Simpson Thacher & Bartlett announced Juan Francisco Méndez as the new co-head of its Latin America practice. The regional leadership team also includes Grenfel Calheiros, who has led the firm’s São Paulo office for over a decade and has been co-head of the Latin America practice since last year.
While they will share responsibility for the region as a whole and the team will operate in an integrated manner, Juan Francisco’s experience in Spanish-speaking countries, including Argentina, the Andean countries, and Mexico, complements Grenfel’s practice in Brazil and neighboring countries. Together, they will oversee a team of seven partners and 35 lawyers who advise on transactions and dispute resolution in Latin America, and will work to further strengthen Simpson Thacher’s reputation as a leading international firm in the region.
“Juan Francisco has a long and successful track record, including some of the most important mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions in Latin America,” said Alden Millard, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Simpson Thacher.
He added that “his proven leadership and deep knowledge of the region make him the ideal person to co-lead our Latin American practice alongside Grenfel Calheiros. We believe that this pair of lawyers with extensive experience at Simpson Thacher forms an exceptional team to lead our regional practice for the coming years.”
For his part, Juan Francisco stated, “It is an honor to lead our team alongside my partner and friend Grenfel. We are focused on building on the firm’s more than 100-year history in the region, offering our clients top-tier legal services and access to Simpson Thacher’s world-class attorneys and resources.”
“Our strength in Latin America lies in our team of professionals, our clients, and our geographic reach,” Grenfel stated. “I look forward to working with Juan Francisco, as together we will strive to ensure the best possible representation for our clients in cross-border transactions and litigation in the region,” he added.
Meanwhile, Todd Crider, who has led the Latin American practice for the past decade, will continue as a partner in the group, managing relationships with key private equity and corporate clients in the region. He commented, “This is a planned transition that we believe will revitalize and strengthen our leadership team, while I remain committed to representing our clients in the region.”
More from Juan Francisco Méndez
She advises on cross-border transactions throughout Latin America, representing leading companies and investment banks in IPOs, bond and loan financings, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and other complex situations. She joined Simpson Thacher in New York in 1999, fresh out of law school.
Since then, he has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the region for many years by publications such as Chambers, Legal 500, IFLR, Latin Lawyer and the Latin American Association of Corporate Lawyers (LACCA), among others.
