Representing the next steps of the firm’s strategic plan for Latin America, DLA Piper today announced that effective March 1 it will open a Miami office with the addition of leading international arbitration lawyers Pedro J. Martinez-Fraga and C. Ryan Reetz. Both intend to join DLA Piper effective March 1 from Squire Sanders & Dempsey where Martinez-Fraga served as head of that firm’s International Dispute Resolution practice in Florida and Latin America.

In conjunction with the launch of the Miami office, DLA Piper has also reached an agreement with law firm InterJuris Abogados SC to establish a presence in Venezuela. Under the agreement, InterJuris will operate as DLA InterJuris Abogados with an office in Caracas. InterJuris’ diverse client base serves entities based in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America that are engaged in business in Venezuela and will match well with DLA Piper’s global platform.

As part of this agreement, InterJuris founders Juan José Delgado, who leads its Energy practice, and corporate lawyer Maria Cecilia Rachadell will plan to join DLA Piper’s Miami office as foreign legal consultants. This move also reunites them with Martinez-Fraga and Reetz.  The four previously practiced together at Squire Sanders prior to the formation of Interjuris.

“This core group of world-class lawyers will play an important role as we continue aggressively expanding the Miami office with lawyers who can complement our global platform in Florida and Latin America” said Lee Miller, Joint Chief Executive Officer of DLA Piper. “Following our cooperation agreement in Brazil last year with Campos Mello Advogados and the establishment of DLA Piper’s foreign consultancy there, the Miami office and an on-the-ground presence in Venezuela are key developments as we advance our global capabilities and expand our presence in Latin America,” added Stuart Berkson, chair of DLA Piper’s Latin America practice.

“Miami is the gateway to Latin America and has also become a critical business and financial center for our clients with interests abroad,” said Juan Picón, EMEA Group Head of Corporate at DLA Piper and Spain Managing Partner. “In particular, this expansion creates a myriad of inbound and outbound opportunities for our clients throughout Europe and Spain.”

These milestones in Latin America follow on the heels of DLA Piper’s expected integration with Australia’s DLA Phillips Fox which will create a global law firm with more than 4,000 lawyers effective May 1, making it the largest law firm in the world based on number of lawyers.

Miami: Gateway to Latin America

As a gateway to Latin America, a number of factors drew DLA Piper to Miami, led in part by its emergence as a preferred venue for international arbitration disputes over more traditional arbitration centers in London, Paris, Geneva and New York.

“With an influx of capital and investments flowing through Miami to Latin America, Miami’s multicultural and multilingual business community has created an ideal seat for arbital disputes,” said Claudia Salomon, co-chair of DLA Piper’s International Arbitration practice.  “With that in mind, we’re excited to welcome Pedro and Ryan, who are among the most prominent international arbitration authorities in the world.”

“With our focus on international arbitration and transnational disputes, DLA Piper provides the most comprehensive global platform which will be a tremendous resource to our clients based in Miami as well as those abroad,” said Martinez-Fraga, who will serve as Coordinator of DLA Piper’s International Arbitration practice in Florida and Latin America.

DLA Piper’s Ignacio Sanchez will serve as acting managing partner of the Miami office, building on his 17 years of experience practicing in Miami and the firm’s longstanding presence in Tampa: “I look forward to helping our new colleagues quickly integrate and take advantage of the global platform and assisting the firm as we continue to strategically add practices to the Miami and Tampa offices.”

Added Juan Jose Delgado from InterJuris: “We are thrilled with the opportunity to capitalize on the advantages created by DLA Piper’s global platform, including the new Miami office, so that we can best serve all our clients’ growing needs in jurisdictions around the world.”

DLA Piper’s Miami office will be located downtown on the 23rd floor of the Wachovia Financial Center, where the firm has signed a lease for 22,000 square feet of space in the city’s tallest office tower.

About the Lawyers

Pedro Martinez-Fraga focuses his practice on international litigation and transnational arbitration, including complex jurisdictional disputes. He has served as an arbitrator in proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. He has also represented a number of sovereignties together with geopolitical subdivisions and state instrumentalities, including the Republic of Chile, Republic of Argentina, the Republic of Guatemala, the Republic of El Salvador, Brazil and instrumentalities of the Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Ecuador.

Martinez-Fraga was most recently head of Squire Sanders’ International Dispute Resolution practice in Florida and Latin America.  Prior to joining Squire Sanders, he practiced with the law firm of Greenberg Traurig where he was a principal shareholder, and founder and chair of that firm’s International Litigation and Arbitration practice group.

He received a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. from St. John’s College, as well as a Licenciatura, Magíster and Diploma de Estudios Avanzados (DEA) from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

C. Ryan Reetz represents clients as trial counsel in international and domestic commercial and regulatory disputes. His litigation and arbitration practice ranges from investment disputes and sovereign immunity challenges to class actions, unfair trade practice cases, fraud and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act claims, and contract disputes.

Previously, Reetz was a partner in Squire Sanders’ International Dispute Resolution practice in Florida and Latin America.

He received a J.D. from Boston University and a B.A. from Harvard University.

Juan José Delgado focuses his practice on energy, taxation, project finance, M&A and banking. He advises multinational companies on tax-efficient operations in Venezuela and coordinates oil and gas and telecommunications project finance throughout Latin America. He also advises on domestic and cross-border LNG and oil and gas transactions.

Delgado received a J.D. from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, an LLM from Boston University and an LLM from Harvard University.

Maria Cecilia Rachadell focuses her practice on M&A, financial services, project finance, capital market transactions and domestic or international arbitration. She counsels domestic and international clients on the corporate, contractual and regulatory aspects of their business in Venezuela.

Rachadell received a J.D. from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello and an LLM from Harvard University.