Mario Fontes, Jr. Bio

J. Mario Fontes, Jr. is a partner in the Washington, D.C., Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Philadelphia offices of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Securities & Corporate Finance Practices. He advises companies in the United States, Latin America, and Europe on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general corporate matters. Drawing on more than 20 years of legal experience and his fluency in Portuguese and Spanish, Mario assists parties who wish to acquire private and public companies and form joint ventures and investment funds through domestic, international, and cross border transactions. He also represents pre-qualified bidders who are seeking to acquire government-owned entities in the telecommunication, energy, and natural resources industries. In addition, Mario’s practice encompasses counseling on private and public offerings of debt and equity securities for U.S. and Latin American companies, and trade finance transactions. His general corporate work includes assisting with corporate formations and reorganizations, particularly those involving subsidiaries of U.S. companies in Latin America and Latin American companies creating a foothold in the United States. Mario also handles deals involving private equity and venture capital investments by non-U.S. funds and investors in the technology industry. Mario also advises his clients on regulatory matters including conducting internal investigations to help companies assess their compliance with anti-bribery laws and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He also helps U.S. corporations to implement compliance programs. While in law school, Mario participated in internships at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American Development Bank.