What we do
Practice areasECHEVARRIA LEUNDA & ECHEVARRIA PETIT provide a wide range of legal services to individual and corporate clients delivering tailor made solutions.
Over 65 years of comprehensive advice to local and international clients in all branches of law built up the good name of the firm.
Our services help planning, development and growth of our clients´ businesses and protect their interests in Litigation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Commercial Law
EL & EP offers wide and comprehensive services regarding Commercial Law.
We offer corporate law services, ranking from legal structure planningg, incorporation of new companies, modification of by-laws, due dilligence assessments, mergers and acquisitions, etc.
We also advise such corporate clients in their relationships with their own clients and suppliers.
Our Uruguayan and international clients find in our services the advantages of Taylor made solutions covering their particular needs. We advise clients of all sizes, from Small & Medium Enterprises to International and Global Corporations.
Our services cover domestic and international commercial contracts, from drafting and negotiation to performance and termination of such contracts.
“We advise a wide range of corporate clients, from Small and medium Enterprises to Global Corporations.”
Administrative Law
EL & EP has a long experience in Administrative law and its different matters.
We advise on bid calls, on all kind of procurement process and contracts and on all aspects of the relationships between private sector Corporation / Individuals and the Government.
Our clients from the Public Construction business (highwayts and roads, hospitals, government building, public works) from the Concession of Public Works or Public Servives business and form Public Private Partnerships business get from us advise on contract drafting negotiation and during the performance of words and services throughout the contract term of the life cycle of the Infrastructure.
EL & EP’s services in this area include challenge of administrative decisions and Nullity Action before the administrative specialized Tribunal (TCA for its name in Spanish).
“We know our client’s business and we build with them side by side.”
Tax Law
EL & EP’s services cover corporate and individual tax planning solutions.
Optimization of business and tax responsability are compatible objectives and are part of a responsible and serious advice on taxes.
Our firm also advises domestic and international clients in obtaining fiscal benefits from National Interest Declatarions and saving canalization system to tax exemption for investment projects.
We also offer the utilization of spacial regimes as Tax Free Zones and Free Port with their special and beneficial tax treatments.
Banking Law
Uruguay has been since long time a preferred financial spot for South America and specially for citizens of the South Cone countries.
EL & EP not only has experience in advising banks and other financial companies, but has also the insight of having participated in boards and other decision making positions of such entries.
Aspects as sensitive as anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism finance policies are within our scope of services.
Ever changing Regulation of banking and financing activities, adapting to new realities are part of our constant study and practice.
“Banking law evolves daily in issues as sensitive as Compliance in AML / AFT. This demands continuous actualization .”
Labor Law
EL & EP advises its clients from all sectors in Labor Law, always having in mind that labor issues involve relationships between human beings.
This approach helps to keep relationships with their employees, while it adds to building better work conditions.
Our profund knowlegde of Labor Law allos us to advise our clients on how to prevent labor conflicts, as well as on how to solve their individual or collective (Unions) conflicts.
From this double prespective, our Firm achieves a balance between constructive relationships and an adequate labor risk management for our clients.
Energy
In a country that advances towards the production of clean energ, our Firm has a very active participation in renewable energy projects, wind, solar and biomase.
In that sense, we are following the steps of our Founder Dr. Jorge Echevarría Leunda, who was President of the binational entity that built Salto Grande Hydro Dam between Argentina and Uruguay, one of the biggest of the world at that time.
Proud of follow those steps, we advise our clients in PPAs and Leasing of wind and solar farms with the State, and also in the contracts with their equipment suppliers, EPC contractors, biomass providers, etc..
“Our clients enter the new era of clean energy production with peace of mind, based on the solid knowledge or our firm in these matters.”
Civil Law
Personal and Family estate planning, construction of civil works, real estate and civil liability are some of the aspects covered by our civil law practice.
The dynamics of changes makes us look for stable solutions for our client’s estate, which fit theie particular needs.
Aspects related to real estate and civil construction are some of the important services we deliver to our corporate and individual clients.
EL & EP has wide experience in civil contracts from drafting to performance and termination.
We also offer our clients our expertise in civil liability litigation, ranging from medical liability to accident torts, architectural and construction liability among others.
“We deliver Taylor-made solutions to meet the needs of the Clients and the test of ever changing times”
Public Private Partnerships
Law 18.786 of Public Private Partnership was passed by unanimous vote of the Parliament after almost 10 years of diffusion of the idea by Dr. José Luis Echevarría Petit, through conferences and publications, based on studies made in Canada, during a scholarship awarded by the Canadian Government.
Since the approval of the law, our Firm advised clients on public calls and unsolicited proposals of PPPs. Such advice was provided to individual clients, consortia and even to chambers of infrastructure companies.
Dr. José Luis Echevarría was hired by FOMIN of the International American Development Bank to advise Uruguayan Government on finance of PPP projects and has advised the Government in the draft of decrees of PPP.
He was also hired by the Uruguayn Chamber of Construction to advise its memvers on PPP projects.
“Infrastructure projects open windows of opportunity and we are proud to be pioneers in such matters.”
International Trade & Customs Law
EL & EP has an active participation in International Trade and Customs practice.
International Trade is constantly growing and business is in continuous expansion.
Not only International trade itself but also all the business related to it as warehousing, logistics, transport, etc, are covered by our services.
All those business have strong links to Customs regulations, area in which our specialization is deep and our experience is broad.
“International Trade and all the related businesses area within the scope of our services.”
Special branches of law
Some areas of the economic activity has developed specialized regulations that became new branches of law in their own right.
Some of those new areas of law in which we give legal advise are Energy, Telecommunicatons, Competition, Consumer Protection and Personal Data Protection.
Although conceptually these “new” branches can be considered part of the great areas of law, their growing specialization gave birth to specific areas in which we advise our clients.