Practice groups
Located in the Abaco office, Ximena Thompson is Of Counsel and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate & Development practice group.
Ximena is an experienced practitioner in the areas of Real Estate Law, Aviation Law, Commercial Law and Litigation. Specialising in foreign direct investment, the sale and acquisition of hotels and resorts, and real estate and project finance for more than 20 years, Ximena’s clients include international and local property developers, large international industrial, commercial and service companies, and national and overseas government agencies.
On individual sales and acquisitions, Ximena has acted on behalf of multiple high net worth private clients in respect of their acquisition of properties. She has provided legal services related to Bahamas Government regulations and applications, including all aspects of Heads of Agreements and Hotel Encouragement Act Concessions.
Ximena has represented a number of major international airlines with regards to all legal aspects of their operations in Colombia, and liaised with national aviation authorities in both Colombia and The Bahamas. She also participated in the negotiation of air traffic rights between The Bahamas and Cuba on behalf of the Bahamian Government.
Ximena earned a Law degree in 1981 at the Université Paris 2 Pantheon-Assas and in the following year completed a Master’s Degree (DESS) in Administration and Cooperation of International Organizations at the Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. She earned diplomas in Property and Trusts as well as Common Law and Obligations, Laws of Contract at Holborn College in England in 2004 and 2005. Ximena was admitted to the Colombian Bar in 1986 and became a Registered Associate in The Bahamas in 2001.
Ximena is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and has a working knowledge of Italian.
Education
- Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, Master Degree (DESS) in Administration and Cooperation of International Organisations, Paris, France
- Université Paris 2 Pantheon-Assas, Law Degree, Paris, France
Bar admissions
- Colombia, 1986
Professional memberships
- Alumni Association (American School) (Colegio Nueva Granada), Bogota, Colombia
- Alumni Association Universidad De Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
Languages
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Italian (conversational)
Experience
Real Estate
- Acted as legal counsel for several international investors in the acquisition of property and the construction and opening of resorts in Abaco. Preparation of project proposals for submission to the National Economic Council at The Bahamas Investment Authority; preparation and submission of applications to obtain concessions under the Hotels Encouragement Act and pursuant thereto preparing the relevant agreements with the government; dealing with the Department of Inland Revenue for the application of real property tax exemption under the Act.
Aviation
- Acted as legal advisor for international airline in charge of all legal aspects, responsibility for dealing with all national authorities inter alia the Department of Civil Aviation in connection with the renewal of licenses, Certificates of Operations and technical inspections.
- Acted as head legal counsel for international airline with regards to contract negotiations, implementation and application of Industrial Security and Occupations health regulations and representing the airline in various court proceedings.
Litigation
- Acted as head legal counsel for a Colombo-French consortium during the construction of a 340-kilometer gas pipeline; drafting and negotiating all contracts specific to construction contracts; representing the client in court for employee lawsuits; and defining defense strategy in arbitration proceedings.