A law graduate from the Universidad de Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, María Elia Gastélum is licensed to practice in Mexico and California and before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Maria Elia is not licensed to practice law in Texas.
As such, María has represented multiple trans-national clients from both the U.S. and Mexico with cross-border interests. María is fluent in English and Spanish, and she has a thorough understanding of cultural differences in business practices.
María’s primary purpose is to assist foreign citizens and U.S. residents in protecting their assets and ascertaining their instructions for the effective disposition of their assets during life and at their deaths. Her planning strategies provide clients with options that allow them to maintain control of their assets and protect their ownership interests while reducing or eliminating their estate and gift tax liability and other tax obligations. She is committed to ensuring that clients' family members are able to maintain their lifestyles in the future, and she implements tools to maintain confidentiality on their affairs. She believes everyone benefits from estate planning, regardless of the size of their estate
Among her other areas of expertise are corporate governance, environmental compliance, immigration issues, import-export matters, employment matters, distribution and franchise agreements, licensing for different activities including the use of natural resources for research purposes, and negotiating agreements with ejidos and Mexican cooperatives for various business ventures. She has conducted due diligence review of real estate, corporate, intellectual property, third-party agreements and other compliance matters for transactions in Mexico and the United States, including mergers, acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations. She has also assisted U.S. and foreign clients involved in government procurement contracts in Mexico to ensure compliance with relevant Mexican laws and regulations.
María has also acted as an expert witness in Mexican law before California legal proceedings regarding real estate and civil status law issues. She has extensive experience with international treaties that govern letters rogatory, legalization, uniformity of powers of attorney, and others. María has supervised, to a successful conclusion, multiple litigation proceedings in Mexico on behalf of both Mexican and non-Mexican clients.
She has also lectured on topics including the distinction between notaries in the U.S. and Mexico, international financing, and intellectual property law.
Practice areas
As an international estate planning attorney, I assist both foreign and U.S. citizens in organizing their assets and achieving their goals for the proper disposition of their estates during their lifetimes or upon their deaths.
13 years
As a dual-licensed attorney, my extensive business planning and transaction expertise range from international commercial transactions and joint ventures to establishing domestic or foreign branches and buying and selling real estate across borders.
32 years
The main focus is to help Latin American ultra-high net worth families protect their assets located worldwide. Specifically, their overall estate, business, and strategic tax planning, aircraft and yacht financing, real estate, and personal matters.
32 years
Languages spoken
Spanish, English
MEG International Counsel, PC
2001 Timberloch Place, Suite 500
The Woodlands, TX, 77380
MEG INTERNATIONAL COUNSEL
4364 Bonita Rd. #274
Bonita, CA, 91902
State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
---|---|---|---|
CA | Active | 2009 | 06/14/2022 |
Legal answers | 0 |
Legal guides | 0 |
Title | Company name | Duration |
---|---|---|
Attorney Licensed in Mexico | Maria Elia Gastelum | 1990 - Present |
Association name | Position name | Duration |
---|---|---|
State Bar of California | Member | 2009 - Present |
Phi Delta Phi | Member | 1987 - Present |
Publication name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Wealthcounsel Quarterly | The Role and Opportunities of Fideicomisos in Mexican Real Property | 2016 |
School name | Degree | Graduated |
---|---|---|
University of Monterrey | LL.B - Bachelor of Laws | 1989 |
Case name | Outcome |
---|---|
Created Trust Strategy for Foreign Investment in the U.S. | |
Created Multiple Foreign Trusts for Foreigners to Transfer Real Estate in U.S. and Avoid Estate Taxes | |
Created Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs) for Foreign Couple for Premium Financing Purposes | |
Incorporated Multiple Off-Shore Companies for Holding Marine Vessels Used in the Oil & Gas Industry | |
Created Multiple Living Trusts, Wills, and Ancillary Documents for Foreign Resident-Aliens in the U.S. |
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September 13, 2019
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August 11, 2015
Antonio Gastelum Treviño, Estate planning Attorney on Jul 14, 2019
Relationship: Co-worker
I endorse this lawyer.
Karina Juarez, Corporate and incorporation Attorney on Aug 11, 2011
Relationship: Worked together on matter
I have known and worked with Maria for several years on business and real estate matters. She is very knowledgeable, thorough and diligent. She has the skills and resources to navigate the law on both sides of the border which makes her the perfect advocate for international transactions.