Winston & Strawn adds Latin America-focused team formerly with Chadbourne
Winston & Strawn announced that Talbert Navia, Allen Miller and seven other partners have joined the firm from legacy Chadbourne & Parke, now Norton Rose Fulbright.
Nine veteran partners and one newly named partner will join Winston’s New York office, bringing talent, leadership and significant experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financing, private equity and fund formation, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, and international arbitration and litigation in Latin America and Iberia.
Talbert Navia and Allen Miller have worked together for over twenty-five years and have led some of the largest and most innovative transactions in Latin America. The partners will co-head the new group at Winston.
Navia is a Harvard Law graduate who is of Colombian descent. He has a broad range of experience advising U.S. and Latin America-based corporate and private equity clients. His industry experience includes oil and gas, energy (including renewable energy), infrastructure, mining, telecommunications, real estate, and consumer products. Miller graduated in law at Cornell and has extensive experience in Latin America in the energy and natural resources, financial services, media, and consumer products sectors.
“The addition of this top-notch group of partners with significant leadership experience, combined with the cross-border nature of their work across sectors and practice areas, will enable us to grow our international footprint and provide opportunities to expand our existing relationships with clients in Latin America,” said Winston chairman Tom Fitzgerald. “Collectively, the group has developed a significant client base of leading companies and institutions on the ground in Latin America over the years, as well as a strong network of outstanding local law firms practicing in the region. We are very excited about introducing our Winston clients to this network.”
“Winston & Strawn has a wealth of experience on the transactional side advising companies and financial institutions, and a widely recognized international arbitration group in Latin America. Together with our established brand in the region, we will be able to provide more depth of experience and execution capabilities for our clients,” said Talbert. Allen stated: “Winston & Strawn’s tier one practices in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, and its powerhouse litigation and arbitration practices, including in Latin America, provide us an extraordinary platform for our clients.”
Meanwhile. Julissa Reynoso, a Columbia University Law graduate, also joins Navia and Miller from the disputes side of the practice. Reynoso is a litigation and international arbitration partner who served as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under President Barrack Obama. She has extensive experience representing sovereigns and corporations in complex, cross-border disputes, including under the ICC, NAFTA and DR-CAFTA. She also represents clients in complex commercial litigations and regulatory investigations. Julissa has broad policy and legal experience throughout Latin America, and also serves on the faculty of Columbia Law School and that university’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Winston & Strawn has 17 offices located throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. There are future plans to open in Latin America, said Fitzgerald on a call with Iberian Lawyer, “when the firm finds the right location and the right team to practice US/UK and international law, not local law. “
It is understood that none of the Norton Rose partners across Latin America will follow their former colleagues in NY. When contacted for comment, Norton Rose issued the following statement: “Our combined firm provides a superior offering which benefits our clients and lawyers alike. Our new partners are excited to be part of this combination and the expanded Norton Rose Fulbright. We are already leveraging the advantages of our global platform, and we have already benefited from the practices, clients and client service provided by our new partners. A combination of this size and scope brings with it significant changes, and some lawyers leaving is not surprising. “
