Cleary Gottlieb Named to Latin Lawyer 250 International Elite

Cleary Gottlieb was named to Latin Lawyer 250’s inaugural International Elite, which recognizes the international firms operating at the very top of the region’s legal market.

In addition to being honored as one of just eight elite firms, Cleary also had 10 practice areas recommended as outstanding across the firm.

Latin Lawyer’s profile of the firm notes that Cleary “is synonymous with excellence when it comes to international law firms with a presence in Latin America” and has achieved “decades of landmark achievements on behalf of clients.”

Cleary’s longstanding Latin America practice was also praised for dominating the market and establishing ground-breaking precedents and transactions in the context of cross-border work. According to Latin Lawyer research, the firm held the record as the international firm with the highest combined value of deals last year at $15.6 billion.

Cleary is recommended in the following practice areas:

• Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance: “Cleary is well-recognized by companies and other practitioners in Latin America and throughout the world for its outstanding white-collar defense, enforcement, and investigations practice.”
• Arbitration: “Lawyers in Cleary’s disputes practice group have extensive experience in commercial, investor-state, and inter-state disputes as well as disputes involving international organizations, and they regularly represent clients before international arbitral tribunals.”
• Banking & Finance: “Cleary leads the way when it comes to the number of clients among the region’s 50 largest banks, with 27 on its books. The team’s broad banking and finance practice is top-notch, with a deeper bench to call on than most firms and a long history as a finance pioneer. ”
• Capital Markets: “Cleary is a cut above the rest when it comes to capital markets, and it is a practice it continues to invest in through organic growth. It wins an important – if not the lion’s share – of work in all the region’s main markets.”
• Corporate and M&A: “Cleary’s renowned corporate and M&A team routinely assists clients that are seeking to make cross-border acquisitions, enter into joint ventures, or make other investments in Latin America. It has been involved in most of the largest cross-border transactions that have taken place in Latin America in the past year. Indeed, the firm is never far from the biggest deals in Latin America, leveraging long-term relationships with top corporate clients to ensure it is often the first to be called when any big deal is being planned. ”
• Litigation: “Cleary’s team has time and again proven itself capable of skillfully blending complex international litigation and arbitration across borders.”
• Private Equity: “Cleary largely concentrates on transactional work with private equity clients, working for investors buying assets in the region and advising target companies.”
• Pro Bono: “The firm regularly provides legal assistance to immigrants from the Latin America region, navigating constantly changing immigration laws and policies in support of individuals and families newly arriving in the U.S.”
• Project Finance & Infrastructure: “The firm draws on its broad transactional supremacy to deliver a solid project finance offering.”
• Restructuring & Insolvency: “Cleary’s top-tier bankruptcy and restructuring practice group advises clients on a high volume of high-profile matters, including cases and transactions involving novel structures, landmark decisions and legal and business ‘firsts.’”

The Latin Lawyer 250 reviews the leading Latin American law firms (and international firms visible in the region) by drawing upon decades-long research, a deep understanding of the market, and feedback from corporate counsel.

To read the magazine’s full profile on Cleary, click here.