Dentons, already the world’s largest law firm, is pursuing a merger that would see it become the first global firm to have offices in Central America.
Partners are considering a proposed combination with Costa Rica-based Muñoz Global and will reach a decision by the end of the year.
Muñoz Global is a newly established law firm, founded by José Antonio Muñoz and Pedro Muñoz, comprised of the former Costa Rican offices of the Arias & Muñoz law firm and new offices in Panama and Nicaragua.
The proposed combination follows the launch of Dentons López Velarde in Mexico and Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas in Colombia earlier this year. It marks the next step in Dentons’ strategy to grow its presence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Joe Andrew, global chairman of Dentons, said: “As the first global law firm with offices in Central America, we will be uniquely positioned to serve our clients who have growing needs in this region. Our goal is to connect those clients to top-tier talent by combining with firms whose lawyers are highly regarded and deeply rooted in the local economy and legal culture. The lawyers of Muñoz Global offer all that and more.”
Global chief executive Elliott Portnoy added: “Since our launch in Mexico and Colombia earlier this year, cross-border work into and out of the region has grown rapidly, demonstrating that clients see a great advantage to being served by a global firm that can offer the best locally informed legal counsel and business advice anywhere they operate. Given the interconnectedness of the economies of Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, we see real opportunities to serve clients further through more intra-region work as well.”
The combination of Dentons and Muñoz Global would boost their capabilities in key business sectors, including property. Muñoz Global boasts one of Central America’s leading real estate practices, including lawyers with a Band 1 ranking from Chambers, who would add to what is already the largest real estate practice group in the world at Dentons.
