Latin America & Caribbean Practice
International & Cross Border Transactions
David Camhi is a Partner in the firm's Miami and Fort Lauderdale offices and a member of the firm's Business, Finance & Tax Team, focusing on transactional domestic and international matters. David focuses on domestic and cross-border M&A, joint venture, financing, commercial and investment transactions. His experience practicing law in the United States, Latin America and Europe, combined with his broad understanding of the financial, tax, and accounting aspects of cross-border operations and transactions, has enabled his professional success.
After practicing law at leading law firms in Colombia, Mexico and New York for over a decade, David moved in-house to hold senior legal executive roles at major corporations in the U.S. He held the position of Chief Legal Officer at Payless Shoesource in Miami, Florida and Topeka Kansas. At Payless, he successfully managed the legal aspects of the Company's emergence from Chapter 11 protection and the refinancing of the Company's debt. He negotiated significant transactions to stabilize the Company's international sourcing, franchising and retail operations and prepare it for its relaunch and reentry into the U.S. market.
Before Payless, David served as General Counsel of Playa Hotels and Resorts (NASDAQ: PLYA)—where he oversaw all legal and compliance matters of a $2B Dutch, publicly-traded hospitality company owning and operating all-inclusive hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean; and as General Counsel of Phoenix Group—a privately-held conglomerate of companies manufacturing plastic packaging and resins at plants in the U.S., Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico.
His extensive record of law firm and in-house corporate experience—both domestic and international—is an asset to our clients and their individual business needs.
Representative Matters 
- Represented a global footwear company in the sale of certain existing trademark license rights for $20 million in cash, and the entering into a replacement licensing agreement. Advised the client in the structuring of the transaction and the definitive agreements.
- Represented a Dutch company in the acquisition of a hospitality company in Jamaica for approximately $325 million in cash and stock. The acquisition included several branded and non-branded hotels and a mixed-use property that was part of a multi-building condominium, which required the structuring and documentation of the separation of the facilities to be used as part of an all-inclusive hotel and those that would remain for the use of owners. Advised the client in connection with the tax and business structure of the transaction and the definitive agreements.
- Represented a private-equity owned hospitality company in the repurchasing of a 23% interest in the company owned by its Spanish sponsor, payable via the transfer of several hotel properties owned by the company in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The transaction required the refinancing of the company’s debt (approximately $535 million) as it was guaranteed by the Spanish sponsor. Advised the client with corporate governance matters, negotiation strategy, definitive documents, including refinancing of existing debt.
- Represented an international hospitality company in its merger with a publicly traded SPAC and its transition as a publicly traded company (NASDAQ). Advised on all disclosure documents and filings, the definitive agreements and closing and post-closing matters.
- Represented a Spanish company in the acquisition of a hospitality company with several hotels and management operations in Mexico for approximately $412 million in cash and stock. Advised client on all maters related to the transaction, including the definitive agreements and tax strategy.
- Represented a hospitality company in the entering into strategic alliance agreements with two major US hotel chains, granting the parties certain preferential and first refusal rights for the branding and management of future properties. Advised on the initial term sheets and the definitive agreements
- Represented an international hospitality company in the determination of the structure of its international hotel-management operations, the drafting of the form of management agreements and the negotiation of the agreements for several properties.
- Represented a global footwear company in a licensing transaction for the branding of an online portal featuring third-party retail offers. Advised client on all transaction documents.
- Represented a client in the negotiation of a multi-tranche $75 million syndicated loan facility. Advised client on business aspects and covenant details of the credit agreement.
- Represented an international hospitality company in the multi-million remodel of a hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Advised client on the structure of the construction agreement and the final transaction documents.
- Represented an international hospitality company in the acquisition of a parcel in the Dominican Republic and the construction of a 750-room multi-hotel complex. Advised client on the structure of the transaction and the definitive agreements.
- Represented a Canadian tour operator in the structuring on its hotel-management operations, including the preparation of the form of management agreements to be used.
- Represented a manufacturing company in connection with an $85 million multi-currency syndicated facility, with tranches in US Dollars and Colombian Pesos, and secured by the shares and fixed assets of companies in the US, Colombia and Mexico. Advised client on all documents for the transaction, including a US credit agreement, a Colombian Peso credit agreement, and security documents under US, Colombian and Mexican law.
- Represented a newly incorporated US subsidiary of a Colombian company in connection with a non-recourse senior secured credit facility. Drafted and negotiated the financing terms, the credit agreement and the Mexican security documents.
Community Activities / Associations
- Latin America Corporate Counsel Association
- American Corporate Counsel Association
- American Bar Association
In the News
July 23, 2021
June 25, 2021
January 15, 2021
Law360 "Berger Singerman Adds Ex-Payless CLO, Baker McKenzie Atty"
January 15, 2021
Publications
Hotel Management "What does your hotel management agreement say?"
December 29, 2021
Hotels Magazine "Can (or should) Your Hotel Brand NOT Be A Hotel Brand?"
July 15, 2021
Revista Inversiones y Negocios, "Inmuebles con todo incluido: La última frontera"
July 15, 2021
June 25, 2021
Hotel Executive "All-Inclusive Properties: The Last Frontier"
May 23, 2021
Prior Affiliations
- Payless Shoesource
- Playa Hotels & Resorts
- Phoenix Group
- Thacher Proffitt & Wood
- BearingPoint/KPMG Consulting
- Sidley Austin LLP
- Prieto & Carrizosa
- Baker & Mckenzie