At a time when law firms around the world are shunning office space and instructing lawyers to work remotely, Brazilian firm Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados is planning to open a full-service office in the city of Campinas, in southeastern Brazil.

Senior partners João Marcos Colussi and Vilma Toshie Kutomi will relocate from headquarters in the city of São Paulo to direct a team of five lawyers in the technology and industrial hub. Colussi's decades-long practice at the firm has focused on tax, while Kutomi's area of expertise is labor, employment and executive compensation.

"Even though the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has directed business towards the digital environment worldwide, Mattos Filho maintains its long-term strategic vision and invests in a hybrid work model, in which clients have the option of virtual assistance or face-to-face, according to needs and always respecting the guidelines of the competent health agencies to ensure the safety of everyone," the firm said in a statement. Many large firms in Brazil—including Mattos Filho—have adopted strict work-from-home policies as the new coronavirus ravages Latin America's biggest economy. Mattos Filho has yet to set a date for a physical return to offices. The South American country of 210 million inhabitants has logged the second-highest death toll from COVID-19, after the United States.

Mattos Filho managing partner Roberto Quiroga said the Campinas opening responds to a need to be closer to clients in a region with growing economic clout. Quiroga resumed leadership at the firm earlier in July, after the death of managing partner José Eduardo Carneiro Queiroz.

Campinas hosts many Fortune 500 companies and has developed into a core location for petrochemicals companies, agricultural firms, research and technology. The city is about an hour drive from the country's sprawling financial hub, the city of São Paulo; both are in the state of São Paulo.

"If you want to be a reference, you need to be present," said Kutomi, vowing to promote inclusion and pro bono efforts throughout the state of São Paulo.

Mattos Filho has more than 100 partners and 600 lawyers spread across four additional offices in Brazil, as well as offices in New York and London, making it one of Latin America's biggest firms by head count.

The firm ranked second in Latin America by number of M&A deals worked and fourth by value during the first half of 2020, with 16 deals announced worth $1.7 billion, according to data from Mergermarket. Mattos Filho is a full-service firm with more than 30 practice areas.