Ulises Cabrera have been recognized by the British directory The Legal 500, as one of the Leading Firms of the Dominican Republic. Ulises Cabrera, law firm with over 50 years of experience, has been ranked in the practice areas of Corporate and M&A, Intellectual Property, Dispute Resolution, Labour & Employment, Real Estate and Tourism and Environment, the last three areas debuting in the legal ranking for the first time.
Corporate and M&A
The Legal 500 points out that, Ulises Cabrera has longstanding experience of advising local and international clients on corporate matters, including M&A, foreign investments, corporate finance, regulatory issues, and agency and distribution contracts. Notable areas of expertise include the financial, technology, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. Founding partner Ulises Cabrera leads the team alongside managing partner José Cruz Campillo, whose practice covers foreign investments, free trade zone matters and agency and distribution law, and Mónica Villafaña, who advises on a wide range of commercial contracts and corporate transactions, as well as competition law.
Intellectual Property
In the same vein, The Legal 500 recognized again the Intellectual Property department, which is headed by partner Magdalena Almonte, as one of the leading firms in the Dominican Republic. The editors say that the department acts for clients such as Rolex in filing opposition actions against others’ trademark applications in order to protect their IP. Protective strategies also include advice on unauthorized use of a trademark for GlaxoSmithKline, filing complaints for damage to the reputation of a trademark and defending clients against annulment actions for non-use. Patents and industrial designs for technology clients are also covered, with practice head Magdalena Almonte and associate Aidaluz Pimentel providing day-to-day advice to Xiaomi on its portfolio of distinctive signs and filing a patent application for Derrick Corporation, as well as the IP aspects of due diligence as part of an acquisition.
Dispute resolution
The British directory recognized the firm´s Dispute Resolution department as a leading one, for the second time. As part of the study results, The Legal 500 indicates that Ulises Cabrera ‘s diverse areas of expertise include disputes relating to forced evictions, licensing contracts, tax collection, public contracting, financial and technology-related crime, and damages claims in the maritime sector. In addition, the team is active in the settlement of disputes involving high-profile families in the Dominican Republic.
Labour & Employment
For this practice area, the British ranking indicated that Ulises Cabrera is experienced in labour litigation, representing both employers and employees, in addition to handling negotiations with labour unions. The team also advises on a wide range of non-contentious matters, including the drafting of internal regulations and compliance with local labour and social security laws (as well as new health and safety regulations stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic). Founding partner Ulises Cabrera and managing partner José Cruz Campillo are particularly active in labour disputes, and Monica Villafaña advises corporate clients on labour issues.
Real Estate and Tourism
Ulises Cabrera counts the Asociación Popular de Ahorros y Préstamo (APAP) as a key client, advising the bank frequently on foreclosure litigation against debtors. The firm represents clients in lawsuits against the Dominican state, defending APAP in a title fraud matter and suing on behalf of landowner SONULI regarding compensation for land affected by road building. The team has also advised SONULI on title and demarcation issues, two areas of which the firm has much experience. Name partner Ulises Cabrera leads, and ‘excellent’ senior associate Jeanny Aristy Santana assists in the majority of the firm’s matters, which are often for private clients; Cabrera co-led with Leslie Cabrera on an individual’s sale of lands amounting to 150m sq m. Freddy Zarzuela advises on housing projects, with experience in foreclosure cases.
Environment
Following in the footsteps of the Real Estate & Tourism and Labor practices, Environment joins the successful list of practices highly valued by The Legal 500. The editors say that Ulises Cabrera provides environmental expertise for manufacturing clients, with managing partner José Cruz Campillo recently representing a textile company in administrative appeals against fines for violations of environmental regulations. Cruz Campillo also leads the team in negotiations of permits with the Ministry of Environment, assisted by Heiddy Moronta, who works on all environmental matters at the firm. The pair collaborated on amending a permit for a textile plant, a key element of the plant’s environmental plan, as well as renewing a permit for healthcare manufacturer Cardinal Health. The team also assisted multinational environmental consultants with permits to allow them to carry out environmental impact studies for a mining company.