DLA Piper advised on a significant investment in Latin America by one of the world's largest energy companies, Total S.A., which acquired a majority interest in a leading fuel retailer in the Dominican Republic. DLA Piper advised Putney Capital Management, an asset management firm, in the sale of a 70 percent interest to Total S.A., a global integrated energy producer and provider and leading international oil and gas company based in Paris. Putney Capital Management will retain a 30 percent stake and will continue to play an important role as Total's local partner.

"This is the kind of investment in the Latin America region that our globalized client base continues to seek our counsel on as they implement strategic growth plans throughout the region," said Francisco J. Cerezo, a DLA Piper lawyer who led the firm's team on the deal.

The venture will be branded as Total Dominicana and will be managed as part of Total's network of 600 service stations in nine Caribbean countries. The transaction includes a well-established network of 130 stations, along with significant commercial oil products and lubricants sales positions.

The DLA Piper team was led by US Head of Latin America Corporate Francisco J. Cerezo (Miami); partners John L. Murphy (Miami), Robert Salter (London), Karine Disdier-Mikus (Paris) and Stephane Lemarchand (Paris); foreign legal consultant Mélisande E. Brodeur-Perez (Miami); senior associate Chris Arnold (London) and associate Harout J. Samra (Miami).