Our Team

Fernanda Garza is founding partner at Garza Magdaleno, S.C., a law firm specialized in Antitrust and International Trade and Customs Law. Fernanda has over 20 years of experience advising national and multinational companies in these areas, providing strategic legal counsel across a wide range of industries.

Fernanda has a recognized international public-private career that includes having been part of the negotiating team of free trade agreements on behalf of Mexico and having worked as an international official in Switzerland at the World Trade Organization (WTO). She was also part of the legal team of the former Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE), handling numerous antitrust proceedings. In the private practice, Fernanda has also wide experience in the areas of Competition & Antitrust and International Trade.

Her main motivation is to provide in-depth and top-quality legal advice to her clients. She seeks the best strategies and solutions for the problems faced by her clients’ businesses, understanding that each transaction requires a unique perspective and specific analysis.

In the Competition & Antitrust practice, she has extensive experience that combines her perspective both as a government official of the Mexican Competition Authority (CNA) and as a private practitioner representing national and international companies. Her expertise covers all areas of Competition & Antitrust Law, including pre-merger notifications, leniency applications, investigations and administrative trial-like proceedings regarding collusive conducts and abuse of dominance, proceedings regarding barriers to competition and essential facilities processed by CNA, as well as litigation processes before Constitutional courts (amparo trials) against the resolutions issued by the competition authorities.

On International Trade, she provides a unique vision given her national and international experience in the field. Fernanda has advised national and international clients on customs law and international trade consulting, export and manufacturing promotion programs, and the application of international agreements.

She has led litigation before administrative authorities and the judiciary and has been involved in the dispute settlement mechanisms of the international treaties to which Mexico is a party, the WTO system and unfair trade practices procedures.

Prior founding Garza Magdaleno, she worked in the Antitrust and International Trade teams of several leading Mexican law firms.

In the public field, she served as Director of Proceedings at the former COFECE, where she led and participated in numerous antitrust proceedings. She also served as an international official in the Legal Affairs and Rules Divisions at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where she advised international dispute settlement panels between States regarding foreign trade, being one of the few Mexican lawyers with professional experience in the legal divisions of the WTO.

She also worked for the Mexican Ministry of Economy, where she negotiated free trade agreements on behalf of Mexico, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement of Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Pacific Alliance.

Fernanda has been recognized by reputable legal ranking directories such as Chambers and Partners, Legal500, Best Lawyers and The Latin American Lawyer Woman Awards. In 2025 she was awarded by The Legal 500 as “International Trade and Customs Next Generation Partner of the Year” and “Inspiring Lawyer of the Year 2025” by Lex Talk in San Francisco. In this same year she was shortlisted for the Latin American edition of the Women in Business Law Awards Americas 2025. She was the only Mexican lawyer nominated in the latter edition.

She authored a book on International Trade Law and co-authored the Mexican chapter of a book on Antitrust Law in Latin-America, as well as several academic articles in English and Spanish on Antitrust and International Trade Law.

She has lectured International Public Law and WTO Law in the “Universidad Iberoamericana” in Mexico City.
Since 2025, Fernanda has served as Coordinator of the Antitrust Chapter of the Mexican Bar Association (BMA). Since 2026, she has also served as Coordinator of the Mexican Antitrust Chapter of the World Compliance Association.

Fernanda is an active member of AbogadasMx and Women@ Competition, where she works to foster an inclusive professional environment in which lawyers can thrive and access the tools necessary for their professional development and growth. She also serves as a mentor in the international Mentoring Program organized by Women@ Competition.

Ms. Fernanda Garza obtained her law degree (JD) from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and her Master of Laws (LLM) in International Economic Law and Policy at Universitat de Barcelona, in Barcelona Spain.

Itzel Ríos has extensive experience in Antitrust, and International Trade & Customs Law, in both private and public practice.

In private practice, over the past two years, Itzel has leveraged her institutional background to build strong technical expertise in handling complex Antitrust matters.

In the Antitrust area, Itzel is actively involved in investigations related to collusion and abuse of dominance practices, the design and implementation of competition compliance programs, and the preparation and management of immunity and leniency applications.

In the International Trade & Customs Law area, she advises clients on matters arising from customs audits conducted by tax authorities, as well as on compliance with customs and international trade obligations for both domestic and multinational companies. She has been recognized by Legal 500 s recognized lawyer, reflecting her contribution to the development and strength of the practice.

In public practice, Itzel was part of the Merger Control Directorate of the former Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) for eight years, where she played an active role in opinions and merger notifications across a wide range of industries, including real estate, pharmaceuticals, mining, digital markets, insurance and surety, and automotive, among others.

She has also served as a member of the legal team of the Mexican Tax Administration Service (SAT), where she was responsible for the analysis and processing of administrative appeals in tax and customs matters, as well as for representing the Federal Treasury in administrative litigation proceedings before the Federal Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA).

Since 2026, Itzel has served as Secretary of the Mexican Antitrust Chapter of the World Compliance Association. Itzel is an active member of AbogadasMx, where she works to foster an inclusive professional environment in which lawyers can thrive and access the tools necessary for their professional development and growth.

Itzel holds a Law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a Postgraduate Specialization in Tax Law from the same institution, both awarded with honors. She has further complemented her academic background with a Diploma in Economics from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), a Diploma in International Trade from the Mexican Institute of Foreign Trade Executives (IMECE), and various specialized courses in competition law, legal argumentation, and personal data classification.

Nicole Bontrud is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in International Business at Universidad Latinoamericana, with an expected graduation date of August 2026.

Nicole has oriented her academic and professional development toward international business, International Trade, and global market analysis, with a focus on the dynamics of operations in international environments.