Mercedes Balado Bevilacqua | Founding and Managing Partner
Mercedes founded the firm in December 2012 after working for relevant national law firms, being partner of one for six (6) years. She graduated from Universidad de Buenos Aires with honours and holds Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) from University of Connecticut, School of Law, U.S.A.
Mercedes is the managing partner, head of the firm and coordinates the work of the other areas when several matters are involved.
She has over twenty (20) years of experience in providing local and cross border labour, social security, corporate management and human resources counsel to clients worldwide.
Considering that Employment and Labour practice in Latin-American is highly dominating by male lawyers, Mercedes has been featured among the leading lawyers in her practice area by Legal 500 Latin America for the years 2012-2021, Chambers & Partners for the years 2011-2021 and Who’s Who Legal for the years 2015-2020 in the field of Labour and Employment and in the area of Pensions and Benefits. She has been also singled out as “Though Leader – Global Elite Latin America” by Who´s Who Legal for the years 2019 -2020 and Best Lawyer 2018-2020.
In addition, Who’s Who Legal described her as: “The “globally renowned” Mercedes Balado Bevilacqua at MBB Balado Bevilacqua Abogados is an “inspirational figure in the market” with more than twenty years of experience”. She has also been recognized as “Best Labor Boutique Firm in South America” for Women in Business, England.
As an advocate of anti-discrimination policies and gender diversity in the workplace, a prolific author and frequent speaker in local and international conferences around the world, Ms. Balado Bevilacqua has received multiple recognitions for her work, including having recently been distinguished by Chambers Diversity and Inclusion Awards - Latin America 2019 as highly commended “Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year - Argentina”. She has also been recently shortlisted by Chambers and Partners Diversity among the top six (6) Argentine female lawyers for the award of “Inspiring Role Model for Furthering Women Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year” due to her active encouraging activity in favour of female lawyers in a male dominated field. Singled out by Women In Business- WIB-Worldwide as the “Most Influential Woman in Employment Law- South America” and by Acquisition International Magazine as 2018´s “Leading Labour and Employment Lawyer of the Year, Argentina”.
Mercedes is member of the International Bar Association (“IBA”) Equity Committee and of the Employment and Industrial Relationships Committee of the IBA, and represents such committee in a special interdisciplinary and multijurisdictional project. Also, she is member of the Labour and Employment Committee of the American Bar Association (“ABA”).
In addition, Mercedes is the Vice Chair for Latin America of the Section of Labour and Employment Law’s Outreach to International Lawyers Committee of the ABA, and she is also a member of the Bar Association of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Mercedes has been appointed as part of the Editorial Advisory Board of the International Employment Lawyer legal journal and commended to be part of the American Employment Lawyers Council
She is also part of the management committee of the Forum of Cross Border Human Resources Experts (XBHR), of the French-Argentinean Human Resources Commission of the French Chamber of Commerce and part of Marianne Association (a group created by the French Embassy that gathers relevant international business women). Mercedes was also part of the elite group of lawyers selected for defending Argentina before the ICSID World Bank in regard to international investment disputes under International Bilateral Investment Treaties.
Mercedes has also received multiple other important recognitions by the legal community, chambers of commerce and professional associations.
Mercedes regularly contributes with articles to various academic publications including but not limited to the monthly magazine of Case Law and Legislation Editorial “La Ley”, “El Cronista Comercial”, “Perspectives” - the Argentine-French Chamber of Commerce’s Magazine, “Argentine Chapter: Guide to International Employment and Labour Law” Littler Mendelson, Abogados.com.ar, IJ International Legal Group, the magazine Comments Express of AMCHAM, IBA, ABA, Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The International Employment Law Newsletter” - Taylor Vinters, “The International Employment Update” – Ogletree Deakins, Global Edge an international survey publication by Squire Patton Boggs, New York State Bar Association (NYSB), Global Employment Bulletin, CM Murray LLP Newsletter, Pensions and Retirement Plans 2013 and 2014, Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits 2018, Labour and Employment 2018 - Getting the Deal Through, Latin Lawyer, the Association Internationale des Jeuves Avocats, Union Internationale des Avocats, World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index 2015- 2019, and the Country Fact Sheet regarding Social Security for Red Expat (2016, 2017 and 2019). She has been quoted by Victor Hugo Alvarez Chavez in his handbook on "Mobbing, stress and harassment in the workplace”.
She participates as speaker and moderator in international and local conferences (IBA, ABA, New York Bar Association, Practice Law Institute, New York, Forum, Artículo Uno, etc.).
