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Photo of Salvador Pasquel-Villegas

Salvador Pasquel Villegas

Partner
Baker & McKenzie Abogados, S.C.

Biography

Salvador Pasquel Villegas joined Baker McKenzie in 1994 and became a partner in the Firm’s Mexico office in 2002. He is a member of the North America Employment and Compensation Practice Group and chair of the Mexico City Labor Practice. He has extensive experience advising on collective bargaining, employment counseling in corporate restructures, labor policy planning related to acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, plant closings, redundancies, executive compensation and employee benefits, as well as investigation procedures, labor compliance, diversity and inclusion programs, and flexible working conditions.

Salvador has also represented Mexican employers before the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2003 and 2010.

Practice Focus

Salvador is a senior strategic advisor in collective bargaining, strike call procedures and collective labor litigation; harmonization of employment benefits, implementation of flexible work programs (including telecommuting, alternative working schedules and sabbaticals), compliance and risk management, employment discrimination, codes of conduct and workplace investigations.

He serves as trusted counsel to international companies on employment and social security matters arising from mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and redundancies, international assignments and termination of high level executives, including expats.

He is seasoned in labour and tax restructurings, outsourcing, design of executive compensation and employee benefits, profit sharing, pension funds, stock option plans, 401K plans, and the representation of Mexican and international corporations before Mexican labor authorities.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised on the implementation of flexible work programs for various companies within the Mexican automotive industry, including Continental’s operations in Mexico, applicable to over 25 000 employees.

  • Advised on corporate restructures of major clients within the manufacturing and maquiladora, financial services and pharmaceutical industries.

  • Advised on labor business structures for the new participants in the Mexican energy market, including power, renewables, and oil and gas. 

  • Advised on the shutdown of the manufacturing operations of Michelin, Goodyear, SCA and Motor Coach in Mexico.

  • Advised on the economic nature of collective conflicts for the reduction of benefits and modification of working conditions in Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico and Continental Tire.

  • Advised General Motors Mexico on the effects of the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 (i.e., stoppages and suspension of activities)

  • Advised and conducted collective negotiations of British Airways, Bio Pappel, Linde, Tecpetrol among others.

  • Participated as legal advisor in the annual reviews of compulsory bargaining agreements in the rubber industry during the past 26 years.

  • Represents clients in different industries in the implementation of successor employer procedures, including the harmonization of employment benefits, social security and tax planning.

Professional Honors

  • Leading Lawyer in Labor and Employment, Legal 500 Mexico (2012-2021)
  • Leading Lawyer in Labor and Employment, Chambers and Partners (2015-2021)
  • Acritas Star Lawyer (2021)

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • National Association of Corporate Lawyers - Member
  • Mexican Bar Association - Member

Admissions

  • Mexico (1996)

Education

  • University of Bologna (2003)
  • University of Castilla-La Mancha (2003)
  • Georgetown University Law Center (LLM) (2000)
  • Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Labor Law) (1997)
  • Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (JD) (1996)

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish
  • Author, "The New Administrative Appeal Regulation before the Mexican Social Security Institute"
  • Common speaker in labor conferences organized by the National Association of Corporate Lawyers
  • Participant, Seminar for Latin-American Labor Experts, organized by the International Labor Organization (ILO), in Turin and Bologna, Italy, and Toledo, Spain
  • Participant, 3rd International Labor Forum, sponsored by CONCAMIN, COPARMEX and the ILO in Mexico