Chadbourne to Launch Brazil Office

NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke announced today that it will strengthen its long-standing Latin America practice with the opening of a new office in Sao Paulo and the hiring of two finance attorneys.

The new office will open as soon as all regulatory approvals are obtained from the Brazilian Bar.  Chadbourne has been in the process of organizing a consultancy on foreign law, as required by Brazilian Bar rules, and expects to have such consultancy completed and authorized by the Brazilian Bar over the next few weeks.

Charles Johnson will join Chadbourne as a partner in the firm's new Sao Paulo office.  Mr. Johnson, who has worked in Brazil for the past eight years, has extensive experience on a wide range of structured finance transactions in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.

Daniel Spencer will also join Chadbourne to participate in the Brazil launch.  Mr. Spencer specializes in cross-border finance, trade finance and securitization transactions.

Felipe Creazzo will move from Chadbourne's New York office to Brazil to join the new office.  Mr. Creazzo's practice involves M&A, corporate finance and international corporate transactions.

Chadbourne partners Talbert Navia and Allen Miller, who together co-head the Latin America practice, and Carlos Albarracin, Oliver Armas and Marc Rossell will actively support the new venture.

"The success and growth of our Latin America practice, and the increasing significance of Brazil in the world economy, encouraged us to move decisively to gain on-the-ground capabilities in Brazil," said Charles K. O'Neill, Chadbourne's Managing Partner.

"We are delighted to have Charles and Daniel join Chadbourne to help us launch our new venture in Brazil," said Mr. Miller.  "Their Brazil focus and strong international finance experience will strengthen our capabilities in a market where we have been active for more than 15 years," said Mr. Navia.  "We will continue to take steps to reinforce the firm's position as a dominant legal player in the Brazilian market."

"With the new office, we will be one of only two New York-based firms with offices in both Brazil and Mexico, the two largest economies in Latin America," said Mr. Miller, who with Mr. Navia spearheaded the firm's 2008 expansion into Mexico City.

"Chadbourne's experience and reputation in international finance and project finance coupled with its long-standing commitment to Latin America offer me an ideal platform to serve clients and to expand my practice," said Mr. Johnson.  He is joining Chadbourne from the Sao Paulo office of Clifford Chance, where he had been head of the Banking and Finance Practice for that firm in Brazil.  Mr. Spencer, who joins Chadbourne from Mayer Brown in Sao Paulo, previously worked with Mr. Johnson at Clifford Chance.

Mr. Johnson attended College of Law York and received an LLB from University of Bristol in 1995.  He is fluent in Portuguese and is admitted as a consultant on foreign law in Sao Paulo and as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Mr. Spencer graduated from BPP Law School in 2002 and received an LLB from the University of Exeter in 2001.  He is fluent in Portuguese and is admitted as a consultant on foreign law in Sao Paulo and as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Mr. Creazzo holds an LL.B. degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo and an LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center.  In addition to his native Portuguese, he is fluent in English and Spanish, and is admitted as a consultant on foreign law in Sao Paulo and as an attorney in New York.

Chadbourne's new office in Brazil will be multi-disciplinary, with a focus on cross-border M&A, international bank finance (including trade finance), project finance, capital markets, securitization, private equity and international arbitration.

About Chadbourne's Latin America Practice

A leader and pioneer in Latin America since the 1980's, Chadbourne is one of only a few U.S. law firms ranked by Chambers Latin America for its work across multiple disciplines, including corporate/M&A, capital markets, banking and finance, projects and international arbitration.  Twelve Chadbourne partners are focused almost exclusively on the region. Lawyers and support staff are fluent in Spanish and/or Portuguese.

About Chadbourne & Parke LLP

Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, private equity, corporate finance, venture capital and emerging companies, energy/renewable energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability litigation, arbitration/IDR, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters.  Major geographical areas of concentration include Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Canada.  The firm has offices in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Kyiv, Almaty, Dubai and Beijing.  For additional information, visit www.chadbourne.com

SOURCE Chadbourne & Parke LLP