Latin America Finance Team Joins Paul Hastings

Paul Hastings is pleased to announce that prominent Latin America Finance and Capital Markets partners Robert Kartheiser, Cathleen McLaughlin, and Bruno Soares have joined the firm as partners.

Their arrival furthers the strategic growth of our leading Latin America practice, as we continue to expand to help our clients take advantage of evolving opportunities across the region, particularly in growth sectors such as energy and infrastructure. The new team brings a wealth of experience in these sectors that complements our existing capabilities in the region led by Latin America practice chair Michael Fitzgerald, as well as our Americas-focused Energy practice based out of Houston.

The new partners join the firm from Allen & Overy (A&O). Mr. Kartheiser will chair our Global Project Finance practice. Ms. McLaughlin, who led A&O’s New York office International Capital Markets group, will continue to focus on Latin American capital markets transactions within our Corporate practice. They both will be based in New York. Mr. Soares, who has an extensive Brazil-based project finance practice, will be in New York until final regulatory approval is granted for him to be based in São Paulo, where the firm proposes to open a new office.

Robert Kartheiser co-chaired A&O’s Latin America practice and Americas Projects practice. He acts for both lenders and borrowers in financings and development of energy, mining, and infrastructure, including a significant focus on emerging markets (particularly Latin America).  He has done this both as a lawyer and as an investor (he led an independent power producer’s Latin American development group for six years). 

Cathleen McLaughlin founded and co-chaired A&O’s Latin America practice. Her U.S. capital markets experience includes varied transactional and advisory securities experience relating to SEC-registered and unregistered (Regulation S and Rule 144A) debt and equity offerings  by U.S., Latin American, and other foreign issuers. She has extensive experience in sovereign, corporate, and infrastructure-related financings involving Latin American, Caribbean, and European borrowers. 

Bruno Soares has over 15 years of experience doing business in Brazil, other jurisdictions in Latin America, and Africa. He has handled a wide range of transactions, including banking, projects, M&A, and capital markets matters. Mr. Soares has worked on many of Brazil’s most prominent mining, oil and gas, and energy transactions over the last 15 years.