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Charles Russell Speechlys Gains Traction in Latin America
News

Wachtell, Goodwin Lead Q1 League Tables as Global M&A Tumbles 44%

Two law firms that were in the top five last year saw drops out of the top 10 in early 2023.
4 minute read

News

Quinn Emanuel Notches €1.33B Win for Investors Against Argentina

The judgment handed down by the High Court in London orders Argentina to pay investors slighted by a change in methodology for calculating the South American country's gross domestic product.
3 minute read

News

Litigation Funding Helps Secure Major Win in Long-Standing Dispute With Argentina

Burford Capital could see a payout in the billions of U.S. dollars after backing a moonshot case for investors burned by Argentina's nationalization of oil company YPF.
3 minute read

News

Kirkland, Building on $6B in Revenue, Grew Almost 8% in Down Market

The firm rapidly grew in lawyer head count, rising 13% last year. Its associate population shot up 14.5%.
5 minute read

News

Dentons Hires Managing Partner for Jamaica Office, Adds Partner in Barbados

Women now hold three of the five managing partner positions at Dentons in the Caribbean, where the firm boasts 11 offices.
3 minute read

Analysis

Miami's Rise as a 'Global Metropolis' is Challenging New York as an International Arbitration Hub

The city's historic ties to Latin America have laid the foundation and its current economic boom has made its case more compelling. Local law schools and the Florida Bar are also committed to building its reputation.
6 minute read

News

Brazil's TozziniFreire Recruits Restructuring and Insolvency Partner

Gabriela Martines rejoins the firm, where she had advanced from intern to senior partner before jumping to Brazilian investment bank Itaú BBA, to help with growing caseload.
2 minute read

News

ESG Becomes Major Focus for Law Firms and Clients in Mexico

Latin America's second-largest economy is paying closer attention to ESG matters despite speed bumps for ESG in the U.S., the country's main trade partner.
3 minute read

News

Brazil's Cescon Barrieu Appoints New Managing Partner

The firm has significantly grown its head count and revenue in recent years, while also opening additional offices in Brazil and launching an office in Canada.
2 minute read

News

Strength in Disputes, Middle-Market M&A Helped Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Offset Russia Losses

The global law firm, which brought on a four-partner group from DLA Piper in Frankfurt, said it would continue to look for growth in areas of high demand internationally, including in Dubai and Paris.
4 minute read

News

Mayer Brown's Profits Dipped but Firm Held Onto Revenue Gains

The firm said it wants to continue to build in Asia, where it has a presence in Tokyo, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, pointing out that forecasts show growth in the region this year, while in the U.S. and Europe, forecasts predict flat or minimal gains.
5 minute read

News

Paul Hastings Lands Two Shearman Lawyers in Capital Markets, One with Latin America Expertise

Grissel Mercado brings expertise in Latin America as the firm sees opportunities south of the border.
3 minute read

News

Debevoise's Revenue Stays Flat As Profits Take A Hit

With an 11.8% decline in PEP, Debevoise's growing headcount and its move to a new Manhattan headquarters contributed to some of its increased expenses last year.
3 minute read

Commentary

The Case for Launching in India

All international firms should follow Baker McKenzie and HSF in taking the liberalization opportunity in such a major economy seriously—the future of their institution could depend on it, writes the Global Lawyer.
6 minute read

News

Human Rights Suit Against Chiquita Brands Gets Trial Date

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra of the Southern District of Florida ordered the banana company to stand trial in January 2024 for allegedly financing paramilitary death squads in Colombia.
3 minute read

News

King & Spalding, Clifford Chance Advise on SPAC Merger in Mexico

Mexican firms Nader, Hayaux & Goebel and Galicia Abogados are also advised on the offering for Murano Hospitality Group, a developer of hotels and industrial parks that was valued at $810 million.
2 minute read

News

ECIJA Adds Litigation and Arbitration Partner in Barcelona

Gorka Goenechea is the firm's first global partner hire since it formed a strategic alliance with U.K.-based Taylor Wessing.
2 minute read

News

Brazilian Transactional Firm Candido Martins Opens in Madrid

Founding partner Henrique Martins has moved to the Spanish capital, where he will oversee an office and court clients in an unconventional market for a Brazilian firm.
3 minute read

News

Arbitration Cases Rise in Brazil to Rival Numbers in the United States

A combination of regulations favorable to arbitration and glacially slow local courts have pushed resolutions for commercial disputes into arbitration in Brazil.
4 minute read

News

'Scale Can't Be Overstated': DLA Piper Posts 6% Revenue Gain in 2022

The global law firm remained well-hedged against rising interest rates, COVID lockdowns and the war in Ukraine.
5 minute read

News

Dechert Follows 50% Profit Increase With 14% Drop, Epitomizing Big Law Business Cycle

"The better your 2021 was, the harder your 2022 was going to be," said CEO Henry Nassau.
7 minute read

Commentary

How Far Women Have Come — and How Far They Have to Go

While it's nice that we honor women in the legal profession on International Women's Day, we should not lose sight of the fact that the industry still has a long way to go, writes the Global Lawyer. Nor should we forget that in the broader world, women and girls are still struggling for basic rights, that in some countries they now have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers had, and that not a single country in the world has yet achieved gender equality.
11 minute read

News

Are Critical Minerals the Next Battleground in Western Sanctions Against Russia?

Even without sanctions, companies and legal advisers have a moral imperative to ensure their money doesn't go to support tyrants, panelists at a global conference said.
5 minute read

Analysis

Brazil Rolls Out Long-Awaited Data Protection Sanctions

Lawyers expect a wave of demand for advice from companies that need to strengthen their internal safeguards in order to avoid fines and restrictions on handling personal information
4 minute read

News

Garrigues Hires White & Case Veteran in Mexico

The addition brings Garrigues' total partner count in Latin America's second-largest economy to 8 and bolsters the Spanish firm's banking and finance practice.
3 minute read

Analysis

To Improve DEI Outcomes, Firms Must Address Pitches and Work Allocation, Consultants Say

"We can't just be focused on events and activities, and we can't just be focused on changing hearts and minds," said Alexis Robertson, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Foley & Lardner. "It has to be more of a systems-focused approach."
6 minute read

Features

Chilean Corporate Counsel Power Hitters Start Network for Female Lawyers

Abogadas In House Chile has grown exponentially in just six months as the organization fills a deep need for female corporate counsel to connect and support each other in the South American country.
5 minute read

News

Lawyers Rally to Support the Mexican Judiciary, Chief Justice

The judiciary has come under renewed attacks from the president in recent days as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments against the government's proposal to shrink the country's elections supervisor.
3 minute read

News

After Merger Talks End, Shearman Accelerates Transition to New Leader

Senior partner David Beveridge said now is the right time to "accelerate the pace of the firm's ongoing transformation" and begin "a new strategic vision."
3 minute read

News

In 'Steady March Forward,' Haynes and Boone Posts Another Record Year

Internationally, the firm said revenue in Mexico and Latin America grew by 21 percent in 2022, and the London office benefited from the energy practice. But Shanghai was flat due to COVID-19-related challenges in China.
5 minute read

Commentary

The Big Risks for Shearman, Cravath, Private Equity Lawyers, and Everyone Else

The risk-reward profile for large strategic decisions has never looked quite so daunting as it does now for corporate law firms, writes The Global Lawyer.
6 minute read

News

Northwestern Law Honors Guatemalan Judge for Human Rights, Anti-Corruption Work

Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez was recognized for the decades he spent holding perpetrators of war and other crimes accountable for their actions.
3 minute read

News

Greenberg Traurig Follows Up 'Unicorn Year' With Even More Growth in 2022

Ten of the firm's 43 offices are outside the U.S., and CEO Brian Duffy said cross-border work is increasing post-pandemic.
5 minute read

News

'Investing When Conditions Aren't Optimal': Seyfarth Grows Revenue and Partner Ranks

Seyfarth's London revenue grew 16%, the firm said. And despite challenges in Asia, the firm is still committed to the region "for the long game," Seyfarth's chair-elect, Lorie Almon, said.
4 minute read

News

Ecuadoran Boutique Falconi Puig Abogados Absorbs Firm in Guayaquil

The expansion brings the firm depth in dispute resolution via five lawyers based in Ecuador's second-largest city.
2 minute read

News

DLA Piper Wins Pro Bono Case in Fight to Prevent Cuts That Would Affect Millions of Public School Children in Mexico

The win will benefit an estimated 30 million children that attend public schools in Mexico, the firm said.
2 minute read

Expert Opinion

McKinsey's 10 Principles for Successful Law Firm Mergers

Partners from the global consultancy take lessons from advising corporations and other professional services firms on mergers, bringing tips for how law firms can have a better strategic approach to growth.
7 minute read

News

Hogan Lovells' Net Income Down 13% Due to Fewer Deals, Office Closures, Currency Instability

"We're trying to try to achieve greater profitability, but we're not making that an obsession," said CEO Miguel Zaldivar.
6 minute read

News

It's 'Potentially Ground-Shifting': US Outbound Investment Rules Are About to Change

A forthcoming executive order is expected to define new guidelines for investments in countries viewed as strategic competitors. The devil of these new regulatory measures will be in the details.
4 minute read

News

ChatGPT: Just a Bunch of Hot Air?

Law firms hope ChatGPT will take them to lofty heights, as evidenced by this week's explosion in interest in the topic.
4 minute read

News

Justice in the Metaverse: Here's What the First Virtual Court Hearing in Colombia Looked Like

Last week, Colombia held its first-ever hearing in the Metaverse after passage of a law last year that expressly allows cutting-edge information technology to be used in the country. Reaction to the virtual hearing was mixed.
2 minute read

News

Goodwin Procter's Profits Drop 6% Even As Revenue Rises Double Digits

Goodwin chair Robert Insolia said the firm's London office brought in more than $144 million and the Paris office is "one of a handful of leading M&A" practices in France. In addition, Goodwin's recently launched offices in Singapore and Munich fit well into Goodwin's global strategy, he said.
6 minute read

Slideshow

Big Law's Top Lateral Hires of 2022

Among the high number of lateral moves in 2022, these generated the most buzz.
1 minute read

News

'This is Not Reactive': Shearman Outlines Growth Strategy, Accepting Some Partner Losses

Shearman's leaders are seeking scale and a path to $3 billion in revenue, but they say the firm doesn't need a merger to survive.
9 minute read

News

Alternative Legal Service Provider Launches in Honduras

IO-EPIK aims to disrupt the legal services market in Central America and the Caribbean by rolling out budget-friendly solutions with the help of technology and flexible talent.
3 minute read

Analysis

As More Law Firms Leverage ChatGPT, Few Have Internal Policies Regarding Its Use

For Todd Corham, the chief information officer at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, such policies are unnecessary, in part, because "we really shouldn't have to write a policy on using good judgment."
4 minute read

News

Gibson Dunn Continued Record Revenue, Profit Streak in 2022

Firm chair and managing partner Barbara Becker said the firm's success in London has been "extraordinary" and in the Middle East, where the firm launched a new office in Abu Dhabi, it has also seen very positive results.
5 minute read

News

Allen & Overy Rolls Out ChatGPT-Style Technology to Help Lawyers With Client Work

The firm says the move to implement the OpenAI platform globally is a 'game-changer' that 'marks a new era for A&O and the legal industry'.
4 minute read

Colombia to Hold Court Hearing in the Metaverse

A magistrate in Colombia has authorized a hearing to take place in Meta's Horizon Workrooms, with participants set to wear virtual reality eyeglasses and interact via avatars.
4 minute read

News

Colombia's Gómez Pinzón Abogados Appoints New Managing Partner

The selection of tax partner Mauricio Piñeros to lead the firm comes during challenging economic times for Colombia.
2 minute read

Commentary

Hello ChatGPT, Which is the Best Law Firm in the World?

The advanced AI recommends certain firms as well as lawyers from the likes of Wachtell, Sullivan & Cromwell and Gibson Dunn, but its knowledge is questionable, and it seems to have a thing against Kirkland.
8 minute read

News

The 'Latin America Project': Spain's Cuatrecasas Finds a Formula for Growth a Continent Away

The elite Spanish firm has hooked top talent in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru to build a strong regional brand that performs local law in Latin America and acts as a bridge for clients in Europe and Asia.
7 minute read

Commentary

2023: The Year The Talent War Ends

Sentiment is shifting from hiring talent to cutting it, promoting it and using AI to make it more efficient. Also: a private equity controversy and an earthquake appeal in this week's Global Lawyer Briefing.
6 minute read

News

Rimôn Opens Second Office in Colombia With Partner Hire

Partner Natalia Martinez Villa joins Ibarra Rimôn in Medellín, where she was previously in-house counsel at an electricity and construction firm.
1 minute read

News

Colombian Judge Uses AI Tool ChatGPT in Court Ruling

The judge's use of generative AI technology has garnered attention around the world from lawyers and others, and has prompted much debate. The judge, Juan Manuel Padilla, says the tool is a way to more quickly reduce the backlog of cases in Colombia.
4 minute read

News

Shearman & Sterling Lays Off Associates and Staff

The firm said it is laying off 26 business professionals and 12 associates, "focused mainly on transactional practice areas most affected by current and projected market conditions."
3 minute read

Commentary

As Law Firms Strive to Grow, Is All the World a Stage?

Global law firms know the days of historic revenue and profit gains are over. So is it any wonder they are scrambling to find new opportunities through mergers, lateral hires and the launch of new offices around the world?
7 minute read

News

Garrigues Adds Partners to Barcelona and Bogotá Practices

The hires come on the heels of a report which found that women lawyers account for less than a third of the top law firm positions in Spain.
2 minute read

News

DLA Piper Lands Latin America Heavyweights From Jones Day

New York-based corporate partners Michael McGuinness and Marcello Hallake are leading cross-border and international corporate attorneys who focus on high-profile global M&A transactions.
2 minute read

Expert Opinion

How to Build a Dynamic Book of Business in Latin America

Latin America continues to offer a plethora of lucrative opportunities for attorneys seeking to expand their operations and break into growing, diverse markets.
5 minute read

News

ECIJA Mexico Hires Partner to Launch Sustainability and Environment Practice

The hiring of Carlos del Razo underscores the Spanish firm's commitment to guiding clients on sustainability matters, which it anticipates will require more attention in the years to come.
2 minute read

News

Brazil's Lefosse Adds Compliance, Investigations and White-Collar Partner

Marcelo Ribeiro joins from Brazil's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, where he held multiple high-level positions over the course of more than a decade in public service.
2 minute read

Commentary

Shearman (And Others) Playing Catch Up

As the market slows, law firms are coming under pressure to find new ways to give themselves a boost, writes the Global Lawyer.
5 minute read

News

Latin American Corporate Legal Departments to Bring More Work In-House: Survey

But consultancy ODDS Legal found that general counsel based in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru still require assistance on complex matters such as compliance, privacy and ESG. 
4 minute read

News

Clyde & Co, Cuatrecasas Add Partners in Chile

The South American country has been a key focal point for both international firms as they expand their footprints in Latin America.
3 minute read

News

Brazilian Meat Producer JBS Faces SEC Fraud Complaint for Greenwashing

White & Case and Lefosse are among the firms that advised the issuer on sustainability-linked bonds that an environmental advocacy group alleges misled investors.
4 minute read

News

McDermott, Gibson Dunn Advise on Sale of Venezuelan Rum Brand to Brown-Forman

The U.S. spirits company Brown-Forman bought Venezuela's Diplomático rum brand, a rare feat given that Venezuela has been a no-go zone for merger and acquisition transactions for more than a decade.
3 minute read

News

Hogan Lovells Miami Partner Returns From Disney Stint to Help With Intensified Scrutiny in Latin America

Rafael Ribeiro had left the firm to serve as assistant general counsel at the global media conglomerate in 2021.
3 minute read

News

Greenberg Traurig Clinches Significant Win for Uber in Mexico

The ruling allowing Uber to operate in the state of Quintana Roo, home to the Caribbean tourist juggernaut Cancún, paves the way for Uber to potentially service other reluctant adopters in the Mexican market.
3 minute read

News

Clifford Chance Top Paid Partner Took Home Almost £5M Last Year, UK Accounts Show

Revenue from the firm's Americas experienced a small boost during the 2021-22 financial year.
2 minute read

Latest
Trending

Who Got The Work

Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.

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Who Got The Work

Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.

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Who Got The Work

Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.

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Who Got The Work

David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.

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Who Got The Work

Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.

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