{{insights.date}}
{{insights.type}}
{{insights.contentTypeTag}}
Awilda M. Alcántara-Bourdier
Partner
Awilda Alcántara-Bourdier focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, contracts, finance, corporate law and tax matters. She represents multinational clients regarding the structuring of their business interests and investments in the Dominican Republic, primarily in the electric, financial services, manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as in general project finance. She provides ongoing advice on commercial and tax-related matters, as well as strategic transactions, and advises clients on the drafting and negotiation of complex contracts such as share purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, shareholders’ agreements and loan and security agreements.
Awilda is recognized for corporate/commercial matters in the Dominican Republic by Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America and also noted by LatinLawyer 250 2017 for corporate governance and finance and mergers and acquisitions. She has been classified as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000,The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms, and as an expert in finance and corporate by Who's Who Legal Central America.
She teaches Mergers and Acquisitions at the Masters Program in business law and international litigation jointly offered by the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain and is a frequent speaker and writer on issues related to corporate law.
Awilda is a member of the Asociación Dominicana de Promoción y Protección de la Libre Competencia and of Asociación Nacional de Jóvenes Empresarios. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Dispute Resolution of the Chamber of Commerce of Santo Domingo and of the Board of Directors of Instituto OMG, a leading advance education institution in the country.
- Represented the principal shareholders of Banco León in its successful integration with Centro Financiero BHD, S.A., owner of the Dominican Republic’s second largest bank, resulting in the creation of a combined financial group called Centro Financiero BHD León, S.A. The historic merger, the largest deal to date in the Dominican Republic’s financial sector, resulted in the establishment of the country’s second largest privately-held bank, with assets of 182 billion pesos (approximately US$4.2 billion).
- Representing Japan Tobacco International, the world's third-largest tobacco company, operating in more than 120 countries and which employs more than 26,000 people, in its acquisition of a 50% stake in the Dominican Republic's La Tabacalera, a tobacco company operating as a joint venture with the Dominican government.
- Representing the Dominican Republic’s distributor of a US-based heavy machinery manufacturer in a complex acquisition process of a majority stake of the company’s stock from a large group of shareholders in order to comply with the manufacturer ’s corporate control requirements in respect to its dealers.
- Acting as Grupo Promerica Dominican Republic counsel in the acquisition of Banco Citibank de Guatemala, S.A. And Cititarjetas de Guatemala, Limitada, among other related companies, belonging to Citibank in that nation.
- Assisting a client in a US$38 million acquisition of a majority stake in the largest ice cream producer and distributor in the Dominican Republic including the drafting and negotiation of share purchase and shareholders’ agreements.
- Representing long-time client CCI Puesto de Bolsa, S.A., a Santo Domingo-based securities broker, in securing all necessary regulatory approvals to undertake an initial public offering of its stock within the securities market of the Dominican Republic, considered historic as it was the first such offering ever to be approved in the country.
- Assisting a client in the acquisition of a local bank in distress including drafting and negotiation of complex transaction documents such as a memorandum of understanding, guaranty of RD$6 billion from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, and management and share purchase agreements, among others. Assisting the same bank in the sale of its assets and liabilities to a second banking entity and rendering advice on the process for the cancellation of its banking license and negotiation of certain liabilities with the Monetary Authorities.
- Acting as Dominican corporate counsel to the second largest telecom carrier in the Dominican Republic and the only Dominican company ever listed on the New York Stock Exchange in complex Chapter 11 restructuring involving more than US$650 million in debt. Acting as counsel to the same telecommunications carrier in the merger of its operations with its cable services subsidiary.
- Representing banking clients during transformation processes from credit and savings entities to full service banks.
- Representing a client in the termination of a joint venture agreement and buyout of shares of the joint venture company, as well as termination of the distribution agreement and execution of a new distribution agreement.
- Counseling a multinational company in the implementation of an equipment financing structure in the Dominican Republic including advice on tax and the granting of a security interest, and drafting and negotiation of several security and financing agreements with local clients, and with the Dominican state.
- Representing various financial institutions in the drafting and negotiation of infrastructure loans.
- Representing a multinational company in matters related to the establishment of an electric generation company in the Dominican Republic to install a 100 MW electric generating plant including advice on placement of foreign direct investment and tax structure; the attainment of all governmental approvals; drafting and negotiation of joint venture agreements, loan and security documents; and several complex agreements with the Dominican government and its agencies.
- Advising a major credit card company in the creation of a joint credit card processing structure in conjunction with several of the primary banking institutions in the Dominican Republic.
- Representing US investors during privatization of Dominican state-owned companies including the Dominican power company, the state-owned tobacco company and salt/plaster mines.
Education
- Suffolk University, LL.M., 1998
- Pontificia Univer. Catolica Madre y Maestra, LL.B., magna cum laude, 1996
Admissions
- Dominican Republic, 1997
Memberships & Affiliations
- Member, Asociación Dominicana de Promoción y Protección de la Libre Competencia
- Member, Asociación Nacional de Jóvenes Empresarios
Languages
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Highly regarded in IFLR1000 2019 for banking and M&A in Dominican Republic
- Recognized among Latin America’s “Top 100 Female Lawyers” by Latinvex in the category of “Corporate/M&A”, 2015-2018, 2020
- Recognized by Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America as a leading practitioner for corporate and commercial law
- Recognized in the 2017 edition of Latin Lawyer 250 as a leading lawyer in the Dominican Republic in corporate and M&A and banking and finance