BT is expanding its offshore legal function with the launch of two outposts planned for Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires later this year.

The new centres, which will house 5-10 lawyers when they are set up at the end of the year, will become BT's second and third offshore legal operations and will support the company's legal function in the US.

The first was launched in India two years ago by BT's head of special projects, Evangelos Apostolou, who is also leading the South America initiative.

BT now has a team of 25 lawyers and support staff in New Delhi who undertake a range of work, including negotiations, transactions and drafting contracts.

Apostolou told Legal Week: "The idea is that you recruit local lawyers. We are arriving on the back of an existing trading infrastructure and will be intermingling our people with those who already exist within the organisation."

Gordon Moir, BT's general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that the Latin American legal departments could soon be followed by others in Eastern Europe, Ireland and Scotland.

"We are always looking for the best locations to support our growing business network," he commented. "We are recruiting this year for Latin America and will have the teams up and running by 2008."

Last month it emerged that investment banking giant Citi is moving part of its legal division to Belfast, where up to 39 jobs will be created for a new-look legal and compliance team.

BT is a global telecommunications company with annual revenues of £19.5bn and around
300 lawyers worldwide. Last year it increased its interests in the US with the acquisition of Californian company International Network Services (INS) and internet security company Counterpane.