Founding and Managing Partner
Humberto Celis, a cutting-edge expert in energy, environmental, natural resources law, and areas thereof related, has been in the business for over 25 years. His work ranges from regulatory compliance, liability counselling, dispute resolution, litigation, class actions, enforcement and response to corporate, real estate transactions, climate change, green markets, oil/gas, power generation and renewables.
He holds a law degree from UNAM (1989), an LLM degree in energy and environmental law from the University of Houston (1993) and a postgraduate degree from the National Center of Environmental Law at George Washington University (1994). He is a fellow of the 10th Generation of the Leadership for the Environment and Sustainable Development Program (LEAD, Colmex 2004). He has been professor of energy and environmental law at the most important law schools in Mexico. In 2005, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) awarded him with the status of honorary environmental counsel.Currently, he is professor of the diploma course in energy law at Escuela Libre de Derecho and UNAM. He is an international lecturer, and has spoken at a vast number of conferences around the world.
From 1990 to 1996, Mr Celis collaborated in Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), as an environmental energy counsel. During his tenure, he was involved and successfully solved the first energy environmental cases in Mexico, such as the cleanup of the Azcapotzalco Refinery, and the Joint Venture case for the acquisition of the Deer Park Refinery.
During that period, he published three major works: The Legal-Environmental Regulation of the Oil Industry (1992), Revision of the Environmental Legal Protection before and after the Proposed Free Trade Agreement: a Mexican Perspective (1993) and The Legal Evolution of Mexican Environmental Law (1994).
In 1997, Mr Celis became the cofounder of the first environmental law firm in Mexico. During the late 1990s, Mr Celis was the environmental attorney for the reconversion, cleanup and remediation of the polluted soil at Pemex's refineries; he has also counselled Pemex's most important contractors in the past years, regarding legal issues such as the due compliance with the Mexican regulations.
In 2000, he and other colleagues founded the Mexican Academy of Energy Law (AMDE), with Mr Celis acting as president. Together, these entities seek to encourage, support and promote the development and diffusion of energy law in Mexico through legal research, as well as to propose and to promote legislative changes in the energy sector that have been reflected in Mexican law in recent years.
During early 2000, Mr Celis actively participated in advising on environmental and energy issues to international energy companies such as Iberdrola, TransAlta, El Paso-energy, among others for the construction and operation of several power generation plants. During this period, he published the following articles: "Legal-Environmental Analysis of Projects for the Production of Electric Energy with the Federal Electricity Commission" (2000) and "Environmental Obligations in Energy Projects" (2000).
Furthermore, he obtained the first permits for the construction and operation of the Liquefied Gas Terminal (LNG) in Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In recent years, he has designed successful strategies for projects related to generation and transmission of renewable energy in various states in Mexico, and for the gas transportation in the Northern part of the country, solving environmental problems and other related, such as indigenous participation. He has implemented strategies that limit and discharge responsibility for various hydrocarbon extractions companies in areas historically affected by this activity. Also, he is currently giving advice to Pemex's contractors in energy and environmental matters.
Referring to other areas of expertise, Mr Celis has had the opportunity to provide counsel in the mining, metallurgy, chemical and hospitality industries, as well as one can quote issues related to air, environmental impact, hazardous waste, soil contamination, site remediation, waste management, water supply and discharge management, natural protected areas and disclosure. He has also assessed companies in class action matters and disclosing areas of risk.
His most recent articles include "The North American Free Trade Agreement's Impact on the Development of Mexican Environmental Law" (2005), "Environmental Aspects for LNG projects in Mexico" (2007), "The Energy Reforms and Renewable Energies" (2008) and "Environmental Class Actions in Mexico: A Paradigm Shift" (2011).
His firm has been ranked as the leader in the market, since its creation, by the most distinguished publishers. Chambers and Partners: Latin America has ranked Humberto Celis as a Band 1 lawyer in each edition from 2010 to 2015.
Additional Info
Humberto Celis Aguilar Álvarez according to Chambers & Partners
Humberto Celis Aguilar Álvarez according to Latin Lawyer
Humberto Celis Aguilar Álvarez according to Whos Who Legal
Email: hcaguilar@hcambiental.com
Phone: (5255) 52 51 0775