Skip to main content

Victor Manuel Frías focuses his practice on the representation of national and foreign companies doing business in Mexico. He has been recognized as one of Mexico’s leading lawyers in corporate and commercial law, primarily in mergers and acquisitions, and is currently co-coordinator of this practice for the Mexico City office.

Victor Manuel is an experienced attorney in corporate matters, drafting and negotiation of contracts, and regulatory issues of various kinds. In 2017, he closed the largest acquisition in Mexico for over $2.3 billion. As part of his career, he has represented buyers and sellers in a large number of acquisitions and joint venture projects, as well as advised clients on a wide range of corporate matters, including corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Mr. Frías has had significant transactional involvement in numerous industries, including health care, technology, retail, food and agriculture.

Victor Manuel is also co-coordinator of GT Mexico City’s antitrust practice and has been recognized for years as one of the most important lawyers in Mexico in this area. For almost 30 years he has represented clients in numerous investigations and merger notifications. Additionally, he has participated in numerous internal investigations on anti-corruption, antitrust, and data privacy issues, among others, and is co-coordinator of GT Mexico City’s compliance and regulatory affairs practice. Victor Manuel has been a university-level contracts professor for over 15 years.

As part of his international experience, he worked as a foreign associate in Washington, D.C., at one of the most important firms in competition matters in the world.

Victor Manuel is a founding partner and leader of the Pro bono practice in the Mexico City office.

Concentrations

  • Corporate
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Joint Ventures
  • Antitrust Filings
  • Antitrust Investigations
  • Compliance & Regulatory
  • Corporate Governance
  • Internal and Anti-Corruption Investigations
  • Pro Bono

Capabilities

Experience

  • Advised Mexican and foreign companies in several cartel and vertical restraints and merger control processes, and has published articles in this field.°
  • Represented one of the main hermetic compressors manufacturers in the investigation triggered by the Competition Commission into that market, including appeals before the newly created Federal specialized Circuit Courts in telecommunications and competition matters having to do with the interaction between the 1992 Competition Law and the 2013 amendment to the Mexican Constitution.°
  • Since the enactment of the 1992 Competition Law, has notified national and international mergers and concentrations before the Competition Commission, and has negotiated conditions to facilitate the approval of transactions resulting in high concentration indexes in different markets.°
  • Requested the triggering of investigations into different markets by the Competition Commission due to unjustified vertical restraints or cartel activities and represented clients in ex-officio investigations triggered by the Commission into the medicine, cement, travelling services, CRTs, ODDs, LCDs, among other markets.°
  • Regularly advised international companies on commercial and marketing activities to facilitate compliance with competition and anti-unfair competition regulations.°
  • Representation of a Mexican conglomerate in connection with a 15-year edible oils supply agreement with a multinational retailer. This highly complex supply agreement involved co-investment in a project to substitute a number of different suppliers for the company's best-in-industry standards.
  • Representation of a Mexican conglomerate regarding a long-term supply agreement with a multinational retailer in connection with the manufacturing and processing of case-ready meat and poultry products.
  • Representation of a multinational agribusiness company in the acquisition of a local company located at Los Mochis, Sinaloa, that operates the company’s corn seeds business in Mexico.
  • Representation of Grupo Gepp in a merger control procedure related with the strategic alliance with Alpura, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of dairy products in Mexico, regarding the distribution of Alpura’s products by Grupo Gepp through diverse channels in Mexico.
  • Represented a leader in the medical devices and hospital services sector in connection with the sale of a significant minority stake to a private investment firm. The transaction involved a complex corporate reorganization and tax structuring process to establish a holding company, which subsequently sold the minority stake to the private investment firm. Our team advised on all aspects of the transaction, including the design and implementation of the reorganization structure, negotiation of transaction documents, and tax planning to optimize the outcome for the majority shareholders.
  • Representation of a ridesharing company in the acquisition of the largest online platform for grocery distribution in Mexico. The transaction was structured as a multi-buyer deal.
  • Representation of Gill Industries, Tier 2 manufacturer and supplier of automotive seat structure components, in the acquisition of Gill’s Mexican entities by Lear, one of the largest Tier 1 manufacturers and distributors of automotive seat structures.
  • Represented Oak Creek de México, operator of one of the largest windfarms in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico, in connection with a significant corporate restructuring and re-negotiation of project management agreements. The windfarms operated by Oak Creek received substantial investments from major Mexican public companies, including Goldman Sachs, GBM, and Engie. Certain investors, also secured financing from third-party sources.
  • Representation of a global coworking company and its affiliates in acquiring a major investment conglomerate's Latin America's stake in a joint venture operating the global coworking locations across the region.
  • Representation of MiddleGround Capital, a private equity firm, in the acquisition of 100% of Castle Metals Group, after its merger with and into Pacu Merger Sub.
  • Representation of Grupo Jumex, one of the leading beverage companies in Mexico, in the joint venture with Arizona International LLC, a leading U.S. manufacturer and distributor of iced tea, regarding the commercialization of Arizona’s products in Mexico, as well as in the merger control procedure before the Mexican Antitrust Agency.
  • Representation of a leading company in the Mexican feed industry in the purchase of the assets of the aquaculture facility from a regional aquaculture producer based in Mexico.
  • Representation on the structuring, drafting, and negotiation of a pioneering collaboration agreement between two powerhouse companies in the global digital economy for the provision of quick commerce and food delivery services in Mexico and Brazil.
  • Representation of main TV stations and media agencies in the incorporation and launching of a joint industry committee for the provision of video audience measurement services in Mexico.
  • Representation of investment funds in their acquisition of Mexican companies and the structuring of exit strategies, and, in coordination with the firm’s litigation group, has also recovered investments through Mexican Courts.°

°The above representations were handled by Mr. Frías Garcés prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, S.C.

  • Professor, Universidad Iberoamericana, Contracts and Corporations, 2002-2015
  • In conjunction with the Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH) or the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, Greenberg Traurig’s Mexico City pro bono team represented a Salvadorian family seeking refugee status in a litigation against the procedural decision issued by the Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (COMAR) or the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid. The procedural decision indefinitely suspended interview applications for refugee status and the issuance of resolutions, which are essential phases in the Procedimiento de Reconocimiento de la Condición de Refugiado (PRCR) or the Procedure for the Recognition of Refugee Status. The judge ruled in the family’s favor and found the contested procedural decision unconstitutional for leaving asylum seekers and detained individuals in a state of legal uncertainty in Mexico.

Recognition & Leadership

  • Listed, Thomson Reuters, “Stand-Out Lawyers,” 2023-2025
  • Listed, Chambers Latin America, “Leading Individual in Competition/Antitrust Matters in Mexico,” 2011-2026
  • Listed, The Best Lawyers in Mexico™, 2021-2026
  • Listed, The Legal 500 Latin America Guide, 2021-2026
    • Leading Lawyers – Latin America: Mexico – Competition and Antitrust, 2021-2026
    • Latin America: Mexico – Corporate & M&A, 2021, 2023-2026
    • Latin America: Mexico – Compliance and Data Privacy, 2024-2026
  • Listed, Latin Lawyer, “Latin Lawyer 250 - Practice Recognition: Antitrust & Competition; Corporate and M&A,” 2020-2026
  • Listed, Who’s Who Legal, “Leading Telecommunications and Regulation in Mexico,” 2015

Credentials

Education
  • Law Degree, Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico, 1995
  • Postgraduate degree, Tax, Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico, 1999
  • LL.M., University of Chicago Law School, 2000
Admissions
  • Mexico
Languages
  • Spanish, Native
  • English, Fluent

Related Capabilities

Corporate Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation Latin America Practice Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Mergers & Acquisitions