Previous Page
mARCH 2012 10 World Report - Latin America
DLA Piper has announced that it will be working in cooperation with Brazilian firm Campos Mello Advogados to serve clients in Brazil. The arrangement is a major step in DLA Piper’s strategic plan for Latin America.
The cooperation agreement will see Campos Mello Advogados and DLA Piper partners collaborating closely to serve clients around the globe. Campos Mello Advogados will remain an independent firm, but will work closely with DLA Piper to advise international companies doing business in Brazil, as well as domestic companies looking to expand or do business abroad. The agreement gives DLA Piper a key ally in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.
“Joining forces with Campos Mello
Advogados is an important step in the advancement of our global strategy,
which is to have a significant presence in the world’s leading and rapidly emerging economies,” said Francis B. Burch, Jr., Global Chairman of DLA Piper. “This collaboration gives us a go-to resource on the ground in Brazil, which will provide great value for our clients and a stream f referral business to our worldwide network. This arrangement is a great beginning for us in Latin America, but there is more to come in the near future.”
Campos Mello Advogados has lawyers
specializing in corporate, finance, real estate, tax and litigation matters. The firm currently has 60 professionals, among partners, associates and trainees in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and the Sao Paulo office will grow substantially in the next few months.
DLA Piper has been eyeing the Brazil market for several years. Stuart Berkson,
DLA Piper joining forces with Campos Mello Advogados in Brazil
a Chicago-based Corporate Finance partner and Chair of DLA Piper’s Latin America practice, has been travelling to Brazil for almost three decades and has worked with many of the Campos Mello Advogados partners. Bob Gruendel, a New York-based Project Finance partner and Global Chair of DLA Piper’s Energy practice, also has been actively involved in fostering the cooperation with Campos Mello Advogados. Both Berkson and Gruendel will have permanent resident status in Brazil shortly and intend to apply for and obtain authorizations from the Brazilian Bar to practice in Brazil as consultants on foreign law and be able to advise clients in connection with foreign laws in Brazil, as required under local Bar regulations.
Holland & Knight to open office in Colombia
Holland & Knight are set to open a new office in Bogotá, Colombia. Attorneys in the office, along with those throughout the firm, will primarily provide counsel to non-Colombian companies that wish to enter the Colombian market and assist Colombian enterprises as they look to expand abroad. Holland & Knight will be only the second major U.S.-based law firm to have an office in Colombia.
"Over the past few years, we have
experienced a steady increase in the number of engagements for clients with interests in Colombia and the surrounding region. We expect our Bogotá office to become a hub for our growing presence not only in Colombia, but throughout Latin America," said Steven Sonberg, managing partner of Holland & Knight. "Colombia is a leading center for economic growth in Latin America and is poised for further growth with the adoption of the
Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. This should increase foreign investment and provide a growing number of Colombian companies opportunities to expand abroad."
Enrique Gómez-Pinzón, who has
been based in the firm's Washington, D.C. office for the past nine years, will lead the Colombia operation as executive partner of the Bogotá office. Mr. Gómez-Pinzón began his legal career in Colombia and has served as co-founder and director of the Colombian-Japanese Chamber of Commerce, member of the Bogotá Stock Exchange board of directors, and director of the Colombian Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C., where he represented the Colombian government and various Colombian industries. He will divide his time between Bogotá and Washington, D.C.
"For many years, members of our Latin America Practice have been
representing clients with interests in Colombia and the surrounding region in complex legal matters," said Mr. Gómez-Pinzón. "Colombia’s expanding international economy is presenting new opportunities in cross-border transactions and investments, and spurring more international litigation and arbitration cases. Consistent with past practices, we expect to continue working with other law firms in Bogotá to assist in client engagements."