José Rafael Bermúdez
Offices
legal services
José Rafael advises companies on corporate and taxmatters, with a strong focus on international transactions, including M&Adeals and EPC Contracts for industrial plants and facilities. He hassuccessfully represented international corporations in complex cases,collaborating closely with in-house counsel and experts in public affairs tosafeguard the clients' personnel and assets.
Work highlights
Led the Venezuelan legal teams representing The Coca-Cola Company in transferring six bottling plants to a trust and establishing a joint venture with OCAAT (a Cisneros Group company), successfully transitioning 18 plants from bottling Pepsi products to Coca-Cola products within a month —a transaction later recognized as a case study in Competition Law text books.
Assisted international law firms in lawsuits andarbitration proceedings carried out in New York and London. Provided experttestimony in international arbitration cases involving shareholder claims andturn-key contracts for industrial plant projects.
Advised major international engineering and construction companies on high-profile turn-key EPC contracts, including heavy crude upgraders (Sincor, Petrozuata, Cerro Negro, and Hamaca), power generationplants (Termozulia), refinery capacity expansions in Amuay and El Palito, cryogenic expansion projects (Accro Phase I & II), and petrochemical plants (Propilven, Pralca, Resilín, Olefinas II, and the ammonia and urea plants in Morón).
What clients say
Established partner José Rafael Bermúdez remains anotable figure within the corporate domain. He boasts extensive experience inM&A and joint venture matters - Chambers Latin America
Impeccably managed the merger and integration oflocal subsidiaries of prominent pharmaceutical companies acquired globally byPfizer.” — Rosy Alvarez, former Public Affairs Director for Latin America,Pfizer.
He stands out for his legal acumen and hisever-expanding ability to grow and learn. Results-driven and with a wonderfully positive attitude, he is one of the finest lawyers I have met." — Maggie Henriquez, CEO of Baccarat, previously CEO of Maison Krug
Qualifications and memberships
- Master's Degree in Legal Argumentation, Universidad de León, Spain.
- Specialization in Tax Law, Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV).
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), Venezuela
- Professor at Universidad Monteávila School of Law, Venezuela.
- Former postgraduate professor of Taxation at UCAB, UCV, and Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA).
