Oscar Samour

(The following information was supplied by the firm)

Oscar is a partner of Consortium Legal – El Salvador. He has more than 16 years of experience in banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions and conflict resolution. He has extensive international experience and is frequently sought after for his expertise in multi-jurisdictional transactions.

He is a Fulbright Scholar and upon completion of his Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University, California, he worked as an international associate at King & Spalding LLP in Washington, DC.

He has led some of the largest transactions to take place in the financial sector in El Salvador, including the acquisition of Banco Agrícola by Bancolombia and the acquisition of HSBC by Banco Davivienda. He recently led the acquisition by Imperia Intercontinental Inc. of Scotiabank’s operations in El Salvador and the acquisition of AIG’s operations in El Salvador by the Panamanian insurance company ASSA. In addition, he has advised the Republic of El Salvador on several issues in the international markets, including the largest issue in El Salvador for more than US$1 in 2019, and is constantly working with local and international financial institutions in structuring different types of loans for Salvadoran entities.

He is a visiting professor at two of El Salvador’s leading law schools and the author of several articles on dispute resolution and banking and financial matters in legal journals and other publications.

WORK HIGHLIGHTS

• Advised Credit Suisse in the structuring of a DPR Program to Imperia Continental INC for the acquisition of the shares of Citibank in El Salvador for $100 million.
• Advised Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse as underwriters in Banco Agricola’s debt issuance for US$300 million.
• Advised American Insurance Group (AIG) in El Salvador in the acquisition of their operations by the Panamanian insurance company ASSA by the amount of $85 million.
• Advised the Panamanian branch of The Bank of Nova Scotia in a credit facility of $150 million granted to Autofacil Panama, S.A., holding company to one of the largest car dealer in the region.
• Advised the Republic of El Salvador on the issuance of notes for US$601 million.
• Advised Digicel International Finance Limited in the $1.35 billion US Loan financing granted by Citi as a joint book runner with JP Morgan and co-lead arranger with JP Morgan, Barclays, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank.

EDUCATION

• M. in International Arbitration (with honors), University of Pepperdine, United States (2009)
• American Legal System, Columbia University School of Law, United States (2006)
• Attorney and Notary authorized by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of El Salvador
• Degree n Legal Science (Honorable Mention), Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas”, El Salvador (2005)

LANGUAGES

Spanish

English

ASSOCIATIONS

Member of the International Bar Association (IBA)

Member of the Latin American Arbitration Association

Certified arbitrator by the Center for Mediation, Conciliation and Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of El Salvador

Member of Spanish Arbitration Club

Member of Young Arbitrators Forum (ICC)
Member of the International Bar Association – Latin American Committee on Banking and Financial Law

Secretary of the Board of Directors of the British Chamber of Commerce in El Salvador