Mayer Brown has closed its Mexico City office, ending its on-the-ground presence in the country.

The firm officially shut its office in the Mexican capital at the end of October, impacting more than a dozen lawyers, including three partners. The decision comes less than a decade after it first opened in the city, at the time pointing to the potential of Mexico opening up its hydrocarbons sector for the first time since 1938 and reforms to its power sector. 

That potential started to fade in 2018 when Andrés Manuel López Obrador became Mexico’s president, vowing to reverse those plans and introduce his own set of reforms to bolster the country’s domestic energy companies.

In a statement, the firm said: “We have closed our local law office in Mexico City, in order to align our international platform with our strategic objectives. Mayer Brown has a long history of advising on transactions, disputes and other matters involving Mexico, and our commitment remains unchanged.”

It added: “Our Latin America practice will continue advising clients on cross-border matters in Mexico and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, partnering as to local law issues with our former colleagues in Mexico City working in new local firms that they have formed.”

Those affected by the closure include partners Francisco García Naranjo, Jan Boker Regens and Raul Fernández Briseño, who have launched a new firm alongside senior associate Francisco Javier Garibay Güémez called Fernández García-Naranjo Boker & Garibay (FGB).

The new firm is focusing on M&A, banking and finance, and restructuring and insolvency. The team also includes former Mayer Brown associates Mauricio Rivas Barriga and Sebastián Fernández Alonso Marquez and a group of law clerks including César Menchaca and Abril Arriaga.

Law.com reported that Mayer Brown Mexico City counsel and capital markets regional head Jorge Escalante and associate Jorge Olivares Fuentes are heading to White & Case. Escalante, who joined Mayer Brown from Creel back in 2022, was previously an associate at White & Case between 2012 and 2015.

Law.com also said former Mayer Brown associate Claudia Ramos has joined Galicia Abogados and Eduardo Diego-Fernández Forseck has joined Mauser Packaging Solutions as director of legal affairs for Latin America.

The Mexico City exit leaves Mayer Brown with Brazil as its only presence in Latin America through its association with local firm Tauil & Chequer Advogados, which has offices in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Vitoria.

The departure comes amid a turbulent time for Mexico’s legal system as the government plans to overhaul the judiciary by introducing a popular vote to elect judges. The country’s Supreme Court is expected to vote today (5 November) whether the reforms violate parts of the constitution, setting up a potential showdown with the government.

While Mayer Brown is retreating, other international firms have been seeking to expand their Mexico presence this year. Back in July, Spanish firm Garrigues agreed to merge with local firm Sánchez Devanny, following a similar move by Spanish peer Pérez-Llorca, which merged with 100-lawyer local firm González Calvillo in April.