Meet Our Legal Experts & Attorneys

Mr. Raul Ballote is the founder of Ballote and Associates and senior partner of this law firm with over 25 years of successful legal practice.

He attended the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY) where he obtained his law degree in 1970. He then studied English language and English literature at the University of Michigan, establishing a rigorous bilingual foundation for his cross-border legal career.

Mr. Ballote is currently an official Certified Translator (Perito Traductor) accredited by the State's Judicial Court (Poder Judicial del Estado de Yucatán).

Prior to founding Ballote & Associates, Raul Ballote accumulated extensive high-level financial experience working as a bank officer for the Trust Department (Fideicomisos) at BBVA Bancomer, BANAMEX, and Scotiabank. This deep institutional banking background provides foreign buyers and investors with unique, authoritative protection throughout Mexican bank trust conveyances.

Attorney at law Luis Loria attended his junior high school year through the Rotary Exchange Student program at Chenango Forks in Binghamton, New York, cultivating complete linguistic fluency and deep cultural affinity with American clients from an early age.

He obtained his law degree at the prestigious Universidad del Mayab in 2004.

He has been an active attorney since 2010, focusing primarily on Labor Law and Notary Law. He worked alongside distinguished Notary Public No. 80 in Mérida, gaining invaluable direct operational insight into public deeds (escrituras públicas), registration protocols, Catastro title searches, and property transfer formalities in Yucatán.

His double expertise in labor contracts and notary protocol makes him a pillar of Ballote & Associates for real estate buyers, sellers, and corporate employers.

Licenciado Jorge Espejo is a senior attorney at Ballote and Associates, bringing extensive real estate transaction experience to the firm's international clientele.

Jorge specializes in residential and commercial property transfers, title examinations at the Public Registry, and escrow contract management for foreign purchasers throughout Mérida, Progreso, and the Riviera Maya.

Clients consistently praise his patience, transparent guidance, and absolute dedication to detail during complex real estate closings.

Attorney Lenny Gabriela Hau Gómez earned her Law degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY), completing her legal studies from 2008 to 2013.

In 2019, she received official accreditation as a Certified Translator and Interpreter (Perito Traductor e Intérprete) by the Judicial Branch of the State of Yucatán (Poder Judicial del Estado de Yucatán).

With over 14 years of focused legal practice, Attorney Hau leads the immigration department at Ballote & Associates, guiding expatriates, retirees, digital nomads, and foreign executives through complex administrative proceedings before the National Institute of Migration (Instituto Nacional de Migración - INM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores - SRE).

Her practice encompasses the entire immigration lifecycle: obtaining Temporary and Permanent Resident Visas (Residente Temporal y Permanente), employer registration and work permits (Permiso de Trabajo), regularization of irregular immigration status, family unity petitions, and comprehensive representation in Mexican naturalization proceedings for foreigners acquiring Mexican citizenship.

As an accredited court translator and interpreter, she prepares certified official translations of foreign vital records (birth, marriage, divorce decrees, criminal background checks, apostilles) and appears as official legal interpreter during in-person closings, notary acts, and judicial proceedings.

Mr. Mario Daniel Carrillo Abreu obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the prestigious Universidad Marista de Mérida AC in 2007.

Furthering his commercial acumen, he completed his Master of Business Law (Maestría en Derecho de los Negocios) at the Universidad Anáhuac Mayab in 2010, specializing in corporate entity formation, governance, shareholder agreements, and international commercial transactions.

Complementing his corporate advisory practice, Mr. Carrillo Abreu completed specialized postgraduate studies in Real Estate Appraisal (Especialidad en Valuación Inmobiliaria) in 2026. This dual qualification provides foreign property investors and developers with an invaluable technical and legal asset: precise municipal Catastro and fiscal valuations, commercial appraisal analysis for acquisitions and sales, and expert real estate opinions.

At Ballote & Associates, he advises commercial clients on Mexican corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, commercial lease drafting, corporate bylaws, and rigorous property appraisal audits to ensure optimal fiscal and commercial standing.

Mr. Nicolás Hernández Díaz graduated with his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Universidad Marista de Mérida in 2021.

Recognizing the critical importance of taxation in Mexican real estate and foreign investment, he attained his Master’s Degree in Taxation (Maestría en Impuestos / Especialidad Fiscal) from the renowned Instituto de Especialización para Ejecutivos (IEE) in 2024.

He is an official Certified Translator (Perito Traductor Autorizado) accredited by the State Judicial Court, with complete bilingual fluency in English and Spanish.

At Ballote & Associates, Nicolás specializes in real estate acquisitions and property dispositions. He spearheads the firm's seller advisory practice, analyzing fiscal documentation to legally claim Income Tax (ISR) capital gains exemptions on primary residences, managing RFC tax ID filings with the SAT for foreign individuals, and coordinating tax strategies in close collaboration with specialized fiscal law firms.

His technical expertise ensures that clients navigate Mexican municipal transfer taxes (ISAI), federal capital gains (ISR), and notary withholding protocols with maximum fiscal efficiency and airtight compliance.

Mr. Fernando Ballote attended his sophomore high school year at Beebe High School in Arkansas, establishing solid bilingual proficiency in American academic environments.

He earned his Industrial Engineering degree (Licenciatura en Ingeniería Industrial) from the Universidad del Mayab in 2004, and subsequently completed his law coursework at Universidad Tecmilenio (Class of 2014), uniting rigorous process engineering with legal acumen.

Mr. Ballote has been with Ballote and Associates since 2012, serving as the firm's General Office Administrator.

He is an official Certified Translator (Perito Traductor) accredited by the State's Judicial Court. Fernando oversees closing financial statements, escrow trust accounts, and possesses extensive specialized experience coordinating cross-border currency and money exchange operations for international property transactions.