Ismael Reyes Retana Tello

Ismael focuses on regulatory matters and administrative litigations. Ismael has a unique vision capable of seeing both sides of the coin a talent that comes from more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector and more than a decade at White & Case. This quality is praised by the clients, who highlight his "understanding of the spirit of the law and the ability to put it into practice in a pragmatic manner." Chambers Latin America, 2018Clients who benefit from Ismael's experience include major financial institutions and corporations, such as Telefónica, Televisa, Kansas City Southern Mexico, Izzi, the Confederation of Potato Producers and Izzi, as well as financial institutions and sovereign governments.Recent matters include Ismael's successful representation of the Mexican division of Televisa and Telefónica, in a case heard by the Mexican Supreme Court. The court's ruling set a landmark precedent for the telecommunications industry in Mexico.Noteworthy in his experience is Ismael's achievement of novel injunctions in constitutional matters. These involved several aspects new to Mexican Law, such as the defense of collective and extended rights, and innovative means to secure standing of his clients in courts. Ismael's innovative work was recognized by The Financial Times Innovative Lawyers North America 2017 report in the in the "Rule of Law and Access to Justice" category.During his time in the public sector, Ismael was considered a leading specialist in constitutional and administrative law in Mexico, acting first as Director General of Legal Studies of the Presidency, then as Deputy Legal Counsel to the President, and until 2008, as Federal Deputy Attorney General for Tax Matters and Deputy Counsel to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Subprocurador Fiscal Federal).Ismael served for nine years as the Presidential delegate before the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, managing constitutional controversies and preparing legislative bills. While working for the Office of the Counsel to the President and the Office of the Federal Attorney General for Tax Matters, he helped to develop several initiatives of constitutional and legal reform, and to draft Presidential decrees.Formerly a respected academic, Ismael served as Professor of Constitutional Law at the Universidad Panamericana and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); of Mexican Law History at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and of Human Rights at the Instituto Nacional de Capacitación Penitenciaria.Ismael has authored several articles in trade magazines and newspapers; he has co-authored several books and he was Publishing Advisor for the Reforma newspaper in 2006, 2008 and 2011.Ismael has worked on a pro bono basis for more than 50 organizations such as: Mexicanos Primero, Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción, Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Museo MACAY, Terremoto Magazzinne, and Comisión de Solidaridad y Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (Indígenas Rarámuris). He is trustee of the Board of Museo Tamayo and of Contemporary Art Patronage (Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo) and he is Member of the Board of SOMA and Desarrollo Confiable.