Holland & Knight has opened a representative office inside the offices of a Buenos Aires firm, giving the US firm its second new foreign presence so far this year.
The installation of a representative office and a formal strategic alliance with 16-lawyer Alvarez Prado Cabanellas & Kelly, comes just four months after a tie-up with Israeli firm Haim Samet Steinmetz Haring & Co.
In March 1998, Hollands set up its first international office in Mexico, through a joint venture with Gallastegui y Lozano in Mexico City.
Hollands is also expected to open an office in Venezuela through a similar set-up to the Argentine venture by the end of the year and will then concentrate on opening an office in London.
The new Argentine practice will be run by South Florida-based corporate partner Ron Surbey. The alliance has grown out of an informal relationship that has been going on for a number of years.
The Florida-based firm, which has 850 lawyers, now has 16 offices in the US and three small offices abroad.
The firm, which has a strong track record for mergers in the US, has now set its sights on the rest of the world.
"By solidifying our presence in international markets, we are working to provide seamless global resources to our multinational clients," said George Mencio, head of the firm's international practice.
In September, fellow US firm Morrison & Foerster formally opened an office in Buenos Aires after a number of its lawyers who had spent nine months there working for a major client saw the opportunity to open a new office.