Mexico’s DLA Piper names Gabriel Contreras of counsel
DLA Piper Mexico has appointed former Chairman of the IFT Gabriel Contreras to strengthen its telecommunications practice
DLA Piper Mexico has added Gabriel Contreras, former President Commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), as of counsel to strengthen its legal advisory services in information technology and telecommunications (IT), competition and antitrust, regulatory and public policy.
Gabriel Contreras (pictured) joins the firm after a long career as a public servant, where he served as President of the IFT (the Mexican equivalent of the US FCC), an autonomous government agency with competence in regulatory and antitrust matters related to the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors. Previously, Gabriel also served as Deputy Legal Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic in the course of three different administrations (Fox, Calderón and Peña). He was also in charge of important legislative, regulatory and administrative projects in basically all fields of public law, and oversaw strategic litigation involving the executive branch.
“Gabriel’s incorporation to our team brings a comprehensive knowledgebase in IT and competition, but also brings in-depth understanding and experience in the public sector, where he is highly respected. This shall promote the strengthening and expansion of the firm’s practice to other regulated markets and, in general, to all aspects related to regulatory matters and public policy. Furthermore, Contreras’ legal counsel in public litigation and forms of constitutional control will significantly increase our capacity to defend our clients’ interests”, the firm said in a statement.
Gabriel’s curriculum includes a law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho and a Master in Law, Economics and Public Policy from the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He is a professor at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, where he teaches the Selected Topics in Constitutional Law class, and author of the book “Reforma en Materia de Telecomunicaciones” (FCE, 2018).
