Miami – May 19, 2022 – Winston & Strawn LLP announced the firm’s largest expansion in five years with the opening of a new office in Miami. The office will open with six partners (including litigators and transactional lawyers), all joining from prestigious law firms operating in South Florida. It is expected that additional partners will arrive soon after.
As the firm expands the Miami office over the next several months, it will focus on serving some of the area’s strongest and fastest-growing sectors, including complex commercial litigation, mergers and acquisitions, financial services, cryptocurrency and blockchain, real estate, energy and infrastructure, bankruptcy, and Latin America.
“Miami has attracted significant pools of capital from public and private businesses as well as from high net worth families and individuals,” said Winston Chairman Tom Fitzgerald. “It is a dynamic financial hub, an epicenter of business activity spanning numerous industries, and a critical nexus point for banking and international trade with Latin America and other parts of the world. After careful study of various cities’ legal and business markets, we made a thoughtful, deliberate decision to establish our newest office in Miami.”
Tom continued: “Winston has been investing in and expanding its Latin America & Caribbean practice over the years, most recently with an office in São Paulo, Brazil. Our new office in Miami positions the firm for continued success at the intersection of capital and commerce involving both North and South America.”
“This prestigious group of partners will be a focal point for collaboration across the firm. They will help us build new avenues for corporate transactional services in this fast-growing business destination,” said Winston Vice Chair Michael Elkin. “As importantly, Winston’s expansion into Miami speaks to our heritage as a litigation powerhouse. Litigation in the Southern District of Florida has increased in the past few years, driven by a significant uptick in product liability and class action matters. The litigators in the Miami office are well positioned to address this need and to drive positive results for our clients in collaboration with our broader litigation team.”
The office will be led by Enrique J. Martin, who joins from Jones Day. Rick’s arrival comes shortly after renowned litigator Chris Pace, also formerly of Jones Day, came to Winston as a partner. Rick brings nearly 30 years of experience to his role, having represented clients in the United States, Europe, and Latin America on domestic and cross-border M&A, private equity, joint venture, restructuring, securities, and capital-raising transactions.
“Miami’s unique position as a magnet for capital from across the globe makes it a vibrant forum for complex transactional and litigation work,” said Rick. “Winston has an outstanding reputation in both areas. I am proud to be one of the initial partners of Winston in Miami, and I look forward to contributing to the office’s rapid growth and success.”
“As supply chain issues continue to drive the need for cross-border trade with Latin America, we are seeing a corresponding need for clarity on a wide range of matters related to regulation, litigation, and capital flows,” said Talbert Navia, co-chair of Winston’s Latin America practice. “Miami represents the ideal location from which to address these and other business challenges on behalf of clients across the Americas.”
“Miami is a focal point for business in both hemispheres,” said São Paulo Managing Partner Rodrigo Carvalho. “The office will only enhance our longstanding ability to assist diverse clients in establishing operations—or acquiring companies—in the United States and Latin America. Our Miami presence, combined with our office in Brazil, further demonstrates Winston’s commitment to the region.”
The initial group of partners joining Winston & Strawn’s Miami office are:
- David A. Coulson, Complex Commercial Litigation (joined from Greenberg Traurig, LLP)
- Enrique J. Martin (Office Managing Partner), Mergers & Acquisitions/Private Equity (joined from Jones Day)
- Gustavo J. Membiela, Complex Commercial Litigation (joined from Hunton Andrews Kurth)
- Kimberly A. Prior (Co-Chair, Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Group), Financial Services; Crypto/Blockchain (joined from Shutts & Bowen LLP)
- Richard P. Puttré (Chair, Projects – Latin America), Global Project Finance & Infrastructure (joined from Hogan Lovells)
- Daniel Stabile (Co-Chair, Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Group), Financial Services; Crypto/Blockchain (joined from Shutts & Bowen LLP)
The firm will operate in the heart of Miami’s Financial District in the Southeast Financial Center at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard. The office will later move into permanent space at 830 Brickell Avenue, a state-of-the-art, LEED Gold-certified office building.
Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 16 offices in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.
