Cultivating Business Across the Americas
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Parker Poe has extensive experience helping international companies expand their businesses in Latin America, as well as Latin American companies expand their businesses in the United States. Our history goes back to the early days of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), when we advised American companies on outbound investments in Mexico and Mexican companies on inbound investments in the U.S.
In the years since, our experience has extended across Central America and South America, including to Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Belize. We have advised a range of companies and have particular experience in textiles, petrochemicals, food processing, automotive, agribusiness, and other sectors of manufacturing, sales, and distribution.
Across the board, clients turn to us for our intimate understanding of Latin American and U.S. business culture, as well as our deep experience guiding companies through the full life cycle of foreign direct investment. We have developed an extensive network of law firms and professionals in the regions, and we know the pitfalls and the opportunities, enabling us to provide proactive counsel to help clients see three or four steps ahead with their U.S., Mexican, Central American, and South American projects. As a full-service law firm, we also can prevent clients from facing new language, technical, or cultural barriers as their legal needs evolve — our team provides continuity, experience, and longevity.
We have offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, DC. We provide legal and related consulting services in areas such as:
- Foreign Direct Investment and Entry Into the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America
- Site Selection and Business Expansion and Location Solutions
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Inbound and Outbound Cross-Border Transactions
- Commercial Contracts and Business Law
- Infrastructure and Renewable Energy
- Banking and Finance
- Corporate Structuring and Tax
- Employment and Employee Benefits
- Immigration and Visa
- Real Estate and Environmental
- Intellectual Property
- Regulatory and Government
- Risk Management
- Domestic and International Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
- International Trade and U.S. Customs
Supporting International Commerce
Parker Poe is a member of two leading international legal networks: TerraLex and the Employment Law Alliance. TerraLex and the ELA have chosen Parker Poe as a United States legal partner to help guide global clients through the challenges of global business.
Our team regularly participates in the SelectUSA Investment Summit, where we partner with international business leaders to advance their expansion goals in the U.S. In addition, we have personal connections with government, economic development, and business leaders in Latin America and the U.S.
We frequently visit current and potential clients in their home countries to discuss current and future opportunities within the Americas.
Personal Connections
In addition to other Parker Poe lawyers who actively support global business and our clients, the leaders of our Latin American team include:
- Hector Ibarra has a unique understanding of the U.S. and Latin American business and legal systems. He spent the first half of his career in Mexico, where he served as assistant general counsel for the Mexican Federal Senate and oversaw all procurement and commercial contracts. He has also been director of legal services for the General Bureau of Standards in Mexico City, handling legal, compliance, and enforcement functions. Hector has spent the second half of his career based in the U.S., supporting companies on outbound and inbound business across Mexico, Central America, and South America. He is a native Spanish speaker.
- Dom Lerario currently serves on the leadership council of the North Carolina Bar Association's International Practice Section and has extensive travel and work experience in Latin America, living at times in Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. He focuses his practice on international business, economic development, and mergers and acquisitions. He is fluent in Spanish and worked as a high school Spanish teacher in Cumberland County, North Carolina prior to attending law school.
- Miguel Manna is a native of Venezuela who has experienced the benefits of immigration firsthand. From an early age, he traveled the world, living at times in Panama and Ecuador before settling in the U.S. Today he provides strategic immigration solutions to clients of all sizes and across a wide variety of industries. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He is a native Spanish speaker.
Guide to Doing Business in the U.S.
Our firm offers a detailed guide that highlights some of the legal aspects of entering and doing business in the U.S., including a Spanish-language version. To receive that guide and to learn more about how we support Latin American commerce at the business level, the policy level, and the personal level, please contact the leaders of our Latin American team on the left side of this page.