McConnell Valdés LLC

For 75 years, McConnell Valdés has been an integral part of shaping the Puerto Rico business world. Today, our Corporate Practice builds on this distinguished tradition of leadership by representing businesses and individuals in a broad range of commercial and financial transactions. Our goal is simple: to lead our clients to effective and innovative solutions to even the most complex transactions.

We offer our diverse group of clients – which includes publicly traded corporations in the financial, health care, insurance, pharmaceutical, retail, infrastructure, media, and telecommunications industries, as well as privately-held businesses – an exceptional level of responsive service and value-added advice in all areas of law that touch on doing business in Puerto Rico.

As results-driven dealmakers and creative problem solvers, our knowledgeable and experienced bi-lingual corporate attorneys are uniquely able to partner with clients engaged in virtually every kind of business transaction – from securities and mergers and acquisitions to corporate reorganizations and deliver exceptional results.

Possessing a thorough command of the complexities of Puerto Rico’s current economic situation, our Corporate attorneys excel at helping clients execute highly sophisticated multi-point deals involving corporate, real estate, tax, labor and environmental issues. In addition, our Government Affairs & Public Policy attorneys, the largest team of any law firm in the Island, is one of the most influential government affairs groups in Puerto Rico.

We are recognized leaders. Our clients commend our team of “extremely responsive, quick” corporate attorneys for “performing at the highest level” in delivering “in-depth analysis and creative solutions” on sophisticated corporate and regulatory matters, as well as complex, large-scale financial transactions. In every representation, we take the time to identify - and anticipate - our clients’ business needs  so that we can respond with targeted solutions that produce desired outcomes. We offer counsel in every aspect of a corporate transaction - from structuring strategic business plans to negotiating and executing deals; from business formation and licensing to trademark registration; from corporate governance counseling to legal due diligence.

Our proactive approach breeds success. Our highly respected Practice Group has been top-ranked by Chambers and Partners Latin America six times since 2009, while four group attorneys are distinguished as Leading Lawyers by Chambers Latin America and Global Guides. Additionally, many of our group members were selected by their peers as The Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico 2016.

Since McConnell Valdés was founded over 75 years ago ours has been one of Puerto Rico’s leading Labor & Employment Practice groups in Puerto Rico. And, when it comes to problem-solving, we are second to none in Puerto Rico, achieving winning outcomes – and setting precedents -- in both federal and local courts on behalf of our clients, who praise our team for its responsive and knowledgeable handling of complex, high profile labor-related cases and disputes.

Our attorneys are recognized and respected leaders in the field, distinguishing themselves by successfully representing management in major union movement employer campaigns and elections, as well as in discrimination, wrongful discharge and multiple party claims. We have championed court decisions that have impacted case law in age, gender, and disability discrimination, as well as sexual harassment and workers’ compensation. In every engagement, our clients benefit from the knowledge and experience of our credentialed attorneys, some of whom are ranked as Leading Lawyers by Chambers and Partners Latin America and Global Guides and ranked among The Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico.  The group is also consistently ranked as a Top Tier Labor & Employment practice in Puerto Rico. 

For 75 years, clients have trusted attorneys in the McConnell Valdés Litigation Practice Group to help them efficiently resolve even the most complex and contentious business disputes. Consistent leaders in the field, we are widely acknowledged by clients and peers as one of the few – if not the only – firms that can handle even the most highly technical, high-stakes, and complex litigation cases in Puerto Rico.

First and foremost, we are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and interests throughout the judicial and administrative process. Ever-sensitive to our clients business needs, we provide preventive counsel and strategic plans to help them avoid litigation and manage and settle claims.

Should litigation become unavoidable, our clients know that we thrive on the challenge and have the bench of experience to tackle – and prevail against – formidable opponents. Unlike many other firms, we work closely with our clients to involve them in every stage of the litigation process, as we pursue and resolve everything from complex commercial and corporate matters to contractual disputes, from issues of first impressions to a range of securities, tax, insurance and distribution law and other business-related matters.

We are nimble negotiators, often bringing matters to a speedy resolution through mediated settlements that avoid costly and lengthy trials. In the courtroom, our experienced litigators are aggressive, persuasive advocates for our clients, whether they are facing high-stakes class actions or challenging the constitutionality of local tax law. Our team litigators welcome the challenge of handling difficult cases in every forum, from judicial courts and administrative agencies to specialized and tribunals.

For our roster of local and multinational clients, we are trusted partners. Clients facing the challenges of litigation look to us for exceptional – and cost-effective – representation before local and federal fora, as well as in multi-district litigation venues such as the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  We continue to build on our proven track record by obtaining successful outcomes for corporate clients of all sizes, as well as for individuals.

Our Litigation team is highly regarded for the outstanding legal insight that informs winning case strategies. Chambers & Partners, the gold standard of legal review, has consistently praised our “thorough and well-prepared” litigators. A number of our team members are named as Leading Lawyers by Chambers & Partners and are among The Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico 2020.

Since our founding in 1946, McConnell Valdés has established an unassailable reputation as Puerto Rico’s preeminent full service law firm, long recognized for helping our clients anticipate, seize, and build on opportunities that will help their businesses – and our island – flourish and prosper.

Our Real Estate, Hospitality & Finance Practice Group is highly experienced in the full range of real estate services. Top-ranked by Chambers & Partners Latin America, clients praise us for our ability to handle “some of the most sophisticated work in the real estate area.”

We not only understand real estate law, we write it. Team partners participated in the drafting of the Puerto Rico Tourism Act of 1993 and the Puerto Rico Tourism Development Act of 2010, which paved the way for the development of new hotels on the island and allowed existing hotels to expand their operations. Most recently, the group helped conceptualize and draft the Tourism Industry Support Act of 2016. Team partners also participated in the drafting of the Timeshare and Vacation Act, the Vacations Home Act, the Condohotel Act and the Film Industry Act, among others.

Our team’s track record in hotel and resort development is unmatched: we have participated in the development and financing of all of the recent major hotel and resort projects in Puerto Rico, as well as in the island’s first significant time-share program. We are in the vanguard of virtually every tourism and large-scale hotel development in Puerto Rico – no small accomplishment in an island that’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean. Our model for major real estate transactions which combines tax, investment and financing incentives available has becomes the standard for tourism development in Puerto Rico.

In addition to our hospitality projects, we are highly experienced in handling complex real estate transactions involving the sale and leasing of energy and medical facilities, aviation and retail projects, and large-scale commercial and residential developments.

Our attorneys possess ample expertise and proven proficiency in notarial law, mortgage and registry of property law and UCC secured transactions. All members of the group are knowledgeable in crafting specialized financing deals of different types, including commercial and construction lending; asset-based lending; syndicated and structured finance; mortgage warehousing; floor planning and aircraft and vessel financing.

The group also manages matters related to distressed or defaulted credit facilities, such as collateral reviews, debt restructurings and workouts.

The group works hand-in-hand with attorneys in the firm’s Environmental, Energy & Land Use group to help clients apply for and obtain Puerto Rico and federal permits for the development of all types of real estate projects.