Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados’ partners join Uría & Menéndez’s partnership
Uría & Menéndez becomes the leading Iberian law firm by incorporating one of the most prestigious Portuguese firms Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados
June 16, 2004Uría & Menéndez’s Lisbon office is reinforced and establishes a presence in Porto through the existing office of Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados
Portuguese Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados has decided to integrate Spanish law firm Uría & Menéndez, reinforcing their respective strategies in the Iberian market.
Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados was established in 1993. It is currently one of the leading and most prestigious firms in Portugal, with offices in Lisbon and Porto. Its eight partners will immediately become partners of “Uría&Menéndez”
Uría & Menéndez’s Lisbon office (presently 20 lawyers) was opened in 2001, and was the first branch of a foreign law firm admitted by the Portuguese Bar, enjoyed continued success since its inception. The outstanding success of Uría & Menéndez’s Lisbon office coupled with increasing demand for legal services in Portugal triggered the negotiations with one of the most prestigious firms in Portugal. The increasing demands of clients from both firms for an Iberian market will be fulfilled with this integration between two leading firms in their respective jurisdictions.
Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados has nowadays 50 lawyers and Uría & Menéndez over 300, so this integration, fully effective towards the end of 2004, will create one of the leading firms in the Iberian market. This integration is expected to increase demand of Iberian clients investing in Latin-America (Uría & Menéndez currently has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru), thus acting as a link with the Iberian market: Uría & Menéndez is the most significant regional Iberian-Latin-American firm.
Uría & Menéndez’s Portugal offices will be co-headed by Francisco Sá Carneiro, former managing director of Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados, and by Duarte Garin, former managing partner of Uría & Menéndez’s Lisbon office. The resulting firm, who will be working under the Uría & Menéndez’s name, will have more than 70 lawyers in the Portuguese market, with offices in Lisbon and Porto. The Porto office will be led by João Anacoreta Correia. This integration will provide Uría & Menéndez’s clients a full-service firm, and strengthen its Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate, Finance, Labour, Litigation, Real Estate and Tax practices.
Rodrigo Uría, Managing Partner of Uría & Menéndez, stated that : “Uría & Menéndez’s partners are thrilled to include 8 leading Portuguese lawyers of the highest calibre in their partnership. All the Uría & Menéndez lawyers in our Lisbon office are extremely proud of forming part of what is about to become one of the leading Portuguese firms. My aim has always been to preserve professional ethics coupled with the greatest quality and excellence at all times, all of which are guaranteed with this integration.”
Francisco Sá Carneiro, Managing Partner of Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados, declared that: “Uría & Menéndez is one of the best and most prestigious firms in Spain. The invitation we received from Uría & Menéndez is an honour as well as a great challenge. Our integration in Uría & Menéndez and the combination of our practices in Portugal, with the already existing synergies, together with our clients’ collaboration, will contribute to create a truly Iberian law firm.”
Duarte Garin, Managing Partner of Uría & Menéndez’s Lisbon office stated that “We are delighted to join forces with Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados, and I cannot think of any other firm that I would feel so comfortable in integrating within the Uría & Menéndez organisation as this one. Vasconcelos, F. Sá Carneiro, Fontes & Associados and Uría & Menéndez share the same principles and values and this has been very clear in the conversations held between the two firms. I am certain that we are witnessing the birth of a major player in the Portuguese legal market. ” Uría & Menéndez is one of the most prestigious firms in Europe. After the integration, it will have more than 350 lawyers with offices in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao), Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), England (London), Belgium (Brussels), Unites States (New York), Brazil (San Paulo), Chile (Santiago de Chile), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Mexico (Mexico City) and Peru (Lima).