Marval launches White Collar & Corporate Crime practice

Marval, O´Farrell & Mairal has launched a new practice area: White Collar & Corporate Crime.

With the expansion of criminal legislation and its incursion into areas traditionally reserved for other fields of law, criminal law expertise has become an essential part of doing business in Argentina.

Corporate clients are increasingly required to respond to incidents that trigger parallel criminal, civil and administrative actions. Marval’s new White Collar & Corporate Crime practice group brings together experts in corporate criminal law and closely related areas. It can also draw on the firm’s unmatched resources across the full range of overlapping practice areas, particularly compliance, anti-corruption and investigations, as well as corporate/commercial and labor & employment.
The new practice group will be headed by partner Gustavo Giay, who has extensive experience in complex litigation, internal investigations, collection and preservation of digital evidence and interaction with government agencies. Gustavo was responsible for setting up Marval’s unrivalled Enforcement Unit, which focuses on combating the damages arising from counterfeiting activities, working closely with customs authorities and law enforcement agencies involved in countering illicit trade.

 Andrés O´Farrell is a key member of the practice group. A criminal law expert, Andrés joined Marval in 2010. He is a leading specialist in economic crime, corporate fraud, cybercrime and illicit trade. Prior to joining Marval, Andrés was a foreign associate in Uría Menéndez’ white collar criminal practice in Madrid, Spain and completed an MSc in Public Management and Governance at the London School of Economics and Political Science, with UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsorship.

Fernando Frávega is also a criminal law expert. He brings unique experience to the practice group, having spent more than 13 years in the public sector, including working for the National Ministry of Justice, the Prosecution Service of the City of Buenos Aires and the Judicial Investigation Agency of the City of Buenos Aires. Fernando joined Marval in 2016.

Practice group head Gustavo Giay comments: “We are always working to better serve clients and we recognize that providing clients with comprehensive advice now also involves criminal law advice. Criminal law now touches almost every aspect of business in Argentina and it is key that clients receive expert advice.”

Chairman of the firm Santiago Carregal adds: “We pride ourselves on identifying and establishing ways of improving the legal services we provide to clients. The new practice group brings together Gustavo’s experience and Andrés and Fernando’s unique combination of corporate criminal law expertise and invaluable perspective from more than 10 years working in the judiciary.”

Marval represents local and international clients in a wide array of criminal matters, both as defense counsel and private complainant. The practice group’s expertise also includes internal investigations, collection and preservation of digital evidence, negotiating settlements and coordinating cooperation with relevant government agencies, as well as preventive criminal advice, including compliance programs, due diligence and other strategies aimed at limiting secondary implications of criminal proceedings, such as fines, asset seizures and reputational damage.

This new practice reinforces Marval’s commitment to meeting its clients’ needs across all key areas of law and completes the firm’s full-service offering.