FRANKFURT, Germany, January 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

CMS, one of the top international law firms, has significantly expanded its presence in Latin America. From today, Carey & Allende (Chile), GRAU Abogados (Peru) and Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados (Colombia), all well-known, high-quality firms in their respective markets, have become part of CMS. The firm has been active in the region for a number of years, with well-established offices in Brazil and Mexico.

CMS now has 65 offices in 38 countries and more than 880 partners and 6,000 total staff. The new firms will trade as CMS under the names CMS Carey & Allende, CMS Grau and CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados.

As a result of this expansion, CMS will be able to link clients in the region with leading legal experts worldwide, supporting their internationalisation and participation in cross-border transactions. At the same time, the CMS offices in five of Latin America's most dynamic economies will be connected to offer a seamless regional solution.

With this move, CMS, already the largest law firm in Europe, continues to extend its global reach. Recently, the firm opened offices in Hong Kong and Tehran. In the UK, CMS will merge with the law firms Nabarro and Olswang, creating a new firm that will be the sixth largest in the UK by revenue. Additionally, CMS has a well-established presence in Africa, China and the Middle East, and is growing in Asia.

Cornelius Brandi, Executive Chairman of CMS, commented, "Geographic expansion is often a part of our clients' growth strategy. 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."

Ramón Valdivieso, Managing Partner at CMS Carey & Allende, added, "Globalisation has also manifested itself in the legal services market, which is only beginning to be experienced in Chile. In the face of this, Carey & Allende has made the strategic decision to be part of a global firm that provides us with the best practices worldwide for the benefit of our existing clients. At the same time, we continue to drive our growth through work from the huge number of jurisdictions where CMS is present. This gives us an unmatched competitive advantage in Chile and is also a very attractive proposition for our lawyers."

Juan Carlos Escudero, Managing Partner at CMS Grau, added, "This is an excellent opportunity for our firm. We are developing strong ties with our natural partners in the region (Chile and Colombia) and will be part of a top tier global firm with a presence in new regions such as Europe and Asia."

Sergio Rodríguez Azuero and Guillermo Villegas, partners at CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados, added, "Latin American clients are expanding their businesses into different jurisdictions all over the world and a significant number of foreign clients are increasingly entering the Latin American market. Joining CMS and becoming part of this impressive global firm allows us to better serve our clients' global needs."

Duncan Weston, CMS Executive Partner for Global Development, concluded, "Our aim is to integrate leading firms that share our strategic vision which is based on a client-centric approach - in-depth knowledge of our clients' businesses and an understanding of their specific needs. We are very pleased to welcome our colleagues from Carey & Allende, GRAU Abogados and Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados to CMS. With our combined expertise, we will offer our clients high-quality service, across all sectors and around the world."

• CMS is a full-service top 10 global law firm that provides clients with specialist, business focused advice in law and tax matters.
• CMS Carey & Allende currently has a 70-person team with more than 13 practice areas and has received industry recognition for its transactions and high quality service.
• CMS Grau currently has more than 100 lawyers covering over 17 practice areas with a team that provides advice on all legal matters, including regulatory issues, transactional work and project development.
• CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados currently has a 65-person team, based in Bogotá and Medellin. Their expertise in Banking and Finance Law is widely recognised, not only nationally but throughout Latin America.

For more information, please visit cms.law

Contact CMS:
Amanda Lietz
Senior Communications Manager
+49-69-71701-5109
amanda.lietz@cmslegal.com

Contact CMS Carey & Allende:
Ramón Valdivieso Ríos
Managing Partner
+ 56-2-24852038
rvaldivieso@careyallende.com

Contact CMS Grau:
Juan Carlos Escudero
Managing Partner
+511-513-9430
jcescudero@estudiograu.com

Michelle Barclay
Partner
+511-513-9430
mbarclay@estudiograu.com

Contact CMS Rodríguez Azuero Contexto Legal Abogados:
Sergio Rodríguez Azuero
Partner and Chair of the Board
+571-3218910
srodriguez@racla.com.co    

Guillermo Villegas
Managing Partner
+574-6040433
ghvillegas@racla.com.co    

Daniel Rodríguez Bravo
Partner
+571-3218910
drodriguez@racla.com.co

SOURCE CMS Legal Services EEIG