Team Member
and access,
Her main areas of practice include general corporate matters, financial institutions, mergers and acquisitions in the insurance and banking industries, distribution and sales representative laws, insurance and healthcare services - including litigation - as well as regulatory matters and government and legislative affairs. Ms. Portela-Fernández, who served as Vice-Chair of the Corporate Practice Group until recently, is ranked as a leading attorney in the Banking & Finance Law and the Corporate and M&A Law fields of the Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico guide. Before joining McConnell Valdés, Mrs. Portela concentrated in the practice of civil and commercial litigation in federal, state and administrative forums, including appellate practice. One of the main areas of her practice was in insurance matters being the outside counsel for the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration. In addition, in 1993 she served as Assistant Legal Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico on issues of public safety. In 1994, she served as the Legal Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation. As such, she worked extensively on public policy issues and government affairs.
