Judith A. Wilson is a Partner in Bryan, Gonzalez Vargas & Gonzalez Baz, S.C., managing the firm’s Tijuana and Mexicali offices. She has over 30 years of experience representing foreign companies investing in Mexico. Her practice is focused on advising clients on a variety of matters related to manufacturing, maquiladoras, real estate, hospitality, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, foreign trade and investment, including the structure of partnerships and corporations, joint ventures, energy projects, negotiation and preparation of international contracts, commercial negotiations, shareholder disputes and settlement negotiations. She has serviced the Mexican operations of the firm’s American, Asian and European clients and is a frequent speaker on matters of Mexican law.
Ms. Wilson has ample experience in the regulatory and trade aspects of maquiladora IMMEX operations, including compliance issues and matters pertaining to the USMCA.
Ms. Wilson has been a member of Bryan, Gonzalez Vargas & Gonzalez Baz since 1990, with over 32 years of experience advising maquiladora clients across a range of industries, making her a leader in the region for legal services. Her professional ethic and ability to communicate easily and effectively, has enabled her clients to successfully navigate the Mexican legal landscape with the assurance that their legal needs will be resolved diligently, effectively and in a timely manner.
+ Practice Areas
Maquiladoras
Regulatory Compliance
Real Estate
Hospitality
Resort Development
Government Affairs
Cross-border Transactions
Corporate Law
Mergers & Acquisitions
Foreign Investment
Customs
Foreign Trade
+ Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Customs Law
and Foreign Trade (2002)
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
Postgraduate Certificate in Tax Law (1997)
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
Postgraduate in Taxation Studies (1996)
Universidad Iberoamericana, Tijuana Extension
Bachelor of Laws (Summa Cum Laude, 1995 with highest honors for Academic Merit “Merito Academico”) Universidad Iberoamericana, Campus Tijuana
+Admissions
Mexico (1996)
+Languages
Spanish
English
+ Representative Transactions
- Represented Fortune 500 companies and publicly traded companies in establishing and developing business operations in Mexico, including IMMEX operations.
- Acted as legal counsel to public and private U.S. companies involved in numerous industries, including manufacturing, real estate development, construction, retail, telecommunications, aerospace, aviation, oil and gas, healthcare, and tourism, among others.
- Successfully represented a major aviation MRO company in its plan to establish operations in Baja California, which included work on real estate at the airport, contract negotiation and preparation, due diligence, procurement of aviation and operation permits and licenses, implementation of corporate strategies and tax planning, among others.
- Acted as the lead counsel for one of the world’s leading medical device manufacturers in its pursuit to establish operations in Mexico, helping consolidate such company as one of the region’s most important sources of employment and investment.
- Represent a leading company in the aerospace industry in its expansion of operations in Baja California, including real estate acquisition and all permits necessary to manufacture major airplane components and parts.
- Prepared detailed and thorough legal opinions on a wide variety of subjects, including title opinions, litigation, condominium regimes, land disputes, real estate due diligence, agrarian issues, land purchases, airport concessions, land use rights, concessions for communication services and fishing concessions, among many others.
- Successfully lead one of the world’s largest automotive companies in the establishment of its manufacturing operations in Baja California.
- Acted as liaison and lobbyist before all types of authorities and government agencies, especially at the Local and State level.
- Provided legal guidance and counsel for the development of major industrial, investment, retail and energy projects in different regions of Mexico for over 30 years.
- Represented numerous foreign investors for more than 30 years in business ventures of all kinds, including mergers & acquisitions, real estate development projects, corporate restructuring and project financing, among others.
- Successfully advised and represented a U.S. publicly traded gas and oil company in real estate transactions worth over $30 Million Dollars in the State of Baja California, which entailed extensive due diligence, settlement negotiations and preparation of legal opinions and options to purchase real estate.
- Representation of various U.S. oil companies in energy projects in Mexico, which required due diligence over real estate, resolution of ejido disputes and procurement of Federal Maritime Zone Concessions (ZOFEMAT).
- Participated in all legal matters pertaining to the acquisition of real estate worth over $100 Million Dollars, including the negotiations and settlement of disputes with landowners, prepare option agreements, purchase agreements, amendments, termination agreements and title remedy procedures.
- Represented various U.S. companies and U.S. title insurance companies in real estate transactions, which included coordinating and overseeing due diligence processes, opinions over contracts, ejidos, real estate, land use, ZOFEMAT and various licensing matters.
- Represented multiple joint venture groups over the years for the development of real estate projects in Baja California Sur in all transactions pertaining to the acquisition of real estate worth in excess of $50 Million Dollars, including airport concessions, negotiations with land owners, ejidos, preparation of settlements, guarantee agreements, and supervision and coordination with government officials regarding permits and concessions.
- Acted as corporate counsel for a global electronic components company during the establishment of their business in Mexico, which included incorporation of subsidiaries, negotiation of leases and preparation of distribution and sale agreements.
- Provided legal counseling to a major Japanese electronics corporation in all matters related to their business ventures in Mexico.
- Supervised and coordinated our corporate and foreign investment teams in advising a multinational steel company seeking to establish operations in Mexico.
+ Professional Experience
- Partner in Bryan, Gonzalez Vargas & Gonzalez Baz, S.C. (since 1990).
- Professor of International Law, Universidad Xochicalco Tijuana Campus (1996 to 1999).
- Official Translator/Interpreter before the State of Baja California Supreme Court (1998 to 2005).
+ Professional Associations
- Head of the Labor Committee of INDEX (Maquiladora and Export Industry Association), Zona Costa.
- Member of the USMCA Working Group of INDEX.
- Past-Chairman of the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Chapter.
- Director/Member of the Latin America and Caribbean Law Council of the American Bar Association.
- Member of the American Bar Association, Section of International Law.
- San Diego Museum of Art, member of the Board of Trustees.
- Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Section of International Law, Tijuana City Chapter.
- Past Board Member of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
- Chairman of the Board of the Children’s Hospital of the Californias Foundation (Hospital Infantil de las Californias).
- LEAD San Diego IMPACT Class of 2014.
- Member of the US Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Chapter.
- Member of INDEX (Maquiladora and Export Industry Association).
- Member of the American Bar Association, Section of International Law.
- Member of the National Association of Corporate Attorneys ANADE (Mexico).
- Member of the International Bar Association.
- Member of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce.