MIAMI, FL–(HISPANIC PR WIRE – BUSINESS WIRE)–July 2, 2002–Steel Hector & Davis LLP, a full-service international law firm with more than 200 attorneys throughout Florida, Latin America and Europe, announced today that it has opened an office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the addition of six partners from the 45 year-old-firm of Estudio Bunge. Buenos Aires is Steel Hector & Davis’ fifth office in Latin America, further positioning the Miami-based firm as a leader among U.S. firms currently conducting business in the region. “The political and financial situation in Argentina is on the radar scope of every client who does business in Latin America,” commented Joseph P. Klock, Jr., chairman and managing partner of Steel Hector & Davis. “Our clients needed us on the scene and the addition of these outstanding six lawyers brings us the firepower we need to meet these needs now and as they continue to develop.
The six new attorneys are partners of Estudio Bunge – Bunge Smith y Luchia Puig, – Abogados, a 45 year-old, 22 member Buenos Aires firm with which Steel Hector & Davis will maintain an affiliation. Steel Hector’s senior international partner in Miami, Raul Valdes-Fauli, will spearhead the effort in Buenos Aires along with Diego Bunge, the managing partner of the Estudio Bunge firm. The Buenos Aires practice group will concentrate in the areas of Banking, International Finance, Project Finance, Trade & Commodity Finance, Insurance, Reinsurance, Mergers & Acquisitions, Construction, Real Estate, Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Tax, Labor, Intellectual Property, Arbitration and Litigation.
“Opening in Buenos Aires expands our international strategy into one of the key markets in South America,” said Valdes-Fauli. “As the only Miami-based firm with an established network throughout the region, Steel Hector’s direct service area expands into a locale where the most immediate financial interests of clients in the Americas is based. And, anyone who fails to see the long-range strategic advantage of being in Argentina is missing the boat. Our new colleagues bring an exciting solution to our clients’ needs in Buenos Aires.”
“We believe that Steel Hector’s approach to the international Latin American practice makes the most sense,” observed Bunge. “Today’s global business client needs the ability to focus directly on a problem with a team that knows the region, its business, and its laws. Steel Hector & Davis brings sophisticated expertise and immediate solutions to our clients here, throughout Latin America, the United States, and into Europe. It makes compelling sense for us and our clients.”
Carlos Stroeter, Steel Hector’s senior partner in Brazil and dean of the firm’s international group, hailed the new additions to the firm: “The increasing links between clients in Brazil and Argentina that are MERCOSUR-driven makes this new addition of talented lawyers a welcome development for all of us in Brazil. With lawyers of this caliber as part of our firm, we can do an even better job for all of our clients with interests in either Brazil or Argentina.”
Steel Hector & Davis’ presence in Latin America includes offices in Caracas, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Santo Domingo. The firm’s international expertise is bolstered by attorneys who are bilingual or trilingual, many of them dual practitioners licensed to practice law in both the United States and a Latin American country.
About Steel Hector & Davis LLP
The international law firm of Steel Hector & Davis LLP (http://www.steelhector.com), one of Florida’s largest and oldest law firms, maintains a diversified business practice that includes general and commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution; corporate and securities; mergers and acquisitions; dispositions and restructurings; distribution and franchising; project development and structured financing; eminent domain; energy and utility; creditors’ rights; banking and financial services; securities litigation and arbitration; tax; real estate; construction; insurance; environmental and land use; health care; employment and labor relations; civil rights class actions; family law; trusts, estates and personal planning; media and communication; intellectual property; products liability; antitrust and trade regulation; admiralty and maritime; transportation and aviation; international; immigration and nationality law; white collar criminal defense; administrative law; and government relations. The firm has more than 200 lawyers with five Florida offices located in Miami, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Naples, Key West, and international offices in London, Caracas, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro Santo Domingo and Buenos Aires.
About Estudio Bunge – Bunge Smith & Luchia Puig Abogados
Estudio Bunge – Bunge Smith y Luchia Puig Abogados was established in 1958 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a full-service, international law firm, Estudio Bunge, Abogados has developed an expertise in counseling and representing both domestic and international companies doing business in Argentina. The firm represents international clients in almost every sector of the Argentine economy, including banking, insurance, aviation, telecommunications, software and technology, construction, real estate development and finance, government contracts, mining, oil and gas, agribusiness, chemical, petrochemical industry, and the pharmaceutical industry, among others.
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