Marcelo Arellano

Marcelo is a corporate counsel in Linklaters’ New York office. He has extensive experience in a wide-range of cross-border capital markets and energy & infrastructure transactions and has advised financial institutions, governments, multilateral lenders and corporate issuers across a wide range of sectors.

Prior to rejoining Linklaters in September 2025, he served over a decade in leadership and general counsel roles as a U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Marcelo is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese and brings a deep understanding of legal regimes and economic and political dynamics in Latin America. Based in New York, he previously also worked in Linklaters’ Madrid and São Paulo offices.

Work highlights

At Linklaters:

• Underwriters and private and public issuers: advising in SEC-registered and Rule 144A/Reg S debt offerings, debt restructurings and IPOs, primarily in Latin America. This includes transactions with/by Banco do Brasil, Banco Santander Brasil, Banco Itaú, Banco Bradesco, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, EDP Renewables, Gas Natural, Iberdrola Renewables, the Province of Mendoza, the Republic of Argentina, and UBS, among others.
• Multilateral lenders and private financial institutions: advising on cross-border lending and project finance transactions for energy & infrastructure projects.
• In addition to transactional work, Marcelo has counseled clients on U.S. securities law compliance, corporate governance, and disclosure obligations for foreign private issuers.

U.S. Government: Marcelo served in U.S. Embassies in Latin America, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, leading and providing legal counsel for projects in over ten countries. This included:

• Advising on trade, technology and infrastructure investment initiatives, including through public-private partnerships and sovereign and multilateral loans and guarantees. Working closely with other U.S. Government agencies, Marcelo engaged extensively with foreign governments, multilaterals and private sector stakeholders to mobilize capital for these projects.
• Advising on complex legal requirements associated with U.S. Government financing, such as public international law issues, OFAC sanctions programs and federal contracting regulations.

2011-2025 U.S. Government Senior Foreign Service Officer, including assignments in Latin America, Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East

2003-2011 Associate, Linklaters LLP, New York, Madrid and São Paulo

2000-2003 Associate, Milbank LLP, New York

Marcelo holds a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School. He obtained his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Amherst College.

Marcelo is a member of the New York Bar.