Madero, Jaime Fernandez
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(Article) Starting a law firm in Latin America: challenges and opportunities
01.04.2017
Following the significant growth experienced by many of its major economies, Latin America has become a region of increasing interest for starting a law firm, and I believe that is still true even though that growth has started to slow in recent times. Globalisation and regionalisation has brought more competition and opportunities, both from outside and inside the region. In this context, many lawyers (either individually or in groups) within the region have considered leaving their present firms to join other firms or in order to start a new firm. These moves are not unusual, considering the strong individual character of the legal profession. However, this traditional mobility in the legal profession has increased in the more competitive global market. A growing market always brings more opportunities for those with entreprenurial inclinations. But it would be naive to underestimate the challenges of such a move, so considering those challenges is a necessary step both for those who wish to consider a move as well as for heads of law firms thinking about recruitment to their firms. -
(Article) Global and regional challenges for law firms in Latin America
01.01.2018
The legal industry in Latin America is becoming more global and also regional. This includes a variety of relevant events which have occurred in the last five years where: leading Spanish firms are becoming increasingly active by participating in regional platforms (Uria in the case of PPU) or building local offices in several countries (Garrigues); several US and UK firms are growing in size and presence in the regional markets (eg, Dentons, Norton Rose, DLA Piper, Jones Day, CMS); some existing firms are increasing or strenghtening their businesses, such as Baker Mackenzie and Etchecopar in PerĂº; some aliances are becoming stronger and could turn into tighter arrangements, such as Affinitas. The trend is clear and if you were to survey the topics most discussed among Latin American lawyers at conferences, cocktail parties, dinners, meetings and in coffee shops, the topic of regional and global trends would one of the most discussed.