Overview

Claro Manuel Cotes is an associate in Holland & Knight's Bogotá office. Mr. Cotes has more than 11 years of experience focusing his practice on energy, oil and gas, corporate, commercial and natural resources law and policy. He has experience in a wide range of natural resources and corporate matters, including corporate law, contract law, natural resources, energy, oil and gas, environmental, as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Mr. Cotes advises clients on matters involving the natural resources, energy, oil and gas, mining, corporate social responsibility, project finance and infrastructure industries.

In addition to his corporate and natural resources services, Mr. Cotes provides consultation for developments and investigations, and creates strategies to resolve legal disputes and develop projects among the state, communities, extractive industries and other private companies.

Mr. Cotes devotes most of his time assisting local and foreign companies in a wide variety of contractual, regulatory and corporate matters, as well as domestic and transnational M&A transactions. He has extensive experience in the energy industry, including advising several of the 10 oil-and-gas supermajors in Colombia.

Before joining Holland & Knight, he worked also as an associate at for an international law firm in its Aberdeen office, where he provided advice to several natural resources companies in Europe. He has published numerous articles on energy, mining, oil and gas matters, on an international and national level, and has participated as a teacher assistant in the public administration master's program at Universidad de Los Andes teaching matters related to oil and gas.

Representative Experience

  • advising the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the implementation of regulatory framework and policy, as well as the contractual matrixes for Central America region Panama, and development of the oil and gas and natural resources industry
  • advising IDB in the implementation of regulatory framework and policy, as well as the contractual matrixes for South America region Guyana. Depletion policy and legal framework for the development of the oil and gas and natural resources industry
  • representing GeoPark in the issuance of $150 million of 5.5 percent senior notes due 2027, issued under Rule 144A/Regulation
  • advising an American multinational oil and gas corporation in the negotiation of exploration and production contracts for the development of hydrocarbons in conventional and unconventional resources with Colombian government
  • advising a leading independent Latin American oil and gas company Geopark in the issuance of $350 million 5.5 percent senior notes due 2027, issued under Regulation S and Rule 144A
  • advising the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) in the negotiation of the new offshore exploration and production (E&P) contract model for the development of hydrocarbons in the country
  • advising a Latin American oil and gas exploration, development and production company Petrolatina Energy Ltd. in its approximately $525 million sale to a Canada-based energy company
  • representing as local counsel to GeoPark on the issuance of $425 million of 6.5 percent secured amortizing notes due 2024
  • serving as the leading associate in a transaction involving the merger of automotive industry companies in Colombia
  • serving as the leading associate in a transaction involving the association of a major bank in Colombia and an automotive financing company in the automotive industry companies in Colombia.

Credentials

Education
  • Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, J.D.
  • University of Dundee, LL.M., Natural Resources Law and Policy, Master's distinction
  • Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Specialization, Administrative Law
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • Colombia
Memberships
  • Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), 2022-2023
  • Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), 2013-2014 
  • University of Dundee Center for Energy Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) AIPN Student Club LLM Liaison, 2013-2014 
  • Energy Institute, 2013-2014
Honors & Awards
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
  • Natural Resources Law and Policy Distinction Award, University of Dundee, 2014
  • Natural Resources Law and Policy Dissertation Distinction, University of Dundee, 2014
Spoken Languages
  • English
  • Spanish

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News