Member Profiles

Alexandros Karakitis is the lawyer in charge of the firm. He has 30 years of experience in tax and business law maters. He advises and supports corporate clients and individuals in matters relating to tax planning, tax compliance management, tax controversy and dispute resolution and represents clients at administrative and criminal courts of all instances in tax and business litigation matters. He has vast experience in transfer pricing and permanent establishment issues, business model restructurings, merger & acquisition planning and implementation, tax and legal due diligence, VAT management and refund procedures. He is member of the Athens Bar and is admitted to the Supreme Courts of Greece Practice Areas/Industries Tax Advice Tax Controversy and Litigation at Administrative and Criminal Courts Commercial and Corporate Law Advice and Support in Disputes Permanent Residency & Golden Visa Procedures Estate Planning Transfer Pricing Compliance and Controversy Management Non-Dom Tax Residency Regimes International Executive Assignment Immigration, Tax Planning and Compliance Real Estate and Hospitality Life Sciences Oil & Gas Start-ups Consumer Products Energy Insurance Academic Background Dr. iuris in International Tax Law from the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (1995) Post-graduate degree in European Law from the Europa Institut der Universität des Saarlandes (1989) Law degree (LL.B) from the Faculty of Law of the Aristotles University of Thessaloniki (1988) Languages Greek English German

EDUCATION - Bachelors of Law (LL.B.), (Guatemala, 1998) - Universidad Francisco Marroquin. - Specialization in Arbitration Law and Alternate Dispute Resolutions (U.S.A., 1998) - Loyola University. - Certificate if Digital Economy and E-Business (Guatemala, 2002) - Central American Institute of Public Administration -ICAP / Ministry of Economy. - Specialization in International Mergers & Acquisitions (England, 2003) - College of Law of England & Wales. - Executive Program in Legal Issues of International Business Law, (2003) - Georgetown University Law Center/ INCAE. - Specialization in Advanced Negotiation, Deal Design & Implementation (U.S.A., 2005) - Harvard Law School. - Magister Science (LL.M), Mercantile Law & Competitiveness (Guatemala, 2008) - CIG /USAC. - Attorney at Law - Public Notary (Guatemala, 1998) PRACTICE AREAS - Foreign Investment - Natural Resources (Mining and Energy) - Acquisition of strategic Real Estate Assets - Mergers & Acquisitions - Corporate Law - International Arbitration and Mediation - Head of the Foreign Investment Department of the firm. Advised clients and lead the local strategy to invest in multiple mining and energy projects which include Nickel, Silver, Gold, Antimony and Petroleum in Guatemala and Central America. Advised and lead as local counsel international arbitrations including the first ever DR-CAFTA Investor vs State dispute in Washington DC., which was ruled on behalf of the investor. Team leader in multiple strategic and large real estate transactions, involving natural resources companies, government, and multinationals. Team leader in multiple complex commercial transactions between multinationals and national entities and individuals. MEMBERSHIPS - Central Law Guatemala - AMCHAM Guatemala - ASCABI - Guatemalan Bar Association - Mexican Chamber of Commerce - German Chamber of Commerce - Guatemalan Chamber of Industry - American Bar Association – ABA - Chambers & Partners, Latin America. NOTABLE POSITIONS President of the Board of Directors of American Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala (“Amcham”) (2009- 2012) President of the Board of Directors of the Binational Chambers of Commerce of Guatemala (ASCABI) (2012) President of the Board of Directors of the law firm Central-Law (2002-2005) President and Founder of a Chapter of Fraternidad Internacional de Hombres de Negocios del Evangelio Completo (“FHINEC”) (2001-2002) Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala (“Amcham”) (2007-2008) LANGUAGES Spanish, English and Italian.

Mr. Armando Mérida Ruano, founder and partner of Mérida y Asociados Law Firm, worked for several years in the legal department of a prestigious international banking institution in Guatemala City. This allowed him to acquire solid knowledge and extensive experience.  He was also an associate of Quezada, lbarguen y Escobar, a Law Firm in Guatemala City, and since 1994, founded the firm that operates as Merida y Asociados.  Languages: German, English, and Spanish.  The Firm At our Law Firm, Mérida y Asociados, we provide legal services, specializing in Trademarks and Patents, Notary Services, Civil Law, Business Law, Litigation and Arbitration. We are active members of Cross Border Business Lawyers (CBBL), INTA, ASIPI and AIPLA. We offer legal advice and legal services to individuals and corporations from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Panama, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Japan, and China, among others.

Mr. Wong has over time developed his areas of legal specialty in handling complex commercial litigation cases and, above all, work pertaining to commercial and corporate matters including, among others, merger and acquisition and corporate finance. Conveyancing practice especially regarding its corporate aspect still takes up his significant working time when complicated legal issues have called for his personal attention.  In particular, he has overseen the legal documentation in quite a number of conveyancing projects involving project finance and sale of individual units (including first-hand properties) in such projects. He has indeed travelled quite broadly in Mainland China over the past 20 years and has thus developed and expanded his China-related practice, and not least in Shanghai.  As such, he has become the Chief Legal Representative of our Shanghai Representative Office set up with the approval of Ministry of Justice in Peking since 2004.  By the end of 2006, he had successfully fostered and thus established our firm's formal association with Jin Mao P.R.C. Lawyers in Hong Kong, it being one of the leading law firms in Shanghai.  Over the years, he has been involved personally in listing work of our firm and especially in the flourishing LSE and AIM in London and listing in Frankfurt and also in Hong Kong.  He has now been frequently involved in advising clients, notably China entrepreneurs and also the UK or some European clients, on the legal aspects (contentious or otherwise) of their business and operation as well as listing projects both within or without Hong Kong in his increasingly extensive cross-border practice.