Following in the footsteps of several other firms capitalizing on the South African market, Chadbourne & Parke is opening an office in Johannesburg, to be headed by a former project finance partner from one of the country’s top corporate firms.

Chadbourne is the fifth firm with U.S. roots to establish a presence in South Africa, which many see as a primary gateway into the rest of the resource-rich, fast-growing African continent.