Garrigues is the European firm with the largest number of its own offices in Latin America.
By Lauren Biszewski, Esq.
Expanding on a presence of more than 100 attorneys across various offices in Latin America, Iberian law firm Garrigues has subsumed Chilean firm Avedaño Merino.
The corporate powerhouse, which specializes in M&A, tax, real estate and energy, will be known as Garrigues Chile and will start with a team of nearly two dozen attorneys. Among the partners are: Oscar Ferrari, Luis Felipe Merino, José Miguel Rioseco, Luis Eduardo Correa and Rodrigo Fernández.
Since it decided to pull out of its Latin American alliance in 2013, the firm has been developing its own fast-growing network. The transaction in Chile makes Garrigues the European firm with the largest number of own offices in Latin America, with a presence in Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
Peninsular rival firm Uría Menéndez announced plans to develop its activities in Latin America in 2014, after it took on a 30 per cent stake in the merger of Chilean firm Philippi and Colombian firm Prietocarrizosa, creating Philippi Prietocarrizosa & Uría.
By 2020, the firm plans to consolidate its merger under the Uría Menéndez umbrella, buying up the rest of the shares from the two other firms.
