Overview
Our New York-based Latin America practice was already well-known when we established a physical presence in the region in 2007 with an office in São Paulo. We felt it was important to be "on the ground" if we were to offer the best possible service to clients from Brazil or doing business there.
Our São Paulo office is closely integrated with our Latin American practice group, which represents a wide array of global companies and financial institutions doing business in Latin America and has earned us a reputation as a go-to firm for corporate work, including banking and finance, capital markets, M&A and infrastructure/project finance.
Chambers Latin America has called us "a spectacular and reliable presence" in the region, citing client praise for our "excellent team" and ranking us as a leading firm in the capital markets, bank finance, M&A and project finance categories.
Indeed, while many U.S. and U.K. firms boast of their Latin America practices, few if any can rival our talent and experience. In 2009 the former head of Linklaters' São Paulo office joined us, bringing significant experience in international finance matters, including capital markets, bank finance and structured finance, as well as the advantage of having lived in São Paulo for more than 10 years, developing a loyal clientele, including the leading financial institutions in Latin America. We now provide both U.S. and U.K. legal services out of São Paulo with a fully bilingual team of two partners and three other lawyers on the ground. That depth of experience and commitment to the region is what distinguishes us from our competitors.
The transactional lawyers in our office work with issuers and underwriters in securities offerings, including bond offerings, equity offerings and securitizations. We also represent many of the leading lenders and borrowers in the region in a wide array of finance transactions, including syndicated loans, trade finance loans and other structured finance transactions.
We are also experienced in the development and financing of infrastructure projects, including ports, airports, drillships and oil platforms. We represent lenders, project companies and sponsors in these infrastructure transactions.
We also advise U.S. and Latin American acquirers and targets in the purchase and sale of businesses and assets in Latin America, the U.S. and other regions, and we assist with fund formation from a variety of angles, including tax, regulatory and corporate structuring and day-to-day advisory services.
Among our clients in Brazil are leading lenders such as Banco Itaú-BBA, Banco Votorantim, WestLB and Banco Santander and prominent corporate groups such as the Votorantim Group, CSN, the Abril Group, TV Band and Cia. Hering.