Major, Lindsey & Africa Facilitates Combination of Hogan Lovells with Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres in Mexico
Hanover, Md. (PRWEB) July 30, 2014 -- Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced that it facilitated the combination of leading global legal practice Hogan Lovells with Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres Landa (BSTL), one of the premier law firms in Mexico. The integration will be effective on August 1, 2014, and Hogan Lovells will begin operating in Mexico as Hogan Lovells BSTL, S.C. With the addition of approximately 75 lawyers in Mexico City and Monterrey, Hogan Lovells acquires immediate critical mass in Mexico, a move that enables the firm to offer enhanced breadth and depth of services both in this vibrant market, as well as globally, to its international clientele.
BSTL is recognized as one of Mexico’s elite full service law firms, boasting highly-regarded lawyers in the energy, M&A, international dispute resolution, IP, antitrust and real estate areas. The firm’s combination with Hogan Lovells will further bolster its reputation and ability to deliver top-quality legal services, not only in Mexico, but elsewhere in the region and around the world.
MLA introduced Hogan Lovells and BSTL, and has been extremely active in both Mexico and Latin America for years. The MLA team that served as consultants to both parties, from their October 2013 introduction and throughout the course of the deal, is part of MLA’s Partner Practice, which has facilitated office openings on four continents. MLA has also been involved in many high-profile lateral law firm, group and partner moves in Latin American markets, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Caracas and Mexico City.
“MLA has a reputation for being the best at what they do, and in working with us, really proved it to be true and well-deserved,” said BSTL partner, Jorge Yanez, a key player in the negotiations with Hogan Lovells.
“When we met Juan Francisco Torres Landa and his BSTL partners five years ago, we knew they were special,” explains Joshua Dull, a Managing Director based in MLA’s Miami office. “BSTL leadership was acutely aware of the changing political, financial and legal landscape and chose to stay at the forefront of the conversation. MLA presented several opportunities for consideration until it became clear that Hogan Lovells was a perfect fit, with a like-minded culture, shared strategic vision, and practice and client synergies.”
On the heels of landmark constitutional and legislative reform, Mexico’s growing economy has positioned the nation as the region’s economic leader – attracting the attention of businesses and investors from all over the world. In particular, the energy market, which is opening to foreign investment for the first time in more than 75 years, is expected to generate a significant uptick in activity and therefore a lot of work for lawyers in the near and long term. BSTL Managing Partner Juan Francisco Torres Landa was a driving force behind the successful completion of the combination. In the Spring 2014 Focus Latin America supplement of the The American Lawyer, he stated: “Clearly the energy and telecommunications reforms are the front-runners as far as interest by foreign clients is concerned… the reality is that we see a lot of potential in these areas given the end of the state monopolies in both oil and gas, and electricity.” (They all went to Mexico, Focus Latin America, an ALM supplement, Spring 2014: http://www.mlaglobal.com/~/media/Files/Allegis/MLAGlobal/Community%20Files/001071416Major_LoRes.pdf)
“The combination is further evidence of the momentum in the rapidly maturing Mexico City legal market. Since the election of President Enrique Pena Nieto, there has been a dramatic rise in the level of interest in the Mexican market by global law firms,” said Jeff Liebster, a Partner in MLA’s New York office who assisted both parties through several months of discussions. “MLA anticipated this moment and has deployed significant resources on the ground in Mexico in the past several years. We have educated ourselves about the market, developed relationships with its key players and provided valuable information to the law firms interested in serving clients by establishing or growing a presence there.”
“We are grateful to the MLA team for not only its introduction, but also for its unabated energy in seeing this deal through to completion,” said Dennis Tracey, a New York-based Hogan Lovells Partner who, along with Warren Gorrell, was a vital member of the team that developed and executed the firm’s plan to establish a Mexico presence. “Clearly this combination is a huge benefit to both parties, and MLA’s insight and assistance has been very valuable.”
With offices now in Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, the deal further solidifies Hogan Lovells’ position as a key player in the region. Earlier in the year, the firm announced Isabel Carvalho, a leading capital markets expert in Brazil, would be spearheading the launch of Hogan Lovells’ new Sao Paulo office along with Claudette Christian, a longtime member of the firm’s senior management team.
“Hogan Lovells is the first international firm to join with a large full-service firm in Mexico,” added Bruce Lubin, a Managing Director in MLA’s New York office and member of MLA’s Latin America team. “This allows the enhanced firm to offer a wide range of services in Mexico City and adds great strength to its regional capabilities. Hogan is now one of only two global firms to have offices in Mexico City, Rio de Janiero, Sao Paulo, Houston, Miami and Caracas.”
About Major, Lindsey & Africa
Founded in 1982, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA) is the world's largest and most experienced legal search firm. Combining local market knowledge and a global recruiting network, MLA has earned recognition for its track record of successful General Counsel, Corporate Counsel, Partner, Associate and Law Firm Management placements. MLA also provides law firms and companies with highly-specialized legal professionals on project, interim and temporary-to-permanent hire basis. Committed to providing full service in response to the talent needs of its clients, MLA also provides executive search services through its affiliate, Allegis Partners. With offices throughout the U.S., Hong Kong, London and Tokyo, MLA recruiters are dedicated to understanding and meeting client and candidate needs while maintaining the highest degree of professionalism and confidentiality. MLA considers every search a diversity search and has been committed to diversity in the law since its inception. For these reasons, MLA was voted "Best Legal Recruiter" by readers of The National Law Journal. To learn more about MLA, visit http://www.mlaglobal.com. To learn more about Allegis Partners, visit http://www.allegis-partners.com.
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Media Contact
Lauren Cozzi, Public Relations Manager
410-579-4015
lcozzi(at)mlaglobal(dot)com
Recruiting Contact
Jeffrey Liebster, Partner, Partner Practice Group
212-201-3976
jliebster(at)mlaglobal(dot)com
http://www.mlaglobal.com/legal-search/recruiterlist/jeffrey-r-liebster
Lauren Cozzi, Major, Lindsey & Africa, http://www.mlaglobal.com, +1 (410) 579-4015, [email protected]
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