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AdrianaIbarraFernandez

Adriana Ibarra-Fernandez

Partner
Baker & McKenzie Abogados, S.C.

Biography

Adriana has over twenty years of experience in customs and foreign trade matters. She joined Baker McKenzie in 2001, became National Partner in 2005 and a Principal in 2018. She has prior experience working as legal director of Rules of Origin, Customs Procedures and Safeguards in the Mexican Ministry of Economy where she participated in the negotiation of several free trade agreements (FTAs) and in the first dispute settlement resolution cases initiated by Mexico against the US under the NAFTA.

Adriana has been ranked a leading practitioner by Chambers and Partners at Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America as well as Legal 500 for eleven consecutive years. She was an associate in our Guadalajara and Washington, D.C. offices and currently Heads the Firm’s North America International Commercial Practice Group in Mexico City.

Practice Focus

Adriana focuses her practice on customs and international trade matters, including rules of origin, verifications of origin and related subjects in terms of the FTAs to which Mexico is a party, tariff classification, customs valuation, maquila (IMMEX) and other programs for the promotion of imports and exports, as well as non-tariff import regulations and consumer protection. She also advises clients in the pharmaceutical sector with regulatory matters and has experience in handling compliance and anti-corruption matters.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised several foreign companies to set up subsidiaries in Mexico, benefit from FTAs, secure IMMEX and other programs for the promotion of imports, considerably reducing tax and duty impact in their operations.
  • Represented foreign clients in complex actions involving verifications of origin by the Mexican tax authorities for various products imported to Mexico to avail of duty free treatment under NAFTA.
  • Currently assisting a client in the manufacturing sector in a customs audit focused on compliance with IMMEX/maquila obligations.
  • Assisted clients in developing and implementing compliance programs and conducting internal compliance investigations. 

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Member
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Mexican Bar Association - Member
  • COMEXI 

Admissions

  • Mexico (1995)

Education

  • Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (J.D. Honors) (1992)
  • Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Diploma International Trade) (1996)
  • Universidad Panamericana (Diploma International Taxes) (2006)
  • University Intercontinental (Diploma Sanitary Regulation of the Pharmaceutical Industry) (2012)
  • Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresas (IPADE) (Diploma Business Management) (2008)

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Previous Offices

  • Guadalajara
  • Washington, DC

Publications

  • Author, “COMPLIANCE, COMPLIANCE, COMPLIANCE,” North America Free Trade & Investment Report –Thomson Reuters, January 2010.
  • Author, “Being a Good Taxpayer without a Voluntary Disclosure Procedure," BNA International, July 2010.
  • Author, “Rules of Origin in International Government Procurement Procedures in Mexico,” World Trade Executive, Thomson Reuters, January 2011.
  • Interview, "The Pacific Alliance," El Financiero Magazine, January 2017.
  • Co-presenter, "International Trade & Politics: Implications for 2016 and Beyond," Global Commerce Forum, 2016.
  • US and Mexican business and economy specialized media, such as CNN, El Financiero, Bloomberg TV, Excelsior, Reforma, El Universal amongst others, frequently feature Adriana in NAFTA/USMCA and customs-related topics. 
Baker & McKenzie Abogados, S.C. is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein.