Global Emerging Markets
Private Equity / Corporate, and
Cross-Border Securities Transactions Practice
Direct Tel.: +1 (514) 513-1451
Main Tel.: +1 (212) 938-0600 x602
Fax: +1 (212) 938-0601
Download Bio
Download V-Card
Gildardo Michel-Garcia
Partner
Gil Michel-Garcia is a partner of Schwartz LLC. Gil’s practice focuses primarily on cross-border securities transactions, private equity and venture capital transactions, and negotiated private mergers and acquisitions.
His experience includes: (i) advising on U.S. SEC registered, Reg. S/Rule 144A and Reg. D, debt and equity offerings, and/or rights offerings by companies in the U.S., Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, France, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands; and (ii) advising on inbound and outbound cross-border private M&A and on the acquisition and disposition of private equity portfolio investments involving companies in the U.S., Mexico, France, Spain, the Bahamas, Brazil, Bermuda, Venezuela, El Salvador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
Prior to joining Schwartz LLC, Gil was a Senior U.S. Associate at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Montreal, Canada and London, England from 2005 to 2008. Prior to joining Stikeman Elliott LLP, Gil was an associate at Clifford Chance LLP in New York, NY and London, England from 1997 to 2005.
Gil received his law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1997, where he graduated in the top 15% of his class. Prior to law school, Gil obtained a Master’s Degree in Economics from El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Gil is fluent in Spanish, French and English and is conversant in Portuguese and Italian.
BAR ADMISSION:
Gil is a member of the bar of the State of New York (1998).
REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS:
· U.S. counsel to BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and several other underwriters in the Cdn. $78 million short form public offering in Canada and private placement in the United States of common shares of MEGA Brands Inc., a TSX listed Quebec based corporation, dated July 2007.
· U.S. counsel to Metanor Resources Inc., a TSX-V listed Quebec company, in the short form public offering in Canada and private placement in the United States of its units, dated July 2007.
· Counsel to Silanis International Limited, a Jersey based company with most of its assets and operations in Canada, in the £10 million offering and listing of its ordinary shares on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, dated June 2007.
· U.S. counsel to Brasil Telecom S.A., a leading Brazilian fixed-line telecommunications company, in the preparation of its Registration Statement pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 under Form 20-F, and the listing of ADRs representing their Preferred Shares on the New York Stock Exchange, dated November 16, 2001.
· U.S. counsel to Maxcom Telecomunicaciones, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican local telephony company, in its Reg. S/Rule 144A offering of Units with registration and exchange rights, each Unit consisting of 13.75% Senior Notes and Warrants to purchase Series N Shares, dated March 17, 2000 (Maxcom was named as one of the top Latin American issues in 2000 by Latin Finance magazine).
· U.S. counsel to Merrill Lynch & Co., in registered rights offering of 77,269,866 Shares or GDRs, (U.S.$ 16,868,052), and registered offering of 519,017 GDRs (U.S.$ 234,259,012) of IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones, S.A., a leading Argentine real estate company, dated December 19, 1997.
· U.S. counsel to Buffalo International Inc a Canadian apparel manufacturer in connection with its sale to the Tarrant Apparel Group a California apparel manufacturer, dated November 2006.
· Counsel to Mari’s Foods Inc. a Montreal based vinaigrette manufacturer, in connection with the sale of its sushi operations to Bento Nouveau Ltd. an Ontario based sushi manufacturer, dated November 2006.
· U.S. counsel to ABN AMRO in the attempted sale of its Mexican broker-dealer subsidiary ABN AMRO Securities (Mexico), S.A. de C.V., Casa de Bolsa to UBS, dated May 2002.
· U.S. counsel to The Prudential Life Insurance Company of America, a mutual insurance company domiciled in New Jersey, in a U.S. $ 6 million capital contribution to Prudential Apolo, Operadora de Sociedades de Inversión, S.A. de C.V., a joint venture organized to own and operate investment companies in Mexico, dated May 24, 2001.
· U.S. counsel to Constructora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. ("Odebrecht"), a leading Brazilian construction company, in the amendment of (i) the U.S.$ 384 million Credit Facility among the Republic of Venezuela, Banco do Brasil and Brasilian American Merchant Bank, and (ii) the Construction Contract between the Corporación Venezolana de Guyana a semi-autonomous entity of the Republic of Venezuela and Odebrecht, for the construction of a bridge over the Orinoco River, dated July 2002. (This deal was named Trade Finance Deal of the Year in 2002 by Latin Finance magazine)
PUBLICATIONS AND
ADDRESSES:
· U.S. Securities Laws and the International Capital Markets, in
Careers in International Law: A Guide to Career Paths and Internships in International Law, 2003-2004 Edition (The American Society of International Law, 2003)
· The Applicability of U.S. Securities Laws to NASDAQ Canada Broker-Dealers--Larine de NASDAQ a Montréal : les obligations des courtiers en values, en virtue des règlements de la National Association of Securities Dealers des États-Unis, presented at Congrès du Barreau du Québec, May 2
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
· Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member, Committee on Inter-American Affairs andchair the Quebec Subcommittee from 2001 to 2002);
· American Bar Association Section of Business Law;
· American Bar Association Section of International Law and Practice;
· New York State Bar Association Section of International Law;
· Canadian Bar Association; and
· Barreau du Quebec.
