Add a bookmark to get started

Ricardo Escobar

Partner
About

Ricardo Escobar provides expert counsel to both local and international clients regarding financing transactions and project development. He has represented a diverse array of lenders, funds, and sponsors in various initiatives throughout Latin America. His extensive experience encompasses multiple sectors, including infrastructure, energy, financial services, agribusiness, mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, and education. Furthermore, he assists international and local enterprises in establishing and implementing their business operations and projects within Peru.

Ricardo has advised the concessionaire involved in Peru's largest infrastructure project, which entails the construction of a gas pipeline in the southern region. He consistently provides guidance to several prominent development finance institutions with a significant presence in the Latin American region. In addition, he has contributed to numerous merger and acquisition transactions across the oil, energy, mining, and retail sectors.

Until December 2024, Ricardo was the Managing Partner at the Peru office.

 

EXPERIENCE

  • Advised a syndicate of international investment banks in a US$1.4 billion bond offering by a leading Latin American airline group.
  • Advised Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, and WWF on a historic $20 million debt-for-nature swap between the US and Peru that will redirect money to protect three priority areas in the Peruvian Amazon
  • Advised a consortium on a 1,000-km natural gas pipeline project in southern Peru, including support throughout the public bidding process and the drafting of project and financing documentation.
  • Advised development finance institutions in the provision of a secured loan of up to US$59 million to support the construction and development of two hydroelectric power plants and a transmission line in the central highlands of Peru.
  • Advised a multilateral lender on a long-term loan of up to US$38.5 million to finance agricultural development, irrigation infrastructure, and industrial facility upgrades in northern Peru.
  • Advised a multilateral lender on a US$26 million long-term loan to finance the expansion of private educational infrastructure across various regions of Peru.
  • Advised a syndicate of banks in a US$160 million long-term loan to refinance existing debt in the renewable energy sector in northern Peru.
  • Advised a group of development and commercial lenders in the granting of up to US$148.5 million in senior loans to finance the construction and operation of an ethanol production plant in northern Peru.
  • Advised a leading Chinese energy company on the acquisition of oil field assets in Peru.
  • Advised a regional retail group in the acquisition of a major home improvement retailer in Peru.
  • Advised a Latin American telecommunications company on the acquisition of broadband assets in Peru.
  • Advised on a US$562 million project bond issuance for a major road infrastructure project in Peru, and on a complementary US$49.54 million long-term loan granted by a regional development bank.
  • Advised on a US$350 million bond issuance and a US$210 million co-financing package from multilateral lenders for the development of a major gas transportation project in Peru.
 
Languages
  • Spanish
  • English
  • Portuguese
Education
  • J.D., Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, (2001)
  • L.L.M., Banking and Finance, Boston University, (1992)
  • L.L.M., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, (1991)

    J.D., Universidad Andrés Bello de Caracas-Venezuela, (1989)

Awards

Chambers Global

  • Band 5, Peru Banking & Finance (2021-2022)
  • Foreign Expert, Venezuela Banking & Finance (2018-2021)
  • Band 3, Peru Banking & Finance (2018-2019) 

Chambers Latin America

  • Band 5, Peru Banking & Finance (2021-2022)
  • Band 4, Peru Banking & Finance (2020)
  • Band 3, Peru Banking & Finance (2018-2019)

The Legal 500 Latin America

  • Recommended, Peru Banking and Finance (2018-2025)
  • Recommended, Energy and Natural Resources (2025)
  • Recommended, Projects and Infrastructure (2018) 
Other Recognitions
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer, Banking, IFLR 1000, (2018-2022)
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer, Capital Markets, IFLR 1000, (2018–2024)
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer, Corporate/ M&A, IFLR 1000, (2018–2024)
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer, Project Finance, IFLR 1000 (2018–2024)
  • Approved, Banking & Finance, LACCA (2018–2021)
  • Approved, Project Finance & Infrastructure, LACCA, (2021)
  • Recommended Lawyer, Project Finance, Lexology Index, (2023-2024)
  • Key Partner, Peru, Banking and Finance, Latin Lawyer 250, (2024-2025)
  • Key Partner, Peru, Project Finance & Infrastructure, Latin Lawyer 250, (2024)
 

Seminars

  • Moderator, "Infrastructure in Energy, Mining, and Hydrocarbons Projects: Strategies and Risk Mitigation", DLA Piper Peru Investment Summit, 2024
  • Speaker, "The latest political, legislative, and policy developments throughout Latin America," DLA Piper webinar, July 18, 2023

Media Mentions

  • Mentioned, "DLA Piper Appoints New Co-Managing Partners for Peru Office," Law.com, 2025
  • Featured, Entrepreneurs Who Make Peru Great, 2024
  • Quoted, "Which infrastructure projects will drive the Peruvian economy this year?," El Comercio, 2024
  • Quoted, "Infrastructure investments in Peru: What can we expect in 2024?," Gestión, 2024
  • Quoted, "Which infrastructure projects will drive the Peruvian economy this year?," La República, 2024
  • Quoted, "Infrastructure in Peru: Strategic planning and time optimization are top priorities for investors," El Comercio, 2024
     


 

Prior Experience

Ricardo Escobar held senior legal positions at Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), regional law firms, and an international law firm based in New York, where he accumulated extensive experience in cross-border legal practice and institutional advisory.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Lima Bar Association

Connect