Universidad de la República de Uruguay appointed FERRERE's Regulatory and Administrative Law Department Director, Cristina Vázquez, as director of the Administrative Law Institute of its Law School, making her the first woman to hold the top academic post in Public Law in the country's history. Cristina Vázquez succeeds Professor Felipe Rotondo in the position.

In 2016 Cristina Vázquez had already made history by becoming the first woman Grade 5 Professor in Administrative Law. Vázquez is also the director of the Master's Program in Economic Administrative Law at Universidad de Montevideo (UM).

In her practice Vázquez has specialized in public contracting, energy and infrastructure, regulatory and Public Law litigation issues. Her activity (both in Uruguay and in other jurisdictions in which the firm operates) has focused on energy and infrastructure project financing, PPA negotiations, regulatory framework negotiations for utility companies, private initiatives for public works concessions for transport infrastructure, Public Law litigation on issues of regulation of services and concessions, public health, energy and others, advising multilateral credit organizations as well as international banks and infrastructure funds, advising the State on regulatory frameworks, institutional design of new agencies, codifying and modernizing regulatory frameworks, and processes for rate setting, etc.

In addition to her professional activity at FERRERE and academic acdtivity with different universities in Uruguay and abroad, Vázquez has had lengthy public service experience. Before joining FERRERE she was president of the Energy and Water Services Regulatory Unit (URSEA) (2005-2010), director of the same regulatory agency (2001-2004), legal advisor to the Office of the President of the Republic (1992-2000) and legal advisor to the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (1981-1992). Over the years she has also provided consultancy services to multilateral credit organizations and participated in the institutional design and launching of multiple public agencies and bodies.

In 2015 Vázquez gave a variety of conferences in Uruguay and abroad. Oustanding among them was her participation in the Sixth World Forum on Energy Regulation held in Istambul (bringing together energy experts from around the globe) and in a seminar Towards a New Conceptualization of Governance and Regulation of State-owned Corporations: contributions to the debate in Latin America. Her latest book, Procedimientos administrativos, a second volume on administrative procedures, was published last December by La Ley-Thomson Reuters, following the successful book edited by Vázquez, Derecho de la Energía, with contributions by dozens of public and private sector experts.

Andrés Cerisola, managing partner of FERRERE, said: "Cristina Vázquez has gotten us used to this kind of news. It impacts on one of FERRERE's fundmental pillars – strong practic group specialization – but extends its impact to another pillar that is at the very essence of our firm, which is the priority we give to women's leadership in all of our jurisdictions."

Cristina Vázquez has published 14 books on Administrative Law subjects:

1. Modalidades de ejecución de la obra pública

2. La reforma constitucional de 1997

3. Manual de Derecho de la Función Pública

4. Marco Regulatorio del Sector Eléctrico en Uruguay

5. Contratación de obra pública

6. El Régimen de Participación Público-Privada. PPP

7. La promoción de la calidad en la educación superior

8. Reglamentación de la Ley de Contratos de PPP

9. El Registro Nacional de Empresas de Obras Públicas

10. Procedimientos administrativos, Tomo I (texto del Decreto Nº 500/991 anotado y comentado)

11. Procedimientos administrativos, Tomo II (Texto del TOCAF anotado y comentado)

12. La concesión de obra pública en el Derecho uruguayo

13. Contribuciones para la creación de un sistema de promoción de la calidad de la educación superior en Uruguay

14. Derecho de la energía