Hughes Hubbard Expands Leading Latin American Practice With Addition of Diego Durán de la Vega and James K. Alford

New York, June 3, 2019 – Hughes Hubbard & Reed announced today that it has added to its Latin America practice Diego Durán de la Vega as partner and James K. Alford as counsel. Durán joins from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, and Alford joins from Stinson. Durán will be based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, while working with members of the Latin America practice group throughout the firm; Alford will divide his time between Washington, D.C. and Miami.  

Durán and Alford’s arrivals advance Hughes Hubbard’s strategic expansion of its practice in Latin America. Earlier this year, leading international disputes lawyer Luis O’Naghten joined the Miami office and serves as chair of Latin American Disputes; Durán will now serve as co-chair. 

Just three years ago, the firm bolstered its ability to serve clients with needs in South America through a strategic cooperation agreement with Saud Advogados, a Brazilian law firm based in Rio de Janeiro. That same year, Hughes Hubbard also welcomed as partner Ruben Diaz, the former general counsel of Grupo Pellas, a conglomerate of financial, industrial and commercial companies based primarily in Central America, who now serves as co-chair of the Latin America practice.

“We are committed to the Latin American region and our clients there, and Diego and Jim’s professional and personal accomplishments fit perfectly with our expanding practice and our plans for the future,” said Ted Mayer, chair of Hughes Hubbard. 

“We are excited to welcome Diego and Jim to Hughes Hubbard,” said Federico Goudie, co-chair of the firm’s Latin America practice. “Together, their combined decades of experience will be a great asset to our group and to our clients.”

“Diego’s knowledge and experience in litigation disputes, and Jim’s 30-plus years of experience representing clients in energy and infrastructure projects will be beneficial to our clients and to our practice,” said Diaz, co-chair of the firm’s Latin America practice. “I am looking forward to working together.”

About Durán de la Vega

Durán’s practice focuses on international disputes, including white-collar defense matters, internal investigations, commercial litigation, and international arbitration cases. He mainly advises and represents non-U.S. clients in U.S. litigation, and U.S. clients that are facing litigation abroad.

His experience as a litigator in Mexico and the U.S., his academic work in Europe, Mexico and the United States, and his cultural capabilities enable him to successfully navigate complex cross-border legal issues. He has ample experience coordinating legal teams and local counsel in different jurisdictions. He also has experience assessing compliance exposure, and designing and implementing compliance programs.

“I am very happy to join the firm and its Latin America group,” said Durán. “Having an opportunity to be part of the incredibly talented team at Hughes Hubbard is a great privilege.”

Durán has represented government agencies, international corporations and high-profile individuals. He has argued cases before U.S. courts and all levels of the Mexican judiciary, including the Mexican Supreme Court, and participated in cases before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission and its Court of Justice. 

Durán is also experienced in Mexican criminal and constitutional law. Prior to Hughes Hubbard and Quinn Emanuel, he was a successful defense lawyer at one of the top criminal law firms in Mexico, where he defended and helped prosecute dozens of cases.

Durán holds Master’s Degrees from University of Pennsylvania School of Law and Universidad Panamericana; a Wharton Business and Law Certificate from University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton Business School; and a Juris Doctorate from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

About James K. Alford

For more than 30 years, Alford has assisted U.S. and foreign private and public sector clients to design, develop, finance, and implement clean and renewable energy and infrastructure projects, corporate operations and transactions worldwide, with a particular focus on Central and Latin America and Mexico. 

He also advises clients on overseas market entry strategies and the legal structures to achieve them, from teaming arrangements and strategic alliances to public-private partnerships, equity joint ventures and stand-alone operations.

“I am pleased to join a firm with such a deep understanding of Latin America and I know that will be an enormous benefit to my clients on their most sophisticated matters,” said Alford.

As part of his project finance practice, Alford advises private and public sponsors of international turn-key energy and infrastructure projects on the acquisition of feasibility funds, projects and structured financing, political risk insurance, guarantees, and other financing enhancements from private sources and Washington-based U.S. and multilateral agencies, including the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the U.S. Export-Import Bank, and the Inter-American Investment Corporation.

Alford holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University, and a Juris Doctorate from New England School of Law. He was named by Latin America as one of the top 100 lawyers in North America with respect to his Latin America practice, and has been recognized by Latin 250 publication as one of the leading business lawyers in Latin America. 

About Hughes Hubbard’s Latin America Practice

Hughes Hubbard’s Latin America practice serves as a bridge between the business and legal systems of Latin America and other countries. The team’s knowledge, experience and in-depth understanding of the nuances of Latin American businesses, culture and legal regimes allow us to offer innovative solutions that help clients achieve their business goals. The team is comprised of multilingual attorneys, many of whom were either born in the region or have lived there.

We represent Latin American clients doing business in the United States and around the world, as well as multinational corporations and financial institutions doing business in Latin America. Our Latin America practice brings together lawyers in Miami, New York, Washington, D.C., and other offices across the firm’s global platform, to advise clients in connection with cross-border transactions throughout the region.

About Hughes Hubbard

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is a New York-based international law firm with a relentless focus on delivering successful results to our clients in their most complex matters.  With a combination of scale and agility, we provide clients innovative and effective solutions to their problems and adapt to changing market conditions. Known for our collaborative culture, as well as our diversity and pro bono achievements, Hughes Hubbard has a distinguished history dating back more than a century.