a) At the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Faculty of Law (Ciudad Universitaria):
– Bachelor of Laws (2004), with Honors, Fundación UNAM Academic Excellence Scholar.
– Specialist Degree in Constitutional Law (2009), with Honors.
– Doctor of Laws (2018), with Honors.
b) At the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México:
– Diploma in European Integration Studies (2004).
– Specialist Degree in European Integration Studies with an emphasis on European Community Law (2010), European Commission Scholar, Project MEX/B7311/IB/97/0823.
c) At the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona:
– Master’s Degree in European Integration Studies (European Community Law Track) (2011), grade: Notable.
d) At the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Mexico Campus:
– Specialization in Energy and Environmental Policy (2014)
2. Professional Experience (General Description of Activities).
a) Zeind & Zeind, S.C. (Partner, July 2015-Present). Corporate legal services in a range of areas such as
corporate law, contracts, intellectual property, energy law, real estate law,
administrative law and urban planning law.
b) Secretaría de Desarrollo Agrario, Territorial y Urbano (Legal Advisor, November 2014-March 2016). Drafting of legal memoranda and collaboration and coordination agreements; legal advice to the heads of the Undersecretariat for Urban Development and Housing and to the head of the Unit for Institutional Liaison and International Affairs. Negotiation of legal documentation on urban development, urban mobility and housing. Active participation, as part of the Ministry’s team, in the discussion and drafting of the new Ley General de Asentamientos Humanos, Ordenamiento Territorial y Desarrollo Urbano.
c) Senado de la República (Legislative Advisor to Senator Arquímedes Oramas Vargas, April 2014-August 2015).
Active participation as advisor to Senator Arquímedes Oramas Vargas in the debates on the package of secondary legislation of the energy reform, drafting and coordinating various positions on key provisions of the energy reform laws, and taking part, as advisor, in various analysis panels on that reform. Drafting of technical memoranda on various bills to be debated by the full Senate.
General advice on legal and legislative matters. Preparation of various documents to be submitted to the Mexico-Ecuador Inter-Parliamentary Meeting held in Quito in September 2014.
real estate, real estate leases, shareholders’ agreements, financial leases, pledges and various other security agreements, professional services, commission, supply, among others, as well as project finance and infrastructure project contracts; incorporation of companies, drafting and negotiation of
bylaws, including those of sociedades anónimas and sociedades de responsabilidad limitada, and preparation of the related corporate documentation; drafting of technical memoranda on various matters handled by the firm; participation in due diligence processes of companies in the areas of corporate law, commercial
contracts and real estate law, among others; preparation and management of documentation for public procurement procedures with various government agencies and decentralized bodies.
e) Bufete Villalva, S.C. (Associate, March 2006-May 2013). Drafting and negotiation of civil and commercial contracts, including loans, current-account and simple credit facilities, distribution, manufacturing, joint ventures, donation, usufruct, sales of shares and partnership interests, professional services, employment,
gratuitous loans for use, commercial agency, mandate and trusts, among others; drafting of contracts securing real estate rights, such as usufruct, easements, leases and sale and purchase of real estate; incorporation of companies, drafting and negotiation of bylaws, including those of sociedades anónimas, sociedades de responsabilidad limitada, sociedades anónimas promotoras de inversión, sociedades civiles, asociaciones civiles and instituciones de asistencia privada, among others, and preparation of the related corporate documentation; due diligence processes in various areas, including real estate law; participation in the legal structuring of highway infrastructure projects; participation in the structuring of projects involving the development of renewable energy infrastructure aimed at the certification of emission reductions (carbon credits); participation in the legal structuring of various sports and entertainment infrastructure projects in the north, south and southeast of the country; preparation of legal documentation for auctions of rights to use spaces in sports stadiums, as well as legal documentation for sponsorship and for the lease and use of advertising spaces; preparation of legal
opinions and technical memoranda on various matters handled by the firm, as well as for clients to support decision-making. Supervision of various contentious administrative proceedings; participation in the preparation of investment prospectuses for projects developed by private parties;
trademark registration proceedings before the Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial; participation in internal corporate investigations at Mexican subsidiaries of foreign companies; direct dealings with federal, state and municipal authorities, and with clients and opposing counsel in Mexico and other countries.
f) Witker, Hernández y Asociados, Consultores en Comercio Internacional. (Attorney, January-December 2005) Preparation of legal documentation for proceedings before federal and local courts, as well as research and memoranda on unfair competition matters for various industry chambers and the Cámara de Diputados.
a) Faculty of Law, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, August 2016-Present. Full Professor of: Negotiable Instruments and Credit Transactions (distance learning); Commercial Companies (open university); and Banking and Securities Law, and Commercial Contracts (on-campus). Professor in the Diploma Program in Business Law (twice a year).
b) Faculty of Law, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. August 2004-June 2005. Teaching Assistant for: Foreign Trade Regime in Mexico. On-campus. Lead Professor: Dr. Laura Hernández Ramírez.
b) High School, Universidad Victoria. September 2005-June 2006. Lead Teacher of: Introduction to Social Sciences. On-campus.
c) Office of Student Affairs, Faculty of Law, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. January-December 2003 Tutor: Tutoring and mentoring of scholarship students of the National Higher Education Scholarship Program (PRONABES) and Fundación UNAM in subjects such as Introduction to Law and Foreign Trade Regime
in Mexico. Format: Tutoring.
a) “Concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility in Family Businesses”, Bufete Villalva, S.C., Port of Veracruz, April 18, 2007.
b) “Trends in Cross-Border Business under Current International Environment. The Latin-American Perspective”, The Law Firm Network’s Annual Conference, Mexico City, September 17, 2009.
c) “Structuring Clean Projects and Carbon Markets”, Inter-American Bar Association’s Annual Conference, Port of Veracruz, June 29, 2011.
d) “The Legal Productivity of Social Conflicts in Latin America”, 1st Latin American Congress of Graduate Students in Social Sciences, held at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), June 26, 2014.
e) “Energy Reform. Real Estate Aspects of the Ley de Hidrocarburos and the Ley de la Industria Eléctrica: Challenges and Prospects”. Casa de la Cultura Jurídica de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, Veracruz Office, Port of Veracruz, October 28, 2014.
f) “Energy Reform in Mexico: The Role of Lawyers in Protecting Property Rights during its Implementation”. 53rd Annual Conference of the Inter-American Bar Association, Panama City, June 28, 2017
5. Events, Congresses, Academic Awards and Research.
a) Academic Coordinator of the Professional Program of the 47th Annual Conference of the Inter-American Bar Association, held in the Port of Veracruz, Mexico, from June 29 to June 1, 2011.
b) First place in 2011 in the Best Legal Research Paper category awarded by the Inter-American Bar Association for the research paper entitled: “The Need for a Latin American Emissions Trading Scheme: The European Model as a Basis for its Creation”.
c) Research:
Bachelor’s Thesis (UNAM): Legal Analysis of the Differentiated Collection of Foreign Trade Import Taxes in Mexico. Specialist Degree Thesis (UNAM): Legal Analysis of the Power of the Cámara de Diputados of the Congreso de la Unión to Amend the Federal Expenditure Budget.
Specialist Degree Thesis (ITAM): The European Emissions Trading Scheme: A Model for Latin America.
Specialization Intervention Project (FLACSO): Proposed amendment to the LFRA and the LGEEPA to create the legal conditions for mandatory environmental liability insurance suitable for covering the risk created by high-risk industrial activities in Mexico.
Doctoral Dissertation (UNAM): Energy reform in Mexico: Real estate aspects contained in the Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Analysis and proposals.
6. Publications.
a) Agricultural Law in Mexico: Overview. Collective work, in English, published by Thomson Reuters and Association of Corporate Counsel, 2016 and 2017. Co-authored with Antonio Zeind. (URL: http://uk.practicallaw.com/4-626-1273 )
b) Agribusiness, First Edition (Mexico Chapter, 2017). Collective work in English, coordinated by Carol VandenHoek and Wendy Baker within the Getting The Deal Through series, published by Law Business Research -London-, 2016. ISSN 2398-5895, pp. 68-74. Co-authored with Antonio Zeind
c) Agribusiness, Second Edition (Mexico Chapter, 2018). Collective work in English, coordinated by Carol VandenHoek and Wendy Baker within the Getting The Deal Through series, published by Law Business Research – London-, 2017. ISSN 2398-5895, pp. 65-71. Co-authored with Antonio Zeind.
a) Agribusiness, Third Edition (Mexico Chapter, 2019). Collective work in English, coordinated by Carol VandenHoek and Wendy Baker within the Getting The Deal Through series, published by Law Business Research -London-, 2018. ISBN 978-1-912377-47-3, pp. 62-68. Co-authored with Antonio Zeind.
7. Languages.
a) English (Advanced).
b) Italian (Advanced).
c) French (Basic).
d) Spanish, Native Language.
a) Fondo Unido, I.A.P, (Affiliated with United Way International).
– Former Secretary of the Board of Trustees.
– Former Member of the Audit and Legal Affairs Committee.
– Former Member of the Legal Affairs Committee.
c) Fundación Alianza por la Salud en México, A.C.
– Secretary of the Board of Directors.
9. Memberships.
a) Inter-American Bar Association, Washington, D.C.
– Senior Member.
– Former Vice President of the Young Lawyers and Law Students Section (2011-2013).
– Member of the Commercial, Banking, Securities and Business Advisory Law Committee (2011-Present)
b) Barra Mexicana Colegio de Abogados, A.C., Mexico
– Member.
10.Additional Information.
a) Observer at the Working Group on Insolvency Law of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), held in New York, USA, from April 15 to 19, 2013.
b) Secretary and committee member of various Mexican companies and organizations in both the private and social sectors.
c) Regular contributor to the online magazine Revista Electrónica Kya! (Cultural Outreach).
d) Regular contributor to the program “Juzgue Usted” on Canal ADN40.