Profile
Abel Rivera focuses his legal practice on antitrust and competition matters representing clients in different industries, including government merger review and investigations of alleged anticompetitive conduct, litigation and counseling. He regularly represents clients before the two Mexican competition authorities: the Federal Economic Competition Commission and the Federal Telecommunications Institute, as well as before the Federal Courts specialized in competition, telecommunications and broadcasting, and designs and implements antitrust and competition compliance programs for clients in Mexico.
Concentrations
- Antitrust and competition litigation
- Mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures
- Government investigations
- Counseling and compliance
- Telecommunications
Capabilities
Experience
- Representation of the main Mexican bond paper producer to challenge the conditions imposed by the Federal Economic Competition Commission in a merger clearance procedure.
- Representation of Altan Redes, a Mexican company that manages the wholesale telecommunications infrastructure network, to obtain the authorization from the Federal Telecommunications Institute in relation to its financial restructuring, which involved the investment in Altán of around 300 million dollars.
- Representation of Planigrupo, a leading public company in the real estate sector, to obtain the approval of the Federal Economic Competition Commission in relation to its divestment of certain shopping centers in Mexico.
- Representation of Greystar, a leading company in the real estate development sector, to obtain the approval from the Federal Economic Competition Commission in relation to its divestment of certain real estate assets in Mexico.
- Representation of Chevron to obtain the approval from the Federal Economic Competition Commission for the divestiture of significant assets in Mexico related to the production of additives and lubricants.
- Representation of the Mexico City’s International Airport in the first investigation carried out by the Federal Economic Competition Commission to determine and regulate "essential facilities" in relation to the process of slots allocation in said airport. Abel and his team managed to reverse the regulation issued by the Federal Economic Competition Commission regarding the process of slots allocation, prevailing over the Competition Commission in Federal Courts.
- Representation of several LP gas distribution groups in Mexico in relation to investigations by the Federal Economic Competition Commission on anticompetitive practices in the LP gas market in Mexico.
- Representation of the largest company in the drug distribution industry in Mexico in relation to investigations for alleged cartel conduct.
- Representation of a global financial group-card issuer and card payment processor, in different investigations of the Federal Economic Competition Commission, particularly in the investigation of essential facilities and barriers to competition in the card payment market in Mexico.
- Representation of a leading global company in the manufacture and commercialization of insecticides in relation to an investigation by the Federal Economic Competition Commission for anticompetitive practices in the domestic insecticide market.
- Representation of the largest grain and other food products trading company in the world, in different investigations of the Federal Economic Competition Commission related to alleged anticompetitive practices in the market for the production, distribution and commercialization of corn and corn flour in Mexico.
- Designed antitrust and competition compliance policies, including the training of high-level employees for clients in different industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, telecommunications, non-carbonated beverages and financial.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Legal 500 Latin America Guide, "Latin America: Mexico – Competition and Antitrust," 2021, 2023.
Credentials
Education
- Law Degree, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2010
Admissions
- Mexico
Languages
- Spanish, Native
- English, Fluent