Dentons Adds Nicaragua Outpost, Extending Central American Presence
Managua, Nicaragua at dusk. (Image: PixieMe/Shutterstock.com)
Dentons, the only global law firm in Central America, is continuing its expansion in the region with a new office in Nicaragua.
The firm has tapped Edgard Torres to lead the Managua office of Central American affiliate Dentons Torres, which already has offices in Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Dentons first landed in Central America in 2016 through a tie-up with Costa Rica-based firm Munoz Global, after partners José Antonio Munoz and Pedro Munoz split from Central American firm Arias & Munoz.
"The addition of Edgard and his team is part of our strategy to strengthen our regional service
offerings,” José Antonio Muñoz, who is now Dentons' Central America regional managing partner, said in a statement. “This new office is a milestone for the region, creating a transformative service for clients operating throughout the region. We plan to continue to grow in Central America, including eventually an office in Belize.”
The Managua office will host six attorneys, and joins locations in Guatemala City, San Salvador
Salvador, Panama City, and San José and Guanacaste in Costa Rica.
Dentons leadership said the expansion was justified by the growing amount of cross-border activity not just in Central America, but also throughout the larger region including South American and the Caribbean.
“Given the interconnectedness of the economies of Central America with those of neighboring
countries, we see real opportunity to provide a service other global firms cannot match,” CEO Elliott Portnoy said in a statement. “With the expansion of the Central America footprint, along with this year’s combinations in the Caribbean and the announcement of our intention to combine with Larrain Rencoret Urzua in Chile, as well as previous combinations in Peru, Mexico and Colombia and a strategic alliance in Brazil, we have seen tremendous growth in cross-border work into and out of the region.”
Dentons has embarked on a spree of acquisitions for its global network in recent years.
Putting aside expansions in Latin America, in July Dentons’ Canadian arm absorbed Toronto-based boutique McLean & Kerr, a move that came two months after the firm acquired 40-lawyer Hawaiian shop Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing. In March, Dentons absorbed the bulk of Australian outfit DibbsBarker and announced seven other tie-ups with firms in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
