Muñiz, Olaya, Meléndez, Castro, Ono & Herrera is comfortably Peru’s largest law firm and leverages its extensive network of offices to favourable effect. The firm’s offer is truly full-service, including several niche areas, and its geographic coverage of Peru remains unmatched.
The firm uses a retention fee structure, which has enabled it to grow and become Peru’s largest while handling extensive due diligence and day-to-day work for clients. This helped it keep competitive fees during the pandemic when clients found themselves in precarious situations. It also led to a rise in new clients looking for lower rates.
With this structure, some of Muñiz’s rivals still claim the firm favours bulk work. Indeed, the firm makes strategic use of its size and geographic reach, meaning it can manage multiple deals at a time and go after the most local details in remote Peruvian areas. Overall, the firm’s deal volume, particularly in M&A, is hardly matched by any local competitor, according to Latin Lawyer data. But complex and large transactions make up a profitable part of its work too. Recently, an important highlight is the completion of China Yangtze Power’s asset buy from Sempra for $3.6 billion, which closed during the pandemic. That example can be backed up by several other ones, including in the corporate finance field.
The China Yangtze Power deal is just one example of how the firm is targeting Chinese investment interests in Peru. It has slowly built up expertise working for Chinese clients and some partners have long been involved in Peru’s Asian communities. While there already is a Mandarin-speaking adviser at the firm, it intends to train more lawyers in Asian languages to overcome what otherwise might be complex cultural barriers.
It is not only popular among Asian companies. According to in-house counsel research conducted by LACCA, the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association, which is affiliated to Latin Lawyer, Muñiz represents 21 of the 100 biggest companies in Latin America. This makes it the second most popular firm among these clients in Peru.
From a business perspective, it is not only Muñiz’s corporate and banking teams that are key performers. IP, labour and tax are other strong practices that hoover up major work, while antitrust is another solid offering that will be kept busy in the years to come, following the implementation of Peru’s new merger control law. The firm has already run several training sessions with corporate legal departments about the new regulation. According to management, these were not only popular but also led to new clients for the firm.
Meanwhile, other niche practices make the firm stand out too. An agribusiness group caters to clients in one of Peru’s largest sectors with detailed advice, while a municipal practice, which has close connections with local governments and regulations, is one of few in the country. Another example is a retail practice team, while a cannabis-focused group can provide specialist advice as well. The firm has also been taking in internet gambling transactions.
Muñiz has taken an active approach in recent years to marketing and embraced social media, posting to Instagram and YouTube to promote the firm, while lawyers frequently contribute to local newspapers. It has recently launched multiple sector-specific webinars to maintain the connection with and inform in-house lawyers. These measures put the firm in an advantageous position during the pandemic, giving it rapid and alternative communication channels to clients. In that way, Muñiz could stay on top of clients’ most pressing issues and inform them of regulatory changes. Meanwhile, a diversity committee, which has been allocated further resources lately, aims to work for gender diversity, as well as on broader issues, handling discrimination complaints and investigating sexual harassment allegations if they arise. Among several other committees that the firm has in place, a trainee committee stands out. It works in the interest of the firm’s young legal talent, guaranteeing well-being and focusing on a “best place to work” attitude.
Muñiz takes a refreshingly business-minded approach to its operations and client service. Through its numerous practice areas, it aims to work as if each group is a boutique providing specialist services with close client contact. It has a mobile phone application that keeps clients up to date with the latest legal developments, business intelligence software containing all crucial information about clients and their activities, and a customer service department dedicated to clients’ feedback, complaints and requests. The firm realises how beneficial technology can be, meaning it invests in tailor-made software to enable lawyers to be as efficient as possible and IT infrastructure allowing for remote working. The management takes a relaxed approach to hybrid working. After survey feedback from lawyers, it remodelled its office space to allow for more co-working areas and permits lawyers to work from wherever they like, including overseas.
Offices
Muñiz has the most extensive national coverage of the firms listed in this chapter. Its impressive network includes offices in Arequipa, Chiclayo, Chincha, Cusco, Ica, Ilo, Juliaca, Lima, Piura, Puno, Tacna and Trujillo.
Alliances & networks
The firm is a member of the Pacific Rim Advisory Council, Interact Law, World Compliance Association and L&E Global.