Rodríguez & Mendoza renders services in all areas of law, except in criminal law. It is the objective of the firm to have the ability to provide its clients with the assistance that they may require in order to provide a response to legal needs in just one place. Thus, it maintains specialized departments and recruits new attorneys when it deems that a specific area should be served by a specialist. Rodríguez & Mendoza counsels important domestic and international banks, investment banks, commercial and industrial corporations, as well as individuals in estate planing.

The firm is organized into several sections headed by a partner in the respective specialized field, listed hereinafter.

Administrative Law

The area of administrative law covers all relations with governmental agencies, including permits, concessions as well as all claims, actions and proceedings involving the government. On a daily basis this department deals, among others, with complex procedures required to set up industries, mining concessions or oil projects as well as minor permits that are constantly required.

Anti Dumping and Unfair Competition

In this relatively new area in Venezuela, the firm has participated in several of the few processes that have taken place. In order to provide the specialized attention required, it recruited an attorney that worked at the Venezuelan Antidumping Agency.

Antitrust

In spite the novelty of this area in the Venezuelan law, Rodríguez & Mendoza has accumulated significant expertise. It has participated in several different procedures before the Venezuelan antitrust agency, including price fixing. Also it has analyzed cases of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other forms of associations in order to determine possible strategies to prevent unlawful economic concentration. It counseled PepsiCo, in the much publicized antitrust case against Coke for the take over of its bottlers, and the case against Energizer brought by Duracell in which its client, The Gillette Company, won the allegations of unfair advertising.

Arbitration and Litigation

The firm has an important department dedicated to arbitration and litigation. A partner of the firm is a member of the Advisory Council of the Arbitration and Conciliation Committee of Cedca. He is also member of the Legal Committee of the Venezuelan - American Chamber of Commerce. Rodríguez & Mendoza is constantly handling law suits of different nature, including bankruptcy procedures, moratorium and Supreme Court Litigation, tax and environmental litigation, and has been involved in several arbitrations.

Environment

The Environment has increasingly become a very sensitive area that the Government is monitoring with special interest. A specialized attorney and his assistants are in charge of counseling Rodríguez & Mendoza clients on said subject, from the start up of a new enterprise up to the day to day compliance activities.

Labor Law

The firm has a large labor law department capable of handling all corporate needs, including litigation. Partners of the firm participated in the drafting and negotiation of collective bargaining agreements with unions as well as individual labor agreements. In this area of law, so complex in Venezuela, the firm has an important group of practice that dates back to 1936.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Rodríguez & Mendoza has also been involved in numerous joint ventures, analyzing complex financial, tax, labor and antitrust implications. It has participated in various of the most important M & A transactions that have taken place in Venezuela. It has also performed numerous due diligence studies, and has a group constantly dedicated to this field.

Privatization

With respect to privatization, Rodríguez & Mendoza has been actively involved in the sale of banks, sugar mills, an aviation company, aluminum companies, steel mill, CANTV (Public telephone company), and hotels among others.

Project Financing, Capital Markets and Financing Agreements

In the financing and capital market area, the firm has participated in the most important transactions that have taken place in the last years. It had the opportunity to participate in many of the project financing transactions that took place in Venezuela. Partners of the law firm have taken part, on behalf of several issuers and selling shareholders, in the placement of ADRs of Venezuelan companies abroad; in the issue of bond and in the participation of financing agreements, as well as in several securitization transactions. Rodríguez & Mendoza partners were members of the working group appointed by Comisión Nacional de Valores (Venezuelan Securities Agency) in charge of drafting the regulations for the Capital Markets Law enacted in October 1998. Also, on behalf of numerous lenders and borrowers it has participated in various financing facilities.

Oil and Gas

The oil and gas sector has traditionally been one of the areas of major expertise of the firm since the decade of the 1920's. In the pre-nationalization era, Rodríguez & Mendoza counseled several clients in all matters related to the oil activities from application for hydrocarbon concessions, exploration and exploitation, to installation of pipelines and ports, etc. Presently, is advising several international oil companies in areas that have been opened to the private sector, such as reactivation of marginal fields, association for the exploration of areas and for extra heavy oil fields, as well as in the opening of the internal market.

Taxation

One of the most active, important and large departments of the firm is the one dedicated to tax matters. It has the capability to handle all aspects of fiscal planning, litigation as well as the defense of administrative claims before they can be litigated. The firm has developed experience in the structuring and analysis of new ventures in order to determine all tax implications involved, including national, state and municipal taxes.

Trademarks

The firm has a trademark department that handles all patents, trademark and copyright requirements, including litigation. It has been involved recently in some high profile litigation related to the ilegal use of an internationally recognized brand name.

General Practice

Additionally, on a day to day basis the firm renders advise in areas such as marine law, aviation law, real estate, mining, corporate general practice, insurance, creation of security interest, telecommunications and most of the areas required by daily operation of corporations. A partner of the firm is President of the Venezuela - U.S.A. Business Council.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND IT

The firm has established a telecommunications and Information Technology department with the goal of satisfying the specialized needs of clients in this area of law. Our capabilities include counseling in all types of administrative procedures required by clients seeking government licenses, IT agreements, interconnection agreements, internet issues, electronic commerce, software and other “new media” businnesses.

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