International law firm CMS has expanded into Latin America with the incorporation of Carey & Allende in Chile, Grau Abogados in Peru and Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados in Colombia. The firms will be known as CMS Carey & Allende, CMS Grau and CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados, respectively.
CMS is present in 65 offices in 38 countries and has over 880 partners. The firm also has an office in Mexico (through an association with Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow) and an office in Brazil. In January 2016, CMS opened an office in Hong Kong and in February 2016, the firm opened an office in Tehran.
“Geographic expansion is often a part of our clients’ growth strategy,” Cornelius Brandi, Executive Chairman of CMS said in a statement. “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.”
Other global and international firms have also been looking to step into Latin America. In December 2016, DLA Piper announced a cooperation agreement with Santiago-based Bahamondez Alvarez & Zegers. In Mexico, Dentons López Velarde, the combination of Mexico-City based López Velarde and global firm Dentons, opened an office in Monterrey by combining with Monterrey – based Canales Zambrano & Asociados. Dentons also recently approved a combination with Muñoz Global, which allows the firm to enter Central America.