- Rankings and Recognitions
- Fundacion Guanin recognized JCP’s pro-bono work to its community during an event held at JCP offices
- Marcos Peña has been identified for recognition in The International Who's Who of Aviation Lawyers 2013.
- Marcos Peña, founding partner of Jimenez Cruz Peña, has been appointed as member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris from July 1, 2012 until June 30, 2015.
- Chambers and Partners selected Jiménez Cruz Peña as the winner of 2012 Best Gender Diversity Initiative in the Dominican Republic.
- Marcos Peña was nominated by his peers to the 2012 edition of Who's Who Legal, as one of the world's leading practitioners in the aviation field.
- Five JCP lawyers have been ranked in Chambers Latin America 2013.
- Three JCP lawyers have been ranked in Chambers Global 2013.
- JCP was recognized among notables firms in Energy & Infrastructure ׀ Latin America 2013 publication of IFLR 1000.
- JCP has been top ranked in The Legal 500 Latin America 2012.
- JCP has been ranked in the 2013 edition of IFLR 1000.
JCP rankings in Chambers Latin America 2013
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Corporate / Commercial
THE FIRM Founded in 2003, this firm marks its first decade having well and truly established itself in the corporate, dispute resolution, environment and labour law markets. With 24 lawyers on the staff, it has grown into one of the largest law firms on the island, and the team has lately been particularly active in M&A, financing and restructuring. It recently represented the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) as provider of a credit facility to Parques Eólicos del Caribe (PECASA) for the construction of a wind farm, and advised Vivir Holdings on the acquisition of an insurance company.
Sources say: "A very business-oriented practice, providing excellent service and great response times."
KEY INDIVIDUALS Luis Jiménez is praised for the ease with which he relates to clients and peers. "He is an organised and determined negotiator with great knowledge and perspective of the local and international markets," say sources.
Name partner Marcos Peña Rodríguez fronted the team acting for the IADB and Vivir Holdings. "He's an experienced attorney who understands our business and our needs," say sources, who also highlight his crossover disputes skills.
José Cruz Campillo is an expert in free trade zone matters, highlighted for his client service and negotiation skills. -
Dispute Resolution
After a decade in the market, Jiménez Cruz Peña continues to grow in prestige for its handling of complex commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution cases. The firm frequently handles ICC arbitrations and is routinely involved in disputes in the local electricity sector, tackling contractual dispute claims before the regulator.
Recent highlights include assisting electricity distributor EDE Este in a power purchase contract dispute with AES Andres. The team also counselled state-owned electricity holding company CDEEE in connection with an arbitration dispute with Coste Enterprise over the termination of an energy conversion agreement.
Marcos Peña Rodríguez focuses his practice on disputes, labour and corporate matters, and is the standout name for arbitration and litigation cases at the firm. "He's a dynamic and innovative lawyer who's always on top of things," say sources.
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Environment
One of the Dominican Republic’s largest multidisciplinary firms, Jiménez Cruz Peña enjoys a high profile in the market and wins acclaim for its ability to build strong teams for environment work on a case-by-case basis. The three-partner practice group represents a broad clientele drawn from the tourism and real estate industries, typically advising on permitting and licences. Prime examples include assisting Transmerquim Dominicana and CareFusion in obtaining environmental permits from the environment ministry. The team also advised CEMEX on amendments to the country's tyre disposal and mineral export regulations.
Heiddy Moronta Mejía is hailed as a "young and dedicated environment lawyer who delivers high-quality advice." Marcos Peña Rodríguez co-ordinates the team's work and gets directly involved on the litigation side.
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Labour & Employment
This full-service firm's three-strong labour and employment practice advises clients on workplace regulations, recruitment, labour disputes and contract termination for staff affiliated to trade unions. The team routinely acts for clients on negotiating collective agreements with the unions and on drafting employment contracts for senior employees. Clients include American Airlines and Cardinal Health.
Partner Marcos Peña Rodríguez divides his time between handling corporate, dispute resolution and labour matters. Sources praise him as a brilliant litigator of vast experience.
Fellow partner Rosa Díaz Abreu is a labour specialist and advises some of the firm's most prestigious clients.
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Real Estate & Tourism
Luis Jiménez is a founding partner of Jiménez Cruz Peña and a lawyer specialised in corporate, hospitality and real estate matters. He has significant experience in representing real estate developers, operators, lenders and property owners in a wide range of matters.
JCP rankings in Chambers Global 2013
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Luis Jiménez is praised for the ease with which he relates to clients and peers. "He is an organised and determined negotiator with great knowledge and perspective of the local and international markets," say sources.
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Marcos Peña Rodríguez focuses his practice on disputes, labour and corporate matters and is the standout name for arbitration and litigation cases at the firm. "He's a dynamic and innovative lawyer who's always on top of things," say sources. He represented the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) as provider of a credit facility to Parques Eólicos del Caribe (PECASA) for the construction of a wind farm, and advised Vivir Holdings on the acquisition of an insurance company.
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José Cruz Campillo is an expert in free trade zone matters highlighted for his client service and negotiation skills.
JCP recognition in Energy and Infrastructure Latin America 2013 of IFLR 1000
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Project Finance, Corporate, Disputes
2012 Firm Overview
Most active disciplines
Disputes, Project finance
Key energy sectors
Renewables, Traditional power
Key infrastructure sectors
Mining, Roads
Key partners
Marcos Peña R, Luis J Jimenez, José Cruz C, Katherine RosaJimenez Cruz Peña has been operating in the Dominican Republic for a decade. They expect to continue to grow, adding associates and raising them up through their own ranks. The firm’s international client base includes Chinese solar panel manufacturers looking to operate in the free trade zone.
Like other Dominican energy practices, Jimenez Cruz Peña represented several clients in obtaining Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), an area of particular importance given the country’s rising energy needs.
In infrastructure, the firm took on an international arbitration led by Marcos Peña and Laura Medina against the Dominican government for their client CODACSA. They argued the government had broken its contract with CODACSA, who operate a toll road in the county, by not providing enough tolls, not paying an agreed fee to shadow toll and opening negotiations with another company to construct a new toll road that was part of CODACSA’s original concession. The cases, which the government opted to take to the International Criminal Court, rather than settle, took several years, ending in January with a $43 million ruling for the firm’s client.
JCP rankings in The Legal 500 Latin America 2012
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Dispute Resolution
The highly experienced Marcos Peña heads a very strong disputes practice at Jiménez Cruz Peña. The group is highly recommended for litigation and is a genuine market leader for disputes that go to international arbitration. The firm has been involved in a number of major energy-related arbitrations, and recently it represented a client in a dispute relating to the enforcement of a $440m power purchase agreement. The firm also successfully represented a consortium of international investors in the International Court of Arbitration in a dispute relating to a major road project, which ultimately resulted in a $40m award to the client. The expanding team was boosted by the promotion of disputes specialist Rosa Díaz to partner.
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Corporate and Finance
Established in 2003, Jiménez Cruz Peña is a relatively young firm compared to some others in the market. Despite this, the firm has swiftly gained a very strong reputation for corporate finance work, and founding partners Luis Jimenez and Jose Cruz have established themselves as very good names for general commercial and transactional advice. They are also noted for their strong track records advising clients in the energy sector. The expanding firm, which at time of writing had 24 lawyers, also promoted corporate specialist Vilma Veras and project finance expert Katherine Rosa to the partnership. On the corporate side, the firm recently advised a consortium of American and Venezuelan investors on the $130m acquisition of a major Dominican food company. The firm regularly acts for lenders on major financings, and recently represented an international bank on the $50.7m financing of a 50MW wind farm.
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Real Estate and Tourism
In addition to its top-notch project finance practice, Jiménez Cruz Peña regularly advises investors and developers on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious real estate issues. The firm has been heavily involved in the tourism sector, and acts for several major international hotel chains. The firm has also been advising clients on the development of a major golf course, as well as handling the sale of a $10m real estate property on the north coast to a Spanish investor. Luis Jiménez and José Cruz are the main points of contact on the non-contentious side, while Marcos Peña is highly recommended on the disputes front.
JCP rankings in the 2013 edition of IFLR 1000
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Peers note that Jiménez Cruz Peña (JCP) is an "up-and-coming" firm with a "diverse client base" and has been active in many financial and corporate deals. Name partner Luis Julio Jiménez and Marcos Peña Rodriguez have both had a hand on most of the firm's important work during the past year and receive impressive market feedback. "Marcos is practical and well-regarded," one competitor notes, while another adds: "They are strong in financial deals."
Deals: Most of the firm's work is cloaked in confidentiality, but it continues to represent Citibank as lender in various commercial transactions in the country. It has also acted for the European Investment Bank and the French Agency for Development on several financing projects and assisted local banks in funding over the years.
Leading lawyers
Luis Julio Jiménez
Marcos Peña Rodriguez