Chadbourne & Parke launches in Brazil

Chadbourne & Parke launches in Brazil" />Chadbourne & Parke has confirmed that it is to follow its recent opening in Mexico with an office launch in Brazil, The Lawyer can reveal.

The firm said yesterday (Wednesday 4 June) that it was working towards a launch in Sao Paulo later this year.

"We are actively engaged in the process and it is possible we will open an office in Brazil by the end of the year," said the head of Chadbourne's corporate department and co-head of the Latin American practice group, Allen Miller.

Chadbourne initially plans to have two lawyers on the ground in Sao Paulo, operating a foreign legal consultancy.

"The Brazilian bar has embraced the concept of US law firms practising US law but not local law," said Miller. "This is a major distinction."

Miller added that Chadbourne's Brazilian office was likely to focus on a broader range of legal work than purely infrastructure and energy-related projects, a core strength of his firm. Private funds group head and fellow Latin American group co-head, Talbert Navia will also be closely involved with the launch of the firm's Brazilian office.

"We will also look to advise on cross-border M&A, capital markets and private equity matters," said Navia.

In March, Chadbourne acquired a three-partner team from Thacher Proffitt & Wood to launch an office in Mexico, the firm's first in Latin America.

The new lawyers included partners Marc Rossell and Oliver Armas, the former heads of Thacher Profitt's Latin American practice along with partner Boris Otto and Jose Antonio Chavez and Luis Enrique Graham, who joined from Thacher Proffitt's Mexican associate firm.