Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP (JD Supra Mexico)

On May 13, 2020, Sheppard Mullin co-sponsored a webinar hosted by the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce involving Mexico’s economic outlook and the impact on the maquiladora industry. Below are some interesting take-aways from the program. Economic Outlook - Sergio Luna, Director of the Department of Economic Research and Chief Economist at Citibanamex, explained that notwithstanding

A tripartite agreement to save NAFTA has been reached. The agreement, reached late last night, provides Congress the necessary 60 days’ notice of the text to approve so that President Pena Nieto of Mexico can sign before he leaves office on November 30th. All three countries wanted to get a deal done before the change of government in Mexico to President – Elect Lopez Obrador.

“So you are the great lawyer I’ve been told about!  But, you are so young!  I was expecting an old lawyer.” With those words, the silver-haired senior-level executive of the customs broker I was investigating for bribery let me know that his guard was down.  In fact, he seemed relieved and almost eager to help…

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mexican officials have estimated the amount of laundered money in the Mexican economy at $50 billion annually—three percent of the legitimate Mexican economy. The CIA World Fact Book labels Mexico as a “major drug-producing and transit nation”, as well as a “significant money-laundering center”. Illicit cash flows from cartels have affected nearly every...

They come without notice and under the cover of night. They are sometimes in unmarked envelopes or conveyed through whispered phones calls and very often from your very own employees. They are allegations of corruption, fraud and criminal conduct.

Sheppard Mullin client, Otay Tijuana Venture, announced this week that a cross-border pedestrian bridge linking San Diego with Tijuana’s A.L. Rodríguez International airport will be set to open next year. The project, which began in 2008 when Otay Tijuana Venture purchased the land in Otay Mesa, involved Presidential permits in both countries as well as unique Public Private Partnerships with U.S

Mexico’s landmark constitutional energy reforms, enacted in December 2013, were lauded as the start of a new era for private investment in Mexico. Nearly five months in, how has the government fared in implementing these reforms? Here are the 5 things you need to know.

Effective January 1, 2014, Mexico’s wages for geographic Zones “A” and “B” increased by 3.9%. Zone A includes all of Mexico’s major cities and entry ports.

The Mexican Senate has introduced a constitutional amendment that, if approved, would open the country’s oil market to foreign and private investors. Currently, oil production is controlled exclusively by the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). The amendment, however, would encourage private and foreign investment by allowing companies to partner with Pemex through the use of production...

On May 23, after the approval of 24 Mexican states (Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis, Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán and Zacatecas) the president of the Permanent Commission (Comisión Permanente) has declared constitutional...

Mexico’s new Federal Labor Law (FLL) took effect on December 1, 2012. The reform seeks to modernize Mexico’s labor law. The new FLL’s major, employment related amendments include increased regulation of outsourcing jobs, increased flexibility in hiring and payment of wages, the addition of the concepts of diversity, nondiscrimination and anti-harassment, and parental leave rights.

The new President of Mexico, Mr. Peña Nieto, has reached an unprecedented multi-party agreement between his party, the Partido Revolucionario Industrial (PRI), and the rest of the major political forces: the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), which governed Mexico between 2000 and 2012, the Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) and the Partido Verde Ecologista (PVE).

Under the leadership of President Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico has recently approved a historic constitutional amendment reforming the country’s archaic education system. In order to push this historic reform, which is commonly known as the “education reform”, President Pena Nieto overcame great opposition from the country’s teachers union, which is the largest union in Latin America. The powerful...

The Official Gazette of the Federation (the “Gazette”) published an amendment to the Mexican Commerce Code (Código de Comercio) by which foreign entities (and not only individuals) acting as pledgors who have not been previously recorded in the Public Registry of Commerce, may validly obtain a registration number from the Unique Registry of Mobile Asset Collateral (Registro Unico de Garantías...

Earlier this year Mexico became a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement for multilateral military and dual-use controls. The Wassenaar Arrangement is a group of 41 countries that cooperate in the export control of dual-use goods and technology, items that pose a risk if trade is uncontrolled because of their potential for use in military systems and terrorist activities.

On January 16, 2012, Mexico enacted the Law on Public-Private Partnerships (Ley de Asociaciones Público Privadas) ("PPP Law"). The new PPP Law is intended to regulate the formation of partnerships between the public and private sectors in an effort to provide services and build infrastructure to improve social welfare and increase investment levels in Mexico.

Corporate laws and entities in Mexico have several key differences with their respective counterparts in the United States. One of the most notable differences is the number of shareholders, members or partners needed to incorporate any type of entity. While in the United States it is permissible and customary to set up a corporation or limited liability company with one shareholder/partner,...

Conducting due diligence is a key aspect of any transaction, international or otherwise. Attorneys working on transactions conducted in Mexico or that involve Mexican entities ought to be aware of registration and certification requirements that are unique to Mexico and that can affect the good standing and validity of Mexican contracts and companies. First, unlike the United States, many...

Mexico's Federal Law for the Protection of Personal data (la Ley Federal de Protección de Datos Personales en Posesión de los Particulares) (the "Law") protects an individual's personal data by restricting its use and prescribing the way in which both private and public entities must treat the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data relating to Mexican citizens. The owner of the...

A few years ago, the Mexican government set its sights expanding it manufacturing capabilities in the aerospace industry. The preliminary results from this effort are in and the Mexican story is a story of success. Due to government's efforts, Mexico has become an "emerging cluster" with more than 190 aerospace companies employing more than 20,000 workers and exported goods in excess $3,400,000,00