Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Firm details: 

Managing Partner: Neil Barr

Number of partners worldwide: 184

Number of other lawyers worldwide: 876

Languages: Collectively, Davis Polk lawyers speak more than 50 languages

Latin America offices: São Paulo

International offices: New York, Northern California, Washington DC, London, Brussels, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo

Firm overview: 

Davis Polk is an elite global law firm with world-class practices across the board. Industry-leading companies and global financial institutions know they can rely on Davis Polk for their most challenging legal and business matters. The firm’s top-flight capabilities are grounded in a distinguished history of 175 years, and its global, forward-looking focus is supported by offices strategically located in the world’s key financial centres and political capitals. The firm’s lawyers collaborate seamlessly across practice groups and geographies to provide clients with exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions.

Practice areas include antitrust and competition, capital markets, civil litigation, data privacy and cybersecurity, derivatives and structured products, environmental, ESG risk, executive compensation, finance, financial institutions, investment management, IP and commercial transactions, IP litigation, liability management and special opportunities, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, public company advisory, real estate, restructuring, sponsor finance, tax, trusts and estates, and white collar defense and investigations. For more information about Davis Polk’s practices, please visit https://www.davispolk.com/capabilities.

In London, the firm operates as Davis Polk & Wardwell London LLP; in Hong Kong, as Davis Polk & Wardwell, Hong Kong Solicitors; in Brussels, as Davis Polk & Wardwell Brussels LLP; and in Brazil, as Davis Polk & Wardwell, Consultores em Direito Estrangeiro/Norte-Americano e Inglês.

Latin America practice: 

With a regional presence dating back to the 1960s, Davis Polk has broad and varied experience advising corporations and financial institutions in Latin America across the range of the firm’s practice areas. The firm’s time-tested relationships with some of Latin America’s largest companies are a testament to its skillful work on critical, complicated and first-of-their-kind transactions in the region and beyond. In 2011, the firm expanded its capabilities with the establishment of its São Paulo office, now the anchor of its Latin America practice. The Latin America team consists of approximately 26 lawyers (most of whom are fluent in Spanish and/or Portuguese), including 14 partners resident in São Paulo, New York, Washington DC and Madrid. Clients receive exceptional client service delivered by a superb local team working closely with their colleagues around the globe to provide consistently excellent, comprehensive legal advice.

Capital Markets: 

Davis Polk is among a small number of law firms that are repeatedly retained to handle the most complex capital markets transactions for leading business enterprises and financial institutions in Latin America. It has recently advised on matters for clients from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Mergers & Acquisitions: 

For decades, Davis Polk has been one of the most active M&A advisers in the region. It has advised on many of the largest and groundbreaking cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments and private equity transactions involving Latin American companies.

Finance: 

Davis Polk works on some of the most complex syndicated credit and high-yield finance transactions in Latin America, advising corporations, funds and financial institutions investing in the region. With the increasing convergence of worldwide financial markets, the firm aims to help its US and Latin American clients better understand the global legal landscape and navigate competing regulatory regimes and local market conventions. The firm has extensive experience in project finance in Latin America, advising clients on their most complex and high-stakes transactions. In recent years, the firm has successfully executed the financing of power generation facilities, deepwater drilling rigs, petrochemical plants, telecommunications networks, oil and gas pipeline facilities, toll roads, transit systems, ports and numerous other capital-intensive projects.

Financial Institutions: 

Davis Polk has worked on many of the most notable and recent offerings by major financial institutions in Latin America, and the firm has been a leader in the development of a wide range of capital securities, derivatives and other structured products.

Restructuring:  

Davis Polk is a firm of choice for cross-border restructuring matters. The firm has been involved in public- and private-sector debt restructurings and insolvencies in numerous countries in Latin America, including Brazil. The firm has advised on some of the largest and most complicated Latin American restructurings to date.

Investigations & Enforcement:  

Davis Polk has conducted internal investigations for clients in Latin America on issues ranging from anti-money laundering, economic sanctions and trade compliance to the restatement of oil and natural gas reserves. The firm has also represented numerous clients in US government investigations, including a Latin American engineering company with respect to an Office of Foreign Assets Control investigation, and a Colombian banking conglomerate in its resolution of investigations by the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission.

Global Compliance: 

The firm advises clients on a range of transnational compliance issues, including the design of international compliance programs; FCPA, anti-contraband and anti-money-laundering programs; and presentation of Spanish-language compliance training to clients throughout Latin America. It also conducts confidential FCPA-related compliance reviews for clients across Latin America, including many Fortune 500 companies.