Law firm CMS has expanded its presence in Latin America with Carey & Allende (Chile), GRAU Abogados (Peru) and Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados (Colombia) all now part of the company.
The firm has been active in the region for a number of years, with well-established offices in Brazil and Mexico.
CMS now has 65 offices in 38 countries and more than 880 partners and 6,000 total staff. The new firms will trade as CMS under the names CMS Carey & Allende, CMS Grau and CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados.
As a result of this expansion, CMS will be able to link clients in the region with legal experts worldwide, supporting their internationalisation and participation in cross-border transactions.
Recently, the firm opened offices in Hong Kong and Tehran. In the UK, CMS will merge with the law firms Nabarro and Olswang, creating a new firm that will be the sixth largest in the UK by revenue. Additionally, CMS has a well-established presence in Africa, China and the Middle East, and is growing in Asia.
Cornelius Brandi (pictured), executive chairman of CMS, says: “Geographic expansion is often a part of our clients’ growth strategy. So, we move primarily into regions where we expect that there will be future opportunities for them. Latin America is a region with great potential and steady growth, making it attractive for international business.”
Ramón Valdivieso, managing partner at CMS Carey & Allende, adds: “Globalisation has also manifested itself in the legal services market, which is only beginning to be experienced in Chile. In the face of this, Carey & Allende has made the strategic decision to be part of a global firm that provides us with the best practices worldwide for the benefit of our existing clients. At the same time, we continue to drive our growth through work from the huge number of jurisdictions where CMS is present. This gives us an unmatched competitive advantage in Chile and is also a very attractive proposition for our lawyers.”
Juan Carlos Escudero, managing partner at CMS Grau, adds: “This is an excellent opportunity for our firm. We are developing strong ties with our natural partners in the region (Chile and Colombia) and will be part of a top tier global firm with a presence in new regions such as Europe and Asia.”
Sergio Rodríguez Azuero and Guillermo Villegas, partners at CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados, add: “Latin American clients are expanding their businesses into different jurisdictions all over the world and a significant number of foreign clients are increasingly entering the Latin American market. Joining CMS and becoming part of this impressive global firm allows us to better serve our clients’ global needs.”
