Norton Rose Fulbright has launched in Rio de Janeiro with the hire of BP's former assistant general counsel Andrew Haynes to co-head the new venture.

Haynes, who joined the firm earlier this month, will lead the new Brazilian office alongside the firm's current Colombia head Glenn Faass.

The office will be Norton Rose's third Latin America base, alongside existing offices in Venezuela and Colombia, and its 55th base worldwide. The firm had originally stated its interest in opening in the country back in 2010, and was expected to open there last autumn.

Prior to joining BP, Haynes was deputy general counsel for BG Group and previously BG's chief counsel for South America, based in Brazil. Faass meanwhile previously led legacy Macleod Dixon's Brazilian practice for seven years.

Lawyers in the new office will practise English, Canadian and US law, primarily focussing on M&A and corporate work, project finance, anti-bribery, restructuring and arbitration and dispute resolution.

The firm's broader Latin America group, which is headed by Elisabeth Eljuri in Caracas, has more than 100 lawyers spanning several continents.

Eljuri commented: "Our Brazil practice will play a key part in our strategy to target mandates across Latin America, including the 'Southern Cone' of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay, and to capture intra-Latin American transactional work."

Norton Rose becomes the latest in a line of firms to expand in Brazil, with Hogan Lovells earlier this year opening its second office in the country in Sao Paulo. DAC Beachcroft signed an association agreement in the country last year.