Lauded for its ‘extensive knowledge’ and ‘good customer service’, the team at Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez, S.C. primarily handles the environmental aspects of M&A and real estate transactions, in addition to a range of advisory environmental mandates, among them permitting, contaminated sites, emissions and zoning. Recent standout matters have included the drafting of an environmental regulatory strategy for General Atlantic following its acquisition of MAC Hospitals; and advising Greenfield Partners on the environmental implications of its purchase of a decommissioned facility in Nuevo Laredo. Real estate and environmental specialist Carlos de Icaza steers the practice group and has significant experience providing real estate investment trusts, development companies and private equity funds with transactional support. Additional key contacts include counsels Alejandro Castelló, who also takes care of real estate and environmental matters; Jessica Villaverde, who deals with environmental impact assessments, water law, and hazardous waste and contaminated site mandates; and Mariana Westendarp, who also focuses on environmental advisory work.

Highlighted by one client as ‘the best environmental law team in Mexico’, the group at Galicia Abogados S.C. is equipped to handle the gamut of matters, including environmental due diligence for corporate transactions, regulatory matters and litigation. Advisory mandates that include water and wastewater, contaminated sites, waste management and carbon credits constitute an additional pillar of the practice. Recent months have seen the team act on high-profile matters that include providing regulatory advice to Green Tank; providing environmental counsel to New Fortress Energy; and advising Cementos Moctezuma on water-related issues. The practice is jointly directed by Mariana Herrero, who has broad advisory experience and a particular specialism in water rights and the design of strategies to ensure compliance with wastewater regulations; and Carlos Escoto, who majors on the environmental aspects of M&A and financing projects. Key names to note at associate level include Lucía Manzo and Lourdes Lozano, who support the partners on the regulatory and environmental aspects of energy and infrastructure projects.

Boasting a ‘high degree of specialisation’ and a ‘strong technical capacity’, the team at Carvajal Machado Abogados is known for its strength in a variety of environmental law matters for which it is regularly called upon by mining and hospitality companies, in particular. Key areas of focus for the group include waste management, environmental impact assessments, water, waste water and permitting mandates, and administrative litigation. A recent standout matter saw the practice group represent a neighbourhood association in Mexico City, successfully blocking illegal developments and environmental violations in the Bosque de Chapultepec. Gustavo Carvajal spearheads the department and specialises in regulatory issues and advisory and contentious environmental work. Administrative law specialists Pilar Galván and Juan Pedro Machado are also active on contentious environmental mandates. Senior associate Jorge Gómez DeSilva's practice takes in urban and ecological planning and land use, and he has substantial experience advising mining and oil-and-gas clients on the regulations applicable to natural protected areas. Carlos Del Razo left the firm in February 2023.

Lauded for its ‘excellent service … follow-up on issues, and clear responses’, the team at Pérez-Llorca - formerly González Calvillo until the firms' merger in July 2004 - advises on the gamut of environmental mandates, including those relating to water concessions and wastewater discharge permits, environmental due diligence, risk mitigation and litigation. The group’s broad client roster is home to corporate clients in the aquaculture, real estate, energy and chemical sectors. Recent highlights saw the team lobby the National Water Commission in order to secure wastewater discharge permits for Gas y Petroquímica de Occidente; and advise Baja Aqua Farms on the sale of equity interests to a consortium of investors. Leadership of the practice is shared between a group of four counsels, comprising Enrique Muñoz Guízar, Carlos Fernando Castilla, Paola Hernández Villalvazo and Julia González. Muñoz Guízar has ample experience in regulatory matters, public bids, and water concessions; Castilla majors on administrative litigation and the resolution of environmental disputes. For her part, Hernández Villalvazo has significant experience mining-sector experience, as well as environmental class action defence; while González has focused her practice on regulatory matters, dispute resolution, risk prevention and the development of infrastructure projects. ‘First-class’ senior associate Georgina Zavala is praised for her ‘extensive subject knowledge’ and specialises in water law.

The expertise of the practice group at Hogan Lovells encompasses environmental compliance, polluted sites and waste management, water supply and wastewater discharges, as well as environmental impact considerations for infrastructure projects throughout Mexico. Routinely acting on behalf of construction, mining, automotive, and energy-sector clients, the team is also equipped to conduct environmental audits and handle environmental litigation before local and federal courts. Practice lead Mauricio Llamas joined the firm from Jones Day in April 2023, bringing with him senior associate Mauricio Villegas, along with two further associates. Llamas' practice is centred on administrative and regulatory matters with regards to environmental and health and safety law, and has particular focus on waste management and recycling, contaminated site liability, site abandonment procedures and air emissions mandates. Villegas is noted for his knowledge of industrial and natural resources exploitation, the development of compliance strategies and remediation procedures.

The team at environmental boutique Pontones & Ledesma is specialised in providing environmental regulatory compliance advice to domestic and international clients, including those working in the retail, energy, food and drink, and construction segments. A pillar of the practice involves the obtaining of authorisations from governmental agencies including ASEA, SEMARNAT and CONAGUA, and it has additional capabilities in litigation and audits. The founding partners share leadership: Luigi Pontones specialises in advisory and contentious environmental mandates; while Arturo Ledesma maintains an advisory practice that takes in audits, environmental impact assessments, emissions, pollution and hazardous waste. Senior associate Valeria Bustamante focuses on environmental audits and has particular knowledge of water and wastewater matters. Pablo Martínez Santuario, Fernanda Barrientos Carrasco, and Irvin Mallen are additional associate-level contacts and support the partners across the gamut of matters.

The environmental group at Von Wobeser y Sierra, SC has a track record in advising on a range of environmental compliance mandates, namely those involving water supply and waste water discharge, along with environmental impact assessments; and the securing of municipal, state, and federal environmental and social permits for the development of projects. Arbitration and litigation stemming from environmental disputes constitute an additional pillar of the practice. The team is frequently retained by major multinationals working across the food and drink, retail, automotive and hospitality sectors, who benefit from the firm’s full-service offering and the transactional expertise that comes with it. The practice is co-led by Edmond Grieger, who handles advisory matters, as well as administrative arbitration and litigation; and Ariel Garfio, who specialises in the development, construction and operation of energy and infrastructure projects, in addition to environmental, regulatory and agrarian matters. The key associate-level contact is Roberto Flores, who focuses on providing day-to-day regulatory and environmental advice to domestic and international companies, as well as handling real estate and projects mandates.

The environmental group at Greenberg Traurig, S.C. is well-placed to handle mandates relating to environmental and regulatory permitting, contaminated sites, waste management, and air and water pollution. Additional areas of expertise include infrastructure, real estate and projects, as well as environmental due diligence for M&A transactions. The group is regularly instructed by clients in the oil-and-gas, food and beverage, healthcare, renewables and banking segments. Erick Hernández Gallego steers the practice and routinely advises corporations on environmental impact and risk matters, the financing of green projects and emissions reductions. Additional key contacts include senior associate Luis Jorge Akle, who focuses on environmental compliance and renewable energy projects. A recent highlight saw the group advise Vive Energía on its environmental and regulatory obligations in a series of renewable energy projects, including an offshore wind farm and a green hydrogen plant.

Lauded for the ‘outstanding level of knowledge and coordination’ of its team members, the group at Grepe, Lavin & Zavaleta, SC is equipped to handle a range of environmental mandates, among them permitting, waste and wastewater mandates, regulatory compliance, enforcement actions and litigation. Recent standout matters have included assisting Kansas City Southern Mexico with environmental compliance support, and advising the Climate Action Reserve of California on the drafting of a new forest protocol for the development of carbon projects in Mexico. As of 2024, environmental and litigation specialist Pedro Morales is the sole practice head. He garners client praise for his ‘outstanding track record in the environmental field’, and is highlighted by another as ‘one of the best environmentalists in the country’. Additional key contacts include administrative litigator David Perales; and Juan Ignacio López Domínguez, who majors on environmental tax matters.

The ‘complete’ team at Ritch, Mueller y Nicolau, S.C. demonstrates advisory, regulatory, and transactional capabilities in the environmental arena. Core areas of expertise include water and wastewater, waste management, air emissions, land use, and environmental due diligence. Recent work has included an environmental and regulatory due diligence review for Baja Aqua Farms, a Baja California-based company engaged in the production and distribution of bluefin tuna. The environmental and ESG-focused Brenda Rogel steers the practice and is noted for her advisory, regulatory and contentious strength; her practice has particular focus on the management of contaminated sites and environmental emergencies, as well as the formulation of sustainability and climate change strategies for corporations. Additional key contacts include senior associates Estuardo Anaya, lauded as ‘up-to-date’ and primarily concerned with consulting, litigation and the development of environmental management and compliance systems; Javier Camacho (environmental impact and risk, national waters use, wastewater discharge, air emissions); and Ana Paulina Arenas (regulatory and environmental compliance reviews for infrastructure projects).

The environmental team at Baker McKenzie Abogados, S.C. advises real estate, mining, energy and manufacturing-sector clients on regulatory compliance, clean-ups, audits, and corporate policies, as well as representing them in contentious administrative proceedings and litigation. Tijuana-based senior counsel Federico Ruanova Guinea leads the firm’s environmental and climate law practice in Mexico. Ruanova specialises in advising clients on compliance with air emissions, water and wastewater, hazardous and non-hazardous waste and occupational health and safety requirements. Guadalajara-based senior associate Alejandra Muriel Vizcaino is focused on banking, finance and projects, and routinely takes care of renewing environmental permits and carrying out environmental due diligence. Recent highlights saw the group advise on disposal requirements, reforestation projects and the purchase of carbon credits.

Working under the leadership of counsel Roberto Torres Velasco, who joined the firm as head of the Mexican Government Regulations practice group from Garrigues Mexico in May 2023, the team at Jones Day handles a range of environmental mandates. Core areas of expertise include due diligence for corporate transactions, regulatory compliance, crisis management and providing support to clients facing regulatory agency investigations. Velasco is well-versed in environmental and administrative law and has additional experience in M&A, project finance and corporate restructuring. Associate Andrés Lieja specialises in administrative litigation, tax, and due diligence. Ex-practice head Mauricio Llamas left the firm in April 2023.

The team at Lammoglia Abogados, lauded by one client as ‘professional, fast and friendly’, is equipped to handle the range of advisory and contentious environmental mandates. Particular areas of expertise include environmental impact assessments for construction projects, environmental audits, permitting, authorisations, and environmental defence and litigation. The group is frequently occupied with energy, mining and real estate mandates, and is called upon by domestic and foreign companies alike, as well as local government entities. Founding partner and practice co-head Franco Lammoglia majors on administrative law, litigation and ESG matters. Alongside him, key senior associate María Fernanda Garibay also co-leads and deals with litigation and administrative matters, along with issues pertaining to sustainable development, indigenous consultations and energy law.

The expertise of the team at LHO takes in environmental compliance, regulatory matters, permitting, project development and related litigation. A recent standout matter saw the group assist Veolia and EVH with a circular economy project involving the transformation of scrapped cars into electric vehicles and the creation of energy with organic waste. Leadership of the practice is shared between managing partner Luis Miguel Ramírez, who handles renewable energy projects and ESG matters; and real estate, energy and project finance specialist Luis Enrique Rangel. The key name to note at associate level is Morelos office lead Jimena Aranza Zubiaga Garza, who majors on project development mandates, the drafting of contracts and administrative permits applications.

The practice at Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes S.C. specialises in a range of mandates, including environmental due diligence for M&A transactions, administrative and criminal environmental litigation, carrying out environmental risk evaluations, and advising on remediation processes. Ensuring compliance with environmental regulations concerning water use, wastewater discharges, air pollution emissions, and environmental impact reports are all additional facets of the practice. Leadership of the practice group is shared between counsel Gabriel Calvillo and senior associate Paula Pérez. Calvillo brings previous experience as head of Environmental Crimes Division of the Federal Department of Justice to the table and focuses on representing corporations in litigation, as well assisting with environmental due diligence. Pérez, for her part, takes care of environmental impact assessments, hazardous and non-hazardous waste management, soil pollution and urban development matters. Associates Paulina Martínez (administrative litigation and environmental compliance) and Aisha Calderón (renewable energies and environmental law) are additional names to note.

Praised as standing out for its ‘professional treatment of clients and in-depth knowledge of the subject in question’, the practice at Santamarina y Steta handles a range of matters that includes ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, obtaining permits, carrying out environmental audits and advising on ESG strategy. Corporations from the hospitality, food and drinks, pharma, and heavy industry segments routinely feature on the group’s client list. Leadership of the practice is shared between Mexico City-based Claudia Rodríguez and Monterrey-based Heriberto Garza. Rodríguez specialises in real estate, environmental, agrarian and indigenous matters; while Garza focuses on real estate, environmental, corporate and wealth planning. Senior associate David González Vega focuses on matters of urban development, water use, climate change, and the sustainable development of energy and infrastructure projects.