Features
International Lawyer of the Year: David Williams
28 January 2019
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s David Williams built his legal career in Latin America off the back of early exposure to the region, managing to successfully navigate his firm’s Latin American practice through a constantly changing political and economic environment. He is 2018’s recipient of Latin Lawyer’s International Lawyer of the Year Award.
Marvellous as ever?
25 January 2019
“O Rio de Janeiro continua lindo (Rio de Janeiro keeps its beauty)” are the words to Gilberto Gil’s immortal samba, but after years of economic decline, skyrocketing violence and corruption scandals, has the appeal of Brazil’s cidade maravilhosa remained intact?
Latin Lawyer and the Vance Center’s Annual Pro Bono Survey
25 January 2019
The findings from the 2018 Latin Lawyer – Vance Center pro bono survey are testament to the great strides Latin America has made to adopt pro bono into its legal culture. Now in its 11th year, our survey evidences that pro bono is increasingly finding a place within Latin American firms’ day-to-day service offer.
The scene is set
25 January 2019
From the determined strength of pro bono coordinators to the collaborative efforts of law firms (played out increasingly across borders), the results of our annual pro bono survey demonstrate how pro bono is weaved into the fabric of Latin America’s legal market. The work being done around the region showcases the outstanding achievements of lawyers and clearing houses working together. Now, the challenge is to engage even more lawyers in the fight to bring access to justice to all.
The missing piece of the puzzle
25 January 2019
Partner participation in pro bono is still low, despite clearing houses’ best efforts to get the senior level of law firms involved. While firms can still make a big contribution to pro bono without partner involvement, the fact remains the partnership holds the power to effect institutional change necessary to increase the volume of work done.
The roadmap
25 January 2019
It has been a decade since the launch of the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas, a call to action to expand pro bono across Latin America. We ask lawyers who wrote the declaration about its influence on the evolution of pro bono in the region and what’s needed for the next 10 years.
Leading Lights
25 January 2019
Law firms that stand out for the pro bono work done by their lawyers and for their efforts to build a lasting pro bono infrastructure, both internally and in their legal market.
Robes, money and poison
25 January 2019
As news of brown envelopes stuffed with cash and cyanide poisoning grab headlines in Colombia, lawyers at a roundtable Latin Lawyer held in Bogotá discuss how the country’s war on corruption is changing the legal landscape.
Notes on a scandal
25 January 2019
In early 2018, Óscar Centeno, a driver for an ex-official in Argentina’s ministry of public planning, turned over a box of handwritten notebooks to newspaper La Nación. In doing so, he sparked Argentina’s largest ever investigation into graft.
Latin Lawyer at 20
18 December 2018
Latin Lawyer celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. In the first of two articles marking the occasion, we take a look at its early days, and chart how marketing became a requisite for many Latin American firms’ success.