With more than 50 years experience, Bentata Abogados is well known for both quality and quantity in IP circles, especially in patents. The firm represents industry heavyweights such as Colgate-Palmolive, AstraZeneca, Allergan, IFP Energies nouvelles and Shell. Areas of practice include intellectual property, corporate law and litigation.
Despite tough market conditions in Venezuela, the firm has recruited two new lawyers in the last 18 months – filing specialist Ilia Albornoz and trade mark specialist Alexandra Alvano. In recent years, Bentata spent $50,000 on digitising all its files and believes it was the first law firm in Central or South America to do so. The new system is more environmentally friendly and enables lawyers to respond to clients' enquiries more quickly.
Trade mark attorney Laura Rada, an administrative specialist, earned praise from peers. One competitor said: "She worked in the registry for a long time. She's very professional and very ethical and she defends her clients' rights. I wouldn't have any trouble putting any case in her hands." Partner Dana Bentata does pro-bono work for the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Juvenile Justice Fund, a non-profit organisation which helps young people involved in the court system.