Rafael Felipe Cereceres Ronquillo

Education and Bar Admittance

• Graduated from the Chihuahua´s University (Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua) in 1995, with honors
• Graduated as Master in Corporate Law from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Chihuahua in 1999

Languages

• Spanish and English

Practice Areas

• Corporate law, Mining, Banking and Finance, Labor, Real Estate
  and Foreign Investment

Professional Experience

• July 2009 – to date: Partner of the law firm Cereceres Estudio Legal, S.C.
• 1999 – July 2009: Partner of Baker & McKenzie Abogados, S.C., Corporate Practice Group
  • From September 1999 to December 2004:  2004 he worked in the Juarez office, and from January 2005 to July 2009 he worked in the Chihuahua office

Experience in the Legal Practice

• He has participated in several acquisitions, mergers, spin-offs, joint ventures and corporate restructures for companies in the mining, aerospace, automotive and health industry, among others.
• Likewise, he has particular expertise in dealing with mining companies and handling companies with international projects. He currently represents several mining companies with foreign investment and has participated in many activities related to various industries, drafting all type of agreements and manufacturing transactions, among others.
• He also renders labor assistance, including prevention and organizational activities, as well as coordinating labor litigation.
• He has expertise in banking transactions, for Mexican and foreign banks, for the funding of major projects, including the drafting, review and negotiation of credit and guarantee agreements.
• In the real estate area, he has been in practice for more than twenty years in rendering legal services for the development of industrial parks, construction, exploitation of national waters and agrarian law, as well as public contracts.

Management Experience

• Responsible for the management of the firm Cereceres Estudio Legal, S.C.
• Formerly, while working in the Chihuahua office of Baker & McKenzie and in parallel to his legal practice, he was coordinator of the Corporate Practice Group during 4 years. During such term, he was in charge of the financial planning, business development and human capital of the members of the practice group. In addition and under the leadership of the national coordinator of the practice group and CFO and COO of the firm, he worked in the preparation and implementation of national business development plans of the firm. Likewise, he was the coordinator in Mexico of the mining industry, assisting the most important clients of said firm.

Teaching Experience

• He has been professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Chihuahua and Campus Juarez for more than 13 years in the following courses: Business Law, Private Law, Public Law, Foreign Trade Law, Customs Law, Civil Contracts, International Private Law and Methodology of Law
• Formerly, he was professor at master´s level at the Institutio Internacional del Derecho y del Estado with the course Methodology of Law.
• AHe is currently one of the Directors of the Law School of the Universidad La Salle Chihuahua, A.C.

Publications, Presentations and Articles

• He is co-author of the chapter “Civil Contracts” of the book “Doing Business in Mexico” by Juris Publishing Inc., 2001, and their respective updates.
• He has also been guest speaker for many different seminars organized by local and international institutions, among others: Negotiation with Foreign Mining Companies, Chapter XI of the NAFTA and Agreements for the Protection of Foreign Investment, How to do business in Mexico, Fiscal Aspects of the Real Estate, Legal Structures and Taxes in Mexico, and Operation of Foreign Entities in Mexico, The Labor Reform and its implications in the Mining Industry, Impact of the New regulations in the Mining Industry in Mexico.

Professional Affiliations

• He is a member of the Mexican Association of Municipalities, the National Association of Corporate Lawyers, the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada