Widely recognized for his energy knowledge and increasing visibility in the oil sector, Bruno Ciuffetelli's practice focuses mainly on advising Latin American companies in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.

Bruno represents clients in these industries in a variety of matters, including the structuring of international joint ventures, construction contracts, license and technology transfers, and project finance. Co-Chair of the Hogan Lovells Latin America Practice Group, he has represented major national oil companies in the region in complex structured finance operations and also in capital markets. Recently, he has been involved in major lending transactions between China and Latin America.

Bruno, described by market commentators as a "splendid lawyer," also has extensive international corporate knowledge of companies from a wide range of industries. He has advised international banks and financial institutions on privatizations and acquisitions of local banks in the region. Bruno also advises multinationals in their business strategies, mergers, and restructuring of their operations in different countries in Latin America.

At the same time, Bruno also keeps an important antitrust practice; he has represented major companies in investigations before the Venezuelan Antitrust Agency, analyzed the need for notifying mergers in different countries in the region, and advised clients on general antitrust matters in Latin America. He has also assisted Venezuelan state-owned oil companies in antitrust lawsuits in the United States. Additionally, Bruno has represented companies in Latin America and state-owned entities in dispute resolutions through settlement negotiations or international arbitration.

Ranked by Global Competition Review PLC and Latin Lawyer 2005 as one of the world's top competition lawyers, Bruno brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role at Hogan Lovells.

*Bruno is a foreign legal consultant with the state of Texas.