Holland & Knight

Environmental law is a marquee practice for Holland & Knight’s Bogotá office and the team is widely revered for its full-spectrum coverage of the area. On the advisory front, the group’s expertise encompasses legal assessment for the construction of energy and natural resources projects, licensing procedures and environmental audits, among other matters. It also handles contentious work, with extensive experience in environmental sanctioning proceedings and constitutional law claims. A foremost expert for environmental law in Colombia, department head Jose Vicente Zapata acts for a broad mix of clients, including domestic and multinational companies in the energy, natural resources, manufacturing, infrastructure, and food and beverage sectors. Zapata was recently engaged by Shell EP Offshore Ventures (Colombia branch) to handle several constitutional claims filed against its offshore projects. Other key contacts include public law litigator Juan Casallas; associate María Camila Aponte, whose practice is dedicated to environmental law; and senior counsel Estefanny Pardo, who is noted for contentious work. Senior counsel Margarita Solorza left the firm in May 2024. Since publication, Aponte has been raised to counsel - effective as of February 2025.