Am Law 200 firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy announced Thursday that it is continuing its global push by adding a total of five offices in three countries: Brazil, Mexico, and Switzerland.
The new offices are located in Mexico, Zurich, and the Brazilian cities of Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and Säo Paulo. Fragomenwhich has 306 lawyers and ranked 102nd on The American Lawyer‘s most recent Am Law 200 list with gross revenues of $289.5 million in 2011now has 42 offices worldwide. Prior to Thursday’s announcement, the firm’s lone outpost in Latin America was in Costa Rica.
Austin Fragomen, chairman of the immigration-centric firm’s executive committee, tells The Am Law Daily the new offices will allow the firm to expand its services to clientssome of which have been relying on Fragomen affiliates in Mexico and Brazilwhile offering a consistent experience across locations. "From our standpoint, [having] more places we can provide our own service is something that is highly desired. And this is a step in that direction," he says.
The firm’s latest expansion comes as the firm’s primary focus, immigration law, appears to be on the verge of undergoing major changes in the United States. (Earlier this week, The Am Law Daily spoke to Fragomen partner Bo Cooper, who heads the firm’s government strategies and compliance group, about the potential impact immigration reforms could have on the firm and its domestic and international clients.) Whatever happens on the domestic front, Austin Fragomen says, won’t have much of an effect on operations in the new overseas offices, which are mainly geared toward dealing with inbound immigration work governed by the laws of their respective countries.
