José Luis Vittor is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Houston office. José Luis focuses his practice on business law, including commercial and corporate transactions, public and private partnerships, infrastructure and other project development and finance transactions, securities, real estate transactions and international arbitration.
José Luis provides counsel and representation to some of the world’s largest banks and corporations, corporate boards and top management in commercial and corporate transactions, privatizations, project development and finance, cross-border banking, mergers and acquisitions, and direct foreign investments in Latin America, Europe, Asia and the United States.
José Luis is a former president and a member of the board of the Instituto Argentino del Petroleo y del Gas, Houston (IAPGH), an independent business relations trade organization comprised of multinational energy companies.
José Luis is a member of the Buenos Aires Bar Association and the International Bar Association, and is a founder member of the Society of British and Argentine Lawyers. José Luis is admitted to practice in Argentina and is a Foreign Legal Consultant with the state of Texas.
Representative Experience
- Representing a leading European energy trader in its successful international auction bid for supplying thermal mineral coal to Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a decentralized electric energy public entity. The auction was CFE’s first international public bid featuring a unique reverse auction mechanism with a fixed exchange rate ceiling
- Representing a leading European energy trader in international bid for supplying thermal mineral coal to an Energy Utility in Chile.
- Representing a European Renewable Energy company in the analysis of wind power markets in Latin America
- Representing a European Savings Bank in a credit facility to finance a Hotel venture in Mexico
- Representing Inveravante in the acquisition of a controlling interest in Shear Wind in Canada
- Representing a major infrastructure fund in the acquisition of multiple seaport operating companies, terminals and related assets in Florida and Texas
- Representing a major Spanish port operator and developer in the acquisition and development of terminal facilities in Louisiana, Texas and Oregon
- Representing a major foreign financial institution in the financing of a managed lane project in Texas
- Representing a major Spanish private equity fund in a potential joint venture for a major multi-use real estate project in Texa
- Representing a Spanish private equity company in a joint venture to develop transmission lines in the United States and MexicoRepresented Vetra Energia, SL, a joint venture by and between AVANTEgenera, a privately held vehicle of Spanish business mogul Manuel Jove, and the Vetra Group from Venezuela, on the formation of three joint ventures with Black Pearl Exploration, LLC to acquire, process and develop seismic data covering several states within the United States
- Represented Befesa Agua, S.A., a subsidiary of the Abengoa Group, in the structuring of its U.S. operations and subsequent acquisition of a controlling interest in NRS Consulting Engineers, Inc., and Waterbuild, Ltd
- Represented Losan Hotels Worldwide Value Added I, the leading real estate investment company specializing in Spanish hotels, in its acquisition of the Dylan Hotel in New York
- Represented Fadesa Inmobiliaria SA, one of the largest Spanish real estate companies, in the acquisition of the controlling interest of the Warner Brothers Theme Park in Madrid, Spain
- Represented Repsol YPF, S.A., the largest oil and gas company in Spain and Latin America, in its general corporate and commercial matters
- Represented an international group of engineering, construction and financial firms hired by the State of Texas Department of Transportation in the development of the multibillion dollar “Trans-Texas Corridor,” a highway and transportation infrastructure project extending from Oklahoma to Mexico
- Represented Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte SA, one of the world's largest private-sector transport infrastructure developers, in the SH-130 project and the establishment of corporate presence in Texas
- Represented Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A (SAN.MC, STD.N) in its agreement to acquire 90 percent of the U.S. auto financing company, Drive Financial Services, for approximately $651 million
- Assisted in the independent review of Banco Santander Central Hispano, S.A.'s (Santander) compliance with the rules and regulations applicable to Santander's proposed investment in Sovereign Bancorp, Inc.
- Represented Ferrovial Agroman, S.A, the construction arm of Grupo Ferrovial, in the acquisition of the Webber Group, a construction group in Texas
- Represented European renewable energy company Naturener S.A., holding owned by the Belgian industrial group, SAPEC (indirectly through the Tharsis Group), the Spanish savings bank Caja Castilla La Mancha and a private investor based in New York in their acquisition of Energy Logics, Inc. and Great Plains Wind & Energy, LLC
Education
- University of Buenos Aires, J.D., 1989
- University of Houston Law Center, LL.M., 2003
- University of Texas at Dallas, postgraduate degree in International & U.S. Domestic Law, The Center of American and International Law, 1993
Languages Spoken
- English
- German
- Portuguese
- Spanish
