Greenberg Traurig’s Mexico City Office Launches Labor & Employment Practice With New Team

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has launched a Labor & Employment Practice in its Mexico City office with the addition of eight attorneys led by Leslie Palma, a highly ranked labor and benefits attorney who joins as a shareholder, and Marité Villanueva, who joined in October as Of Counsel.

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has launched a Labor & Employment Practice in its Mexico City office with the addition of eight attorneys led by Leslie Palma, a highly ranked labor and benefits attorney who joins as a shareholder, and Marité Villanueva, who joined in October as Of Counsel.

Palma and a group of six associates joined from Holland & Knight’s Mexico office. Villanueva joined Greenberg Traurig from Lottus Education where she was head of Human Resources and Labor Matters for Lottus Education.

The addition of the Labor and Employment team in Mexico City comes at a time when the labor market in Mexico has weathered disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as recent amendments to federal labor laws.

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“Since our founding in Mexico more than 10 years ago, our office has evolved and expanded to meet client demand. Adding a strong team of attorneys with experience in labor, employment, benefits, and compensation matters is a natural progression of our growth, and part of our commitment to maintaining the highest level of client service that distinguishes our firm,” said José Raz Guzmán, managing shareholder of the office and co-chair of the firm’s Latin America Practice.

“We are happy to add two outstanding lawyers as shareholder and of counsel, and a diverse team of associates, to further advance our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives,” added Juan Manuel González Bernal, office administrative shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s global Infrastructure Practice.

“This new practice group in Mexico City is part of our continued global strategy to meet and exceed clients’ legal needs and related demands for top-level talent in an increasingly connected international marketplace,” said Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum. “We are thrilled to have assembled such a talented and experienced team of attorneys who will work across our unparalleled platform of more than 2300 lawyers in 40 locations. It is with talent like this that, as one firm united, we have achieved seven years of record revenue without mergers and without sacrificing our unique culture of collaboration. This model helps set us apart from other firms to the benefit of our clients and our valued professionals.”

Palma brings more than 20 years of experience where she has focused on advising leading international and Mexican corporate clients on employment issues, including individual and collective bargaining matters, executive compensation, labor management relations, workforce reductions and other employee changes. Palma’s legal work has earned her many accolades. Most recently, the 2022, 2021, and 2020 editions of Best Lawyers in Mexico and the 2021, 2020 and 2019 300: Líderes Mas Influyentes de México, Líderes Mexicanos recognized her.

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“Greenberg Traurig’s global reputation for handling both local and international client matters with excellence attracted me to the firm,” Palma said. “Our work is based in understanding our clients’ operations thoroughly to provide tailormade advice. Supported by the Labor & Employment team we have assembled here in Mexico, being able to represent clients nationwide, along with the ability to tap into the firm’s global network, I am excited about the meaningful work we have ahead of us here.”

Villanueva comes from an in-house position so she can advise clients with a better understanding of their needs and concerns. She has assisted corporate teams in managing strategic layoffs, lawsuits, contingency plans to prevent labor liabilities, and union negotiations. She has also helped analyze employee structures to create workplace efficiencies in mergers & acquisitions projects and helped employers design human resources processes.

“I can understand the corporate perspective to labor issues, which allows me to advise clients from a more holistic position,” said Villanueva. “I am looking forward to working alongside a group of attorneys with deep roots in Mexico, but also being part of a global practice.”

The six other team members join as associates: Karla Alejandra Peña Copka, Alma Isabel Díaz Cano, Jorge Arturo Andazola Martínez, Claudia Elsa Gonzalez Ramirez, Victor Adrián Reyes Tafoya, and José Alberto Ortiz Pérez.

Earlier in December, Greenberg Traurig added seven attorneys to its award-winning Real Estate Practice in Warsaw. A team of seven litigation shareholders and their associates were announced by the firm as joining the London Litigation Practice as part of a major expansion of the firm’s global disputes capabilities. Senior attorneys will also be joining the firm’s Amsterdam and Milan offices.