Luis R. Leos
Biography
Overview
Luis is an associate in White & Case's Corporate practice in the Firm's Houston office.
Luis primarily represents clients on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, private equity investments, venture capital investments, joint ventures, strategic alliance and general corporate matters throughout the United States and Latin America. He also advises clients in the acquisition, joint venture, development, and financing of a wide array of infrastructure and energy projects. Trained in common law and civil law jurisdictions, Luis is able to seamlessly facilitate clients' complex, domestic and cross-border transactions by bridging differences and finding common ground.
Prior to joining White & Case, Luis was an associate in the Houston office of another global law firm and worked for two major law firms in Mexico City.
Experience
Representative matters include:
Energy
Representation of EnCap Investments, a leading provider of growth capital to the independent sector of the US energy industry, in its sale of:
- Jupiter Power LLC, a leading operator and developer of stand-alone, utility-scale battery energy storage systems in the United States and a portfolio company of EnCap, to an affiliate of BlackRock Alternatives; and
- The battery storage business of Houston-based Broad Reach Power from EnCap Energy Transition Fund I, and its co-investment partners Yorktown Partners, Mercuria Energy and Apollo Infrastructure Funds, to French multinational utility company, ENGIE, for a total equity value in excess of US$1 billion.
Representation of Calpine Corporation in its acquisition of the Quail Run Energy Center, a 550 MW combined-cycle generation facility, in Odessa, Texas, from Lotus Infrastructure Partners.
Representation of Pluspetrol in its acquisition of the Cerro Grande and Peralta wind farms in Uruguay with a total installed capacity of 169 MWs, owned by the DIF Infrastructure V and DIF Infrastructure VI funds, managed by CVC DIF.
Representation of EIG Global Energy Partners, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, and Belgian LNG terminal operator Fluxys, on the US$1.16 billion joint acquisition of an 80% equity stake in GNL Quintero S.A., the largest liquefied natural gas regasification terminal in Chile, from Enagas Chile SpA and affiliates of OMERS Infrastructure.
Representation of Pipeline Technique, a portfolio company of Bluewater Private Equity, on its acquisition of the Stanley Oil and Gas business from Stanley Black & Decker, a Fortune 500 NYSE-listed international pipeline services and equipment company.
Representation of a Dutch development bank on the $38 million debt financing of a two-phase 66 MW solar plant in the Dominican Republic.*
Representation of an American multinational alternative investment firm in a $68 million secured financing and hedging facility of a 221 MW and a 165 MW wind-farm project in Texas.*
Infrastructure, Transportation & Logistics
Representation of one of Mexico's largest infrastructure developers in connection with its acquisition of a majority interest in the Four Seasons Caye Chapel Resort on the island of Caye Chapel, Belize. The resort will include a high-end luxury hotel operated under the Four Seasons brand, private residences, a marina and a brand new 18-hole championship golf course.
Representation of 7 Bridges Capital Partners, a leading real estate investor in Latin America, and its private equity sponsor, one of the largest investment firms in the world, on the acquisition and acquisition financing of a portfolio of 40 industrial properties located throughout Mexico.
Representation of a public-private partnership on the $150 million debt and note financing of its portfolio of roadside fueling and restaurant service stations in Connecticut.*
Representation of an Irish consortium on the $225 million debt financing of its acquisition of 60 on-highway services plazas, located across 13 highways within eight states in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions.*
Representation of a U.S. development bank on the $100 million debt financing of an African mobile network operator for the expansion of its mobile network operations in Angola.*
Technology
Representation of Amadeus Americas, Inc., a subsidiary of Amadeus IT Group, S.A., a leading IT provider for the global travel and tourism industry, on the acquisition of Kambr, Inc., a software company that markets a revenue management tool for the airline industry.
Representation of Blip in its acquisition of GusChat and its further expansion into Mexico and Spain.
Represented Mexico's Truly.AI in its acquisition by Unico ID Tech, one of the largest digital identity and SaaS providers in Brazil.
Representation of Itaú Unibanco S.A., the largest private sector bank in Brazil, in connection with its agreement to acquire an initial 35% stake in Avenue Controle Cayman Ltd., a leading broker-dealer for Brazilian investors, followed by the acquisition of a controlling stake in the company.
Representation of Mexican fintech Bankaya in its multi-million series A round. The round was led by a global financial services and mobile payments company and other international investors.
Representation of Mexican PE fund Arago Gestion in various investment rounds with Justo, Inc.
Industrials and Manufacturing
Representation of Aramco, one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemical companies, on its planned acquisition of 100 percent of Esmax Distribución SpA (Esmax), a leading diversified downstream fuels and lubricants retailer in Chile, from Southern Cross Group, a Latin America–focused private equity firm.
Representation of Auge, a premier North American manufacturer of highly-engineered and critical fastening solutions, in its multi-million-dollar sale to Lamons®, a global leader in precision safety sealing and attachment solutions.
Ultrapar Participações S.A., the leading Brazil-based fuel distributor, in the US$1.3 billion sale of its specialized chemicals unit Oxyteno to Thailand's Indorama Ventures PCL. The transaction included all of Oxyteno's operations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, United States, and Uruguay.
Representation of a global manufacturer and supplier of textiles in the automotive industry in the $13.5 million stock acquisition of the U.S. holding company of an auto-parts manufacturing subsidiary in Mexico.*
Consumer Products and Services
Representation of Credito Real S.A.B. de C.V. SOFOM ENR in the sale of its majority stake in Credito Real USA Finance LLC, a financial service company that provides auto loans in the United States.
Pernod Ricard in the acquisition of an equity interest in Nocheluna Sotol, a Mexican sotol producer, and the resulting shareholders agreement with global rock star, Lenny Kravitz and Mexican spirits distiller, Casa Lumbre.
Representation of a Mexican conglomerate in the negotiation of a multi-million equity joint venture with RBI for the development of the master franchise of Tim Horton's casual dining restaurants in Mexico.
Representation of a major spirit manufacturing company on entering the Chinese market and reorganizing its distribution structure in Mexico and the Caribbean.*
Healthcare and Biotech
Representation of a major U.S. healthcare and insurance conglomerate in the $1.2 billion stock acquisition of a national provider of outpatient mental healthcare treatments, comprised of 32 independent brands operating across 23 states and D.C.*
Representation of several biotech and tech companies in the drafting of acquisition agreements, operational agreements and public company reporting.*
* Experience prior to joining White & Case.
