As of the first quarter of 2017, DLA Piper has established a cooperation agreement with Santiago-based Bahamondez Alvarez & Zegers (BAZ).
“I think the most relevant feature of this association is that our firm becomes a part of the DLA Piper network. However, we remain an associate firm which means we keep a very relevant level of independence in terms of careers for our associates, how we deal with cases and where we want to work,” BAZ partner Felipe Bahamondez explains.
According to Bahamondez, DLA will work with BAZ on an exclusive basis when they are working in Chile. When asked about whether or not BAZ will work with other global firms, Bahamondez says: “It’s an open question on how that is going to work. We don’t have a restriction per se, but it’s likely that because we’re becoming DLA Piper in Chile that we’ll say no to other foreign firms and maybe they will work with other candidates.”
For DLA Piper, this move represents one of several forays into Latin America. In July 2016, the firm announced the opening of a new office in Puerto Rico. The firm has also established a cooperation agreement with Martinez Beltran in Colombia, maintains a cooperation agreement with Campos Mello in Brazil, and has combined with Gallastegui & Lozano in Mexico.