Flag of Brazil. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Gowling WLG has established a beachhead in Latin America through an association with Brazilian law firm Duarte Forssell Advogados, which will provide the British-Canadian firm with office space in São Paulo.

Gowling has advised Brazil-based clients and international businesses with operational interests in the country for more than 15 years. Highlights include representing the Federal Republic of Brazil and the city of São Paulo since 2005 on the long-running corruption and asset recovery case involving the former mayor of São Paulo, Paulo Maluf.

Through the arrangement with Duarte Forssell, Gowling lawyers will now have a base from which to operate when in Brazil and Latin America.

"Latin America is an important region for our firm and to establish an office presence in Brazil will enable us to stay close to the law firm and client relationships that we have locally," Joëlle Boisvert, co-head of international development at Gowling, said in a statement.

Gowling's work in Brazil has been led by Andrew Witts, chairman and co-head of international development, alongside dispute resolution partner Alex Jay. Witts maintains an active practice advising clients on fraud and asset recovery cases, with emphasis on the coordination of multi-jurisdictional matters.

Jay specialises in corporate and commercial litigation, with expertise in corporate disputes arising from mergers and acquisitions, shareholder matters, warranty breaches, completion accounts disputes and directors' duties. He also specialises in fraud and insolvency litigation. Jay has significant experience advising on disputes with an international aspect, coordinating with lawyers in multiple jurisdictions.

Gowling does not plan to hire lawyers in Brazil, nor does it plan to transfer staff to its offices there.

Until now, the firm has serviced its Latin America clients mostly from London and Toronto.

Brazil has become a hotbed of activity for compliance matters following the 2014 revelation of the Federal Public Prosecutors' Operation Car Wash investigation, which probed construction firm Odebrecht's illicit payments to government officials. That investigation signalled both a willingness and ability to crack down on corruption and unleashed a flurry of demand for due diligence to uncover possible corruption at acquisition targets and in day-to-day business.

Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil's financial centre, Duarte Forssell operates in more than 50 countries by means of an international network of legal professionals. The Brazilian firm advises financial institutions, trustees, foreign liquidators and Brazilian and foreign business groups on legal matters involving commercial, banking, bankruptcy, tax, real estate, succession, corporate and contractual law.

Gowling has plenty of company in its expanded interest in Latin America's largest economy, which is also the world's ninth-largest global economy by gross domestic product. Other global firms that have sought associations in Brazil recently include HFW, which tied up with Brazilian firm CAL in 2018, and Dentons, which entered into an alliance with Brazilian firm Vella Pugliese Buosi Guidon in 2017.

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