Practice Areas
At the Castañeda Law Firm, we provide business legal solutions on pace with the new global reality. The practice areas we focus on are based on our wide range of experience, both on the business side and on the legal side, in the United States of America and abroad.
Buying or Selling a Business
Represent buyers and sellers buying and selling businesses, from start to finish, whether in the form of a merger, equity or asset purchase.
Commercial Agreements
Draft and negotiate a wide variety of general commercial agreements, including letters of intent, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, independent contractor, consulting, and employment agreements, and agency, sales, supply, license, service, and distribution agreements.
New Business Ventures
Represent entrepreneurs and new businesses in all aspects of entity formation, organization and financing.
International
Outbound – Salvador’s business experience throughout Latin America prior to becoming an attorney, as well as his experience as a Texas-licensed attorney drafting and negotiating deals with local counsel, has allowed him to have a keen understanding of not just the language and culture, but also a firm grasp of business and legal terms and a wide network of contacts with law firms and other professionals throughout Mexico and Latin America. Whether it’s your first foray into a foreign country, or you need an experienced Texas licensed attorney who can help you find and work with local counsel, we have the experience and contacts to help you find the local solution that works for you.
Inbound – Represent foreign individuals, companies and institutional investors investing and doing business in the United States of America.
International Trade
Represent businesses with U.S. export compliance matters, as well as FCPA matters.
General Counsel Services
Advise clients with respect to day to day legal and business issues, including entity governance matters and strategic counseling services. Castañeda Law also has a wide network of professional business and legal specialists that can help resolve matters that require the assistance of foreign counsel or U.S. legal specialists, such as real estate, litigation, tax, intellectual property, import compliance and immigration.
About
Salvador D. Castañeda is the Managing Attorney of Castañeda Law Firm PLLC. Whether advising start-ups or Fortune 500 companies or navigating complex cross-border business transactions, Salvador Castañeda provides solutions on a wide variety of transactional matters, including structuring, negotiating and documenting the acquisition and sale of businesses, entering into relationships with new business partners, secured and unsecured credit facilities (on behalf of both borrowers and lenders), sales and distribution agreements for various goods and services, and private equity investments on behalf of institutional investors. The clients that Salvador has advised come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including telecommunications, manufacturing, commercial printing, oilfield services, software, health care, education, retailers, banks, institutional investors, family offices and private equity funds.
In addition to his U.S. transactional practice, Salvador regularly advises U.S. and foreign clients on multi-jurisdictional projects, coordinating projects with foreign professionals, and counseling senior management on business strategy. Salvador has represented clients in cross-border transactions in Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Salvador worked with a global financial services company where he led a team of professionals in the due diligence and acquisition of distressed asset portfolios throughout Latin America. In this capacity, he analyzed, negotiated, and closed real estate and non-performing loan portfolios in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico with an aggregate principal balance in excess of $2 billion.
Prior to founding Castañeda Law Firm, Salvador practiced law at the largest law firm in Austin and one of the 100 largest international law firms in the United States, where he was a member of the Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, and International practice areas.
Salvador enjoys balancing his legal knowledge, business experience and cultural understanding to counsel U.S. clients trading with or investing in Latin American countries and foreign clients doing business in the U.S. A native Spanish-speaker, Salvador is also fluent in Portuguese and regularly negotiates and documents transactions in Spanish.
Education & Admissions
EDUCATION
- Doctor of Jurisprudence, with honors, University of Texas at Austin School of Law, 2008
- B.B.A., Finance and International Business, Baylor University, 1998
BAR ADMISSION
- Texas, 2008
COURT ADMISSION
- U.S. Court of International Trade
LANGUAGES
- English
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association, member
- Austin Bar Association, member
- Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, member
- American Gateways, 2006-2013
- Meals on Wheels, Austin, 2010-2012
- ACE: A Community for Education, a non-profit early childhood literacy program, Council Member, 2012-2013
- Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos – Austin, Secretary, 2012-2013; 2016-current Board Member
Professional Experience
- Castañeda Law Firm PLLC, Managing Member, October 2016 – Present
- Haynes and Boone, LLP, Attorney, May 2013 to October 2016
- Jackson Walker L.L.P., Attorney, September 2008 to April 2013
- FirstCity Financial Corporation, Vice President – Investments, Latin America, December 1999 to August 2005
Select Representative Matters
- Represented one of the world’s largest financial services institutions in the negotiation of an equity investment in a private equity-backed portfolio company involved in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the Appalachian Basin region of the United States. The investment consisted of both common and preferred equity interests. The target was backed by a leading private equity firm sponsor.
- Represented subsidiary of publicly-traded global telecommunications company in various acquisitions of FCC wireless spectrum licenses from private sellers in markets across the U.S.
- Represented a Spanish company in the acquisition of a majority of the outstanding equity interests of a Texas crane manufacturer
- Represented oilfield services company in connection with its sale of certain well-testing and completion assets to a portfolio company of a publicly-traded closed-end investment company
- Advised private equity sponsored company in its acquisition of an IT network infrastructure and hardware company
- Represented French company in negotiating license agreements with U.S. company for sale of products in Mexico and the U.S.
- Advised majority shareholder in the prospective sale of oilfield services company to a competitor
- Advised privately-held healthcare IT consulting company in sale (by merger) to a competitor
- Assisted team of professionals advising international airline in its successful worldwide international integration of two international airlines
- Advised privately-held oilfield services companies in divestiture of assets to a competitor
- Represented Mexican oil and gas services and construction company in the U.S. financing and acquisition of vessels to be used in Mexico
- Advised foreign investors in the potential acquisition of oil and gas distribution company
- Represented private company in sale of single frequency narrow line width lasers business assets to private competitor
- Represented one of the top work gear and tool products manufacturers with operations in Texas and Mexico in its divestiture to private investors
- Assisted private investors in the acquisition of onshore exploration and production assets in Peru in U.S. bankruptcy proceedings
- Advised domestic and foreign individuals and companies on issues related to entity formation and corporate governance
- Represented a leading provider of digital education resources in its Series A venture financing
- Represented institutional investor in sale of loan portfolios secured by Mexican guaranty trusts
- Advised Texas free standing emergency care facility in the acquisition of other emergency care facilities
- Advised international oilfield services company in the drafting of a marketing services agreement for services to be performed in Mexico
- Advised U.S. subsidiary of Finnish manufacturing conglomerate on merger of U.S. subsidiaries
- Advised a Mexican company in the stock purchase acquisition of a U.S. chemical manufacturing plant
- Advised majority shareholder in telecommunications company in minority shareholder buyout transaction
- Advised international oilfield services company in the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of several U.S. and Canadian companies
- Advised Mexican manufacturer with documenting U.S. credit sales
- Advised publicly traded E&P company on NAFTA related issues related to investments in Mexico
- Advised leading Mexican manufacturer in drafting and negotiating international sale, manufacturing and supply agreements with U.S. counterparts
- Advised U.S. financial institution regarding the restructure and sale of loans with real and personal property collateral in Mexico and the U.S.
- Acquisition due diligence of U.S. steel products manufacturer with subsidiaries and facilities in Brazil and Mexico
- Advised U.S. company in the control acquisition and due diligence of universities in Honduras, Mexico and Colombia
- Drafted and negotiated commercial real estate leases for properties in Canada and the United States for international oil and gas services company
- Advised companies on strategy, operations and compliance with various export control laws and regulations including: Antiboycott laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury, Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Economic and Trade Sanctions and Embargoes administered by the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury and Commerce, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), for a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, software, medical devices, technology, oil and gas services, and financial services companies
Non-U.S. law in coordination with local counsel
Speaking Engagements
- Organized and moderated presentations on “Doing Business with PEMEX and Recent Legal Reforms: Opportunities for Foreign Firms and Challenges Ahead” held at the Dallas Petroleum Club – Feb. 2009; “The Next Oil and Gas Reform in Mexico”, Headliners Club, Austin, TX – Jan. 2012
- Presentation on U.S. Export Controls to faculty of Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas during the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) Executive Seminar on the U.S. Legal System held at The University of Texas at Austin (Presentation in Spanish) – Aug. 2009 and June 2010
- Legal Considerations for Mexican Entrepreneurs Expanding to Texas (Presentation in Spanish), Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – May 2011
- Legal Considerations for Entrepreneurs (Presentation in Spanish), MexNet Alliance Austin – Oct. 2011 and May 2012; Economic Growth Business Incubator – Aug. 2012
- Practical Legal Considerations for Entrepreneurs, Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston – March 2015
Contact
Castañeda Law Firm PLLC
7000 MoPac Expy, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78731
(512) 985-8600
By appointment only