Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL) — Mexico

About

Firm overview: Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL) is a large, highly specialised labour boutique that stands out for its institutionalised approach. With more than 130 lawyers dedicated to labour and employment matters, the firm consistently delivers top-notch legal services to prominent multinational and domestic clients with a modern and streamlined approach. The firm’s seven partners all have PhD or Master’s degrees from leading universities including Harvard and Tulane in the US. MGGL was founded by three highly experienced partners with postgraduate degrees from top US universities and a wide range of expertise in Mexican labour and employment law. The goal was to build an institutionalised labour and employment boutique with a strong focus on providing world-class legal services. The firm has invested heavily in the development of its specialist team, centred around the development of robust and attractive career paths for our associates. We are currently working on new litigation management software to help us manage our caseload and as a firm we are committed to providing consistently high-quality legal services to leading multinational companies and other major clients in a modern and efficient manner. The success of our approach to management is evident in the phenomenal growth that we have experienced in the past 13 years as our legal team has expanded from 14 to a team of 130 lawyers and support staff. The appointment of José Genaro Pérez Velázquez as Partner on January 1, 2022, and Oscar Bojorge on January 1, 2024, significantly enhances the strength of our team. The firm’s unique model and structure has proved highly successful and its impressive client roster reflects its outstanding reputation. - Main areas of practice Labour and employment: MGGL handles complex, sensitive and strategic labour and employment matters, ranging from high-profile disputes and collective bargaining to the labour aspects of high-end M&A and corporate restructurings. The firm is renowned for its expertise in labour litigation; it handles large, complicated disputes before all levels of the court, recently representing clients in several cases before the Supreme Court of Justice and being called as expert witness in international arbitration cases. It also has the capacity to deal with a high volume of concurrent lawsuits; the firm has large teams in Mexico City and Guadalajara and coordinates cases at a national level through arrangements with a network of firms across more than 50 Mexican cities. MGGL has an equally strong practice in non-contentious labour matters, including labour consulting on matters such as major M&A and corporate restructurings, as well as collective bargaining; in this respect the firm has developed strong, longstanding working relationships with the unions. Across all areas of its labour and employment practice, MGGL works closely with its clients to identify strategic alternatives and solutions to problems, in a context of rigid legislation and an ever-changing and dynamic global marketplace. International work: MGGL advises leading multinational companies from the US, Europe and Asia, among other jurisdictions, on their labour and employment concerns in Mexico. Such work includes advising on the establishment and management of local operations, cross-border transactions including M&A and restructurings, and international disputes including international arbitration. Clients: MGGL represents leading multinational and national clients, including some of the biggest employers in Mexico. The firm advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including the finance, insurance, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, energy and natural resources and automotive sectors, and stands out for its market-leading experience advising insurance and financial services companies. Additionally, MGGL is the first-choice for market-leading corporate law firms in Mexico City that lack their own labour departments. Departments: Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. (MGGL) is one of the only labour and employment boutiques in Mexico with the capacity to deal with huge numbers of concurrent lawsuits. The firm fields a substantial team of lawyers and support staff based in Mexico City and we have the capability to coordinate cases at national level through arrangements with a network of firms across more than 55 Mexican cities. In fact, MGGL currently represents Wal-Mart de México, with its approx. 240,000 staff throughout the country, in all of its lawsuits in Monterrey, which means that we now have full responsibility for handling all of the labour and employment work for the largest Mexican employers in all of the country’s three major cities. MGGL also has offices in Guadalajara and Morelia, currently handling more than 1,000 lawsuits between them. More importantly, we are using these offices as a base to develop strong professional networks in Mexico’s western central region. The appointment of José Genaro Pérez Velázquez as Partner on 01 January 2022 further consolidates our team in Guadalajara. MGGL routinely handles complex, sensitive and strategic matters, ranging from high-profile disputes and collective bargaining to labour aspects of high-end M&A and corporate restructurings. MGGL is renowned primarily for its expertise in labour litigation, handling huge volumes of major disputes before all levels of the Mexican courts, including the highest tribunals in the land. Recently for instance, we have represented major clients in several cases before the Supreme Court of Justice. In addition, our partners are regularly called as expert witness in international arbitration cases. MGGL has an equally strong practice in non-contentious labour matters. Indeed, we are well-known in the market for being a leader in consulting on the labour aspects of major M&A deals and corporate restructurings. Moreover, we have a well-deserved reputation for successful representation of major employers during collective bargaining negotiations. Within this context, the firm has developed strong, longstanding working relationships with all of Mexico’s leading trade unions. MGGL is the first-choice for market-leading corporate law firms in Mexico City that lack their own labour departments. For instance, we work routinely with Nader, Hayaux & Goebel and Ritch, Mueller, Heather y Nicolau, including advising on the employment aspects of start-ups, M&A transactions and restructurings. The recent introduction of labour law reforms prohibiting insourcing/outsourcing contracts represented a golden opportunity for our firm to demonstrate its strength in advising major clients on issues at the cutting edge of Mexican labour law. In response to the law changes, MGGL advised approx. 50 companies on matters flowing from the change in the law, mainly due to the huge transfer seen in employees from outsourcing/services companies to direct employment. We also conducted reviews for foreign companies working with Mexican companies as the law changes have impacted their ability to do business in Mexico. MGGL has a noted specialisation in advising insurance companies, offering market-leading, sector-critical expertise in respect to all of their labour and employment issues. It also has particularly strong experience acting on behalf of financial services companies. We are trusted advisors to many of the country’s leading financial services players. Additionally MGGL's stellar list of other multinational clients includes numerous household names that operate at global level, with a very strong presence throughout Mexico. ### Languages - Spanish - English ### Staffing Figures - 7 Partners - 11 Senior associates - 40 Associates - 60 Attorneys - 7 Individuals who have completed law school and are awaiting their license from the education department

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Lawyers in this office

Cristian Jésus Lamas Peregrina

Cristian Lamas is partner at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo and a noted labour litigation expert. His practice sees him regularly involved in complex matters of strategic importance for his clients and, in many cases, for the wider market as well. His practice focuses on labour consulting, complex litigation, collective bargaining and employment law issues in business restructurings. He has gained particular experience in the automotive sector. · Labour & Employment

Emilio Israel Garzón Juárez

Emilio Garzón has over 25 years of professional experience as labour and employment expert, and is a partner at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo. He is already well-known in the market for his expertise in labour law and complex litigation, with solid experience in the implementation of strategies related to the pharmaceutical, health and retail industries, servicing large multinational clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser Health, Essity, and Walmart, among others. He has extensive experience in managing high volume trial portfolios. He has written articles in specialized magazines such as Industria Legal and Tiempo de Derechos. · Labour & Employment

Hector Gonzalez Graf

Héctor González Graf is a founding partner of Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, a leading Labour & Employment law firm in Mexico with offices in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Michoacán. His practice focuses on the labour aspects of high-end M&A deals and corporate restructurings, and high stakes labour disputes. His clients include leading national and multinational companies and financial institutions with extensive operations in Mexico, and his team often works alongside international and leading national law firms on major business transactions in Mexico. He is head counsel for 100+ clients of the firm, and has a wealth of experience on the employment law issues that arise from multinational companies acquiring employee-heavy businesses in Mexico, particularly in the insurance, financial services, retail and consumer goods sectors. · Labour & Employment

José Genaro Pérez Velázquez

José Genaro Pérez Velázquez is a partner at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo. He has a law degree with 11 years of experience in labor law focused on the corporate sector. Since joining the firm he has worked closely with the partners, participating in a wide range of labor conflicts. Since the opening of the Guadalajara offices in 2014, he has been at the helm, coordinating the representation of thousands of labor lawsuits against several companies. Within his vast experience, he constantly works on advising and coordinating of the transfer of employees between companies, the representation and attention of individual lawsuits promoted by senior management employees, attention to collective labor lawsuits, attention to labor inspections conducted by labor authorities and obtaining successful resolutions in amparo mentions in the Federal Courts. · Labor & Employment

Nelson Guerrero Robles

Nelson Guerrero Robles is partner at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo. His practice focuses both on transactional work, labor consulting, collective bargaining and complex dispute resolution, with a special focus representing clients in all stages of complex litigious matters, including wrongful termination, profit-sharing and executive compensation litigation; collective actions and the implementation of strategies in union conflicts; compliance with outsourcing regulations and business restructuring. He is also an experienced appellate attorney both in labour and employment litigation at all levels in federal and local courts of appeals. Nelson counsels and represents various companies in different industries, including the energy sector, retail, technology and international call centers. He has gained notoriety as an advisor of trust due to his sensitivity towards his clients’ needs and ability to create efficient strategies. · Labor & Employment

Oscar Bojorge

As of January 1, 2024, Oscar Bojorge has been promoted as partner in our firm Marván González Graf y González Larrazolo, S.C. Mr. Bojorge focuses on litigation and labor counseling. He accompanies the firm's clients in the implementation of labour relations management strategies. Likewise, he has actively participated in training programs implemented by the firm, he is becoming a reference for knowledge and expertise within the MGGL´s team, and the clients recognize his profound knowledge of the subject and disciplined approach towards the matters in his hands. · Litigation

Paulina Mendietta

Paulina is an associate at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, a firm where she provides legal advice on labor and employment matters in a wide variety of industries and sectors. Within her practice, Ms. Mendietta provides support with the employment aspects of corporate and commercial transactions and in labor aspects for starting operations, reductions in force and transfers of personnel. She has experience in the attention and defense of labor lawsuits and works in implementing the legal aspects of NOM-035 in the workplace. Her practice has focused on the prevention of employment litigation through the improvement of workplace policies and HR training. She also conducts audits and assessments of employment relationships, as well as workplace investigations of harassment claims. · Labor & Employment

Santiago Marván Urquiza

Santiago Marván is a senior partner of Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo, and is widely recognised as one of Mexico’s leading labour and employment specialists. His practice covers a wide range of areas, including transactional work, labour consulting and dispute resolution. His strong litigation and analytical skills enable him to attract blue-chip corporate clients and prominent financial institutions, for whom he regularly acts as lead counsel in business-critical labour & employment matters. He is also a preferred partner for market-leading corporate law firms in Mexico City, whom he frequently advises on the labour aspects of high-end M&A and corporate restructurings. Santiago has over 35 years of experience advising companies on their most complex and challenging labour law issues, particularly in the financial services, industrial manufacturing, retail and consumer goods sectors. · Labour & Employment