Dentons, the world's largest law firm, is announcing today a combination with leading Ecuadorian law firm, Paz Horowitz Abogados. In 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and economic crisis, Dentons accounted for 85% of all cross-border combinations around the world in an environment where other law firms were standing still, contracting or withdrawing from key markets.

In the New Dynamic Decade, clients will continue to be confronted with constant, accelerated change and want to work with a law firm that has the experience and confidence to help them thrive wherever they are located. Dentons is the first Pan-Latin American and the Caribbean law firm in the history of the legal profession and the combination with Paz Horowitz Abogados in Ecuador would strengthen the foundation for Dentons to become the dominant global law firm in the region, with offices in 26 countries.

“The combination with Paz Horowitz Abogados in Ecuador will allow us to better serve our clients across Latin America and the Caribbean and around the globe,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. “Now, Dentons will have leading talent in 26 countries in the region, and 198 locations across 78 countries around the world.”

"In this New Dynamic Decade, our clients are navigating constant and accelerating change, and want to know they are working with a law firm with the confidence and the experience to help them navigate it," said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons. "Dentons' strategy to scale the firm through combinations with leading law firms such as Paz Horowitz Abogados is paying dividends, as Dentons continues to achieve more total rankings growth year-on-year than any key global competitor in Chambers Global."

“Paz Horowitz has differentiated itself by being a “one-stop” firm whose talent provides quality and comprehensive solutions,” said Jorge Paz Durini, Founding Partner of Paz Horowitz. “In recent years we have grown our Firm by virtue of the trust that our clients have placed in us  and by combining with Dentons we will gain access to the most innovative technology solutions and be positioned to follow our clients into new geographies.”

Paz Horowitz Abogados is located in Ecuador's capital, Quito, and has eight partners and more than 30 lawyers. It is a recognized leader in Intellectual property, Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance, Corporate and M&A, Energy, Dispute Resolution, Labor and Employment, and Aviation, and its lawyers are recognized in Chambers Latin America 2020, Latin Lawyer 250, Legal 500 and Leaders League 2021. The combination would lead to significant synergies in light of Dentons' strengths in each of these areas.

In 2020, foreign companies in different industries executed investment agreements with the Ecuadorian government for an amount of US$400 million, of which $128 million were managed and advised by Paz Horowitz, which has positioned the Firm as a leader in investments, project development, corporate and financial services for international clients in Ecuador.

"Our strategy to become the dominant global law firm in the region centers around combining with firms with the proven ability to offer high-quality legal services and business solutions in their home markets," said Jorge Alers, CEO of Dentons’ Latin America and the Caribbean Region. "Paz Horowitz Abogados is a highly-regarded leading firm in Ecuador, and this combination will give Dentons a footprint in a critical market for our clients."

Since entering the region in 2016, Dentons has become the fastest growing law firm in Latin America and the Caribbean. With an office in Quito, the combination would give Dentons' clients access to an additional team of lawyers who can meet their needs across a wide range of industries, around the world.

Dentons' combination with Paz Horowitz Abogados would position Dentons as the only global law firm in Ecuador from launch, and the only pan-Latin American law firm owned and controlled by Latin Americans, connecting clients to top-tier legal talent in 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with offices in:

The combination, following approval by partners, is expected to launch in the next several months.

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