitability, professionalism and responsibility. CLIENTS The firm provides or has provided legal assistance to the following representative companies: Ingenio Azucarero Guabirá S.A.; Guabirá Energía S.A. Total E&P Bolivie; Petrobras Bolivia S.A.; Ypfb Refinación S.A.; Ypfb Andina S.A.; Adm Sao S.A.; Opratel Bolivia S.R.L.; Lincoln Electric; Root Capital, Inc.; Caysi Ltda.; Inesco S.A.; Papa John’s International, Inc.

Practice areas

Corporate/Commercial: The firm represents clients in all aspects of corporate transactions ranging from inward investments by foreign investors and outward investment by Bolivian investors; incorporation of commercial and civil companies, associations, foundations, and other related aspects; mergers and acquisitions; corporate governance strategies; due diligence audits; planning and structuring of joint ventures and business ventures, shareholders agreements; governmental approvals and regulatory requirements; restructurings and spin-offs; general corporate representation for public and private corporations; corporate dispute resolution. Energy & Natural Resources: The firm represents and advises some of the biggest players in the field thanks to its extensive expertise on regulatory matters. The firm advises in planning, development, negotiation and implementation of alliance/relationship/partnership/reimbursable contracts; development, negotiation and close out of construction and engineering contracts for FEED, EPC, EPCM and EPSCC; development, negotiation and implementation of risk/reward and pain/gain share contracts and related commercial models for projects; Provision of project structuring and risk strategy advice for alignment of contracts with the commercial objectives and technical requirements for projects; grant of rights: concessions, authorisations, registrations, licenses, permits and easements; administrative appeals, petitions of revocation, contentious-administrative proceedings, constitutional appeals. Litigation, Dispute Resolution & Arbitration: The firm has been retained in international and domestic litigation disputes thanks to its wide network of partner firms. The firm represents clients before judicial courts in civil, commercial, tax and labour litigation; enforcement of foreign judgments and awards in Bolivia; participation in international and national arbitrations as arbitrators, counsel or expert witnesses; advising on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, including advising to debtors in court and out-of-court debt restructuring proceedings; recovery of debts. The firm’s lawyers are registered with the Supreme Court in Sucre and Dr Becerra de la Roca Donoso is listed as an arbitrator with CAINCO (Santa Cruz) and Cámara Nacional de Comercio (La Paz). Gas and Petroleum Agreements: The firm has substantial experience in petroleum fiscal regimes related to concessions, production sharing and services agreements between the Bolivian national oil company (YPFB) and international oil companies, as well as pecific contracts connected with energy sector, including joint operating agreements (JOAs), technical operation and delivery agreements. The firm lawyers have led and participated actively in negotiating and drafting complex commercial contracts, such as sale, transportation, interconnection, compression, etc., of oil and natural gas between YPFB and national and international oil companies (Petrobras Total, Repsol). Banking & Stock Market: The firm represents international and domestic clients in structuring secured and unsecured credit facilities; leasing transactions; trusts; real estate and agribusiness financing; debt restructuring; bank regulatory matters; due diligence of acquiring portfolios; structured receivable financing, asset purchase and sale programmes, commercial programmes; debt and equity securities offerings; securitisations. Intellectual Property: The firm has been retained by international clients for filing and prosecution of patents, utility models and industrial designs; filings and prosecution of trademark applications, oppositions, negotiating settlements and replying to official actions; trademark renewals, recording of licenses, changes of name and transfers of title; enforcement of patents, utility models and industrial designs, including preliminary injunctions and infringement suits INTERNATIONAL WORK: The international work of the firm handles a wide variety of issues ranging from day-to-day business transactions to complex dealings that require specialised and technical knowledge for which many of the members have a technical degree besides holding a law degree allowing the Firm to render a full range of legal services in the principal areas of the law.