At the start of 2020, many industry observers believed Brazil would carry the weight for legal work in Latin America as the region’s biggest economy usually does after prospects dimmed for the region’s second-biggest economy, Mexico, amid flagging confidence in the country’s leadership.

Then came COVID-19. The region as a whole was hard-hit by the pandemic, representing about a quarter of summer infections worldwide. Brazil and Mexico, where presidents have taken a laissez-faire approach to stifling the virus, account for the lion’s share.