Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced today that Juan Francisco Méndez will become Co-Head of the Firm’s Latin America Practice.
“Juan Francisco has a long track record of success, including some of the most impactful capital markets and M&A transactions in Latin America,” said Alden Millard, Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “His proven leadership and deep regional expertise make him the right person to serve as Co-Head of our Latin America Practice along with Grenfel Calheiros. We think this combination of lifelong Simpson Thacher lawyers is a star tandem to lead our regional practice for years to come.”
Juan Francisco advises on cross-border transactional matters across Latin America, representing leading companies and investment banks in IPOs, bond and loan financings, M&A, restructurings and other complex situations. He joined Simpson Thacher in New York in 1999, straight out of law school. Since then, Juan Francisco has been recognized as a leading lawyer for the region for many years, including by Chambers, Legal 500, IFLR, Latin Lawyer and The Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA), among others.
The regional leadership team also includes Grenfel Calheiros, who has led the Firm’s São Paulo office for over a decade and has been Co-Head of the Latin America Practice since last year. While they will share responsibility for the region as a whole and the team functions on an integrated basis, Juan Francisco’s historic focus across Spanish-speaking countries, including Argentina, the Andean countries and Mexico, is the perfect complement to Grenfel’s practice in Brazil and neighboring countries. Together, they will oversee a team of seven partners and 35 lawyers who advise on Latin American transactions and dispute resolution, and work to continue to strengthen Simpson Thacher’s reputation as a premier international law firm in the region.
Juan Francisco said, “It is an honor to lead our team together with my partner and friend Grenfel. We are focused on building on the Firm’s more than 100-year history in the region by continuing to give our clients premier legal services and access to Simpson Thacher’s world-class lawyers and resources.”
“Our strength in Latin America is our team of professionals, our clients and our geographic reach,” said Grenfel. “I look forward to working with Juan Francisco as together we aim to assure the optimal representation to our clients in cross-border transactions and disputes in the region.”
Todd Crider, who has led the Latin America Practice for the last decade, will continue as a Partner in the group, leading relationships with key private equity and corporate clients in the region. Todd noted, “This is a planned transition that we believe will rejuvenate and strengthen our leadership team, while I remain dedicated to representing our clients in the region.”
In early 2026, the team added Christian Albanesi, a highly regarded attorney in international arbitration with extensive experience in Latin America, to reinforce the Firm’s dispute resolution practice in the region.
Simpson Thacher’s Latin America Practice is widely recognized as a market leader by Chambers & Partners, Latin Lawyer, LatinFinance, International Financial Law Review, Latinvex and many others. The team advises on complex cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets offerings, loan agreements, private equity investments and infrastructure financings involving global corporations, sovereigns, private equity firms and financial institutions. The Firm’s work extends across industries ranging from technology, telecom, digital infrastructure and energy to financial services and consumer products.
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