Practices and Sectors

• Energy & Natural Resources
• Litigation & Conflict Resolution
• Mergers & Acquisitions

Profile

Since the beginning of his career in 1984, Alejandro Linares has established himself as a leading figure in the Colombian legal field, combining extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He is currently a partner at Pérez-Llorca, where he brings his deep expertise in business law to the Mergers & Acquisitions, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Energy & Natural Resources practice groups, with a focus on strategic advice for complex litigation and transactions.

Studies:

• PhD, Universidad Externado de Colombia Law School | summa cum laude.
• Specialist in Finance, Universidad de los Andes.
• LLM., Harvard Law School.
• LLB., Universidad de los Andes cum laude.

He speaks Spanish and English.

Experience

Alejandro began his professional career in 1985 as an associate at international law firms in the United States. He soon returned to Colombia, where he held a series of senior legal and leadership positions in the public and private sectors, including Legal Director at the Directorate of Public Credit and Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Legal Director of IBM Colombia, and Head of the Special Division for Foreign Investment at the National Planning Department. He also served as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Colombian Embassy in France, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Director of the National Rehabilitation Plan. In 1994, he joined Pérez-Llorca, where he spent two decades advising local and international clients on complex business transactions. He later served as Legal Vice President of Ecopetrol and, in 2015, was elected Justice of the Constitutional Court of Colombia, where he served until 2023 and held the presidency of the Court in 2018.

In 2024, he rejoined Pérez-Llorca as a partner, contributing to the Mergers & Acquisitions, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Energy & Natural Resources practice groups. Throughout his career, he has led and advised on high-impact transactions, such as the privatization of Electrocosta and Electricaribe; the merger between SABMiller and Bavaria; the acquisition of Casa Editorial El Tiempo by Grupo Planeta; the acquisition of Cine Colombia by Valorem; and the acquisition, reacquisition, and subsequent sale of Banco Colpatria involving GE, Mercantil Colpatria, and Scotiabank. He has also provided counsel in cross-border operations like the acquisition of a mining operation in Nicaragua by Mineros, the merger of Avianca and Grupo TACA, and IFC’s investment in Colombia’s national development bank (FDN). His judicial service, combined with his longstanding leadership in both corporate and public law, positions him as one of the most influential legal professionals in Colombia today.

Academic and Publishing Collaborations

• Alejandro has served as an adjunct professor of Law at Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad del Rosario, and Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, among others.
• Public Finance Law Outlines (Tirant, 2023).
• Judicial Intervention in Arbitration (2023, with Nicolás Parra).
• Applicable Law in Investment Arbitration (Externado, 2019).
• Various chapters and articles in major legal publications on arbitration and public law.

Professional Organisations

• Member of the International Bar Association (IBA).
• Corresponding Member, Colombian Academy of Jurisprudence.