Global law firm Reed Smith today announced the opening of an office in Miami with the addition of the seven-lawyer International Arbitration and Litigation Practice from Astigarraga Davis. These new additions join Reed Smith's leading International Arbitration Practice, as well as its growing Latin America Business team. With this new location, Reed Smith now has 27 offices worldwide.

Reed Smith's team will include:  

• Alexander Y. Thomas 
• Michael B. Pollack 
• José Astigarraga 
• Ed Mullins
• M. Cristina Cárdenas 
• Eduardo J. De la Peña 
• Ana Maria Barton 
• Sujey S. Herrera
• Marianne I. Maldonado

"Our growth strategy is to establish a strong presence in regions important to our clients and to the industries in which they compete," said Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith's Global Managing Partner. "This move is ideal for us in two ways: Miami is the gateway to Latin America, where many of our clients have operations, and our global clients rely on international arbitration. The Astigarraga Davis lawyers are top-ranked in the field and are an exceptional addition to our existing leading arbitration practice." 

Having handled matters in the region for years, the Astigarraga Davis name is well-known and highly regarded in Latin America, adding further strength to Reed Smith's 50-strong Latin America Business team. With lawyers in offices around the world, the team provides legal services in Spanish and Portuguese to clients throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Miami office and the addition of the Astigarraga group will elevate the firm's profile, positioning it well to attract top talent in the competitive legal market serving companies doing business in Latin America. The group is highly ranked in Chambers Global, Chambers USA and Chambers Latin America, Legal 500, U.S. News/Best Law Firms and Latin Lawyer. 

Asked about the move to Reed Smith after years in independent practice, José Astigarraga, who will serve as the leader of the firm's International Arbitration Practice, said, "Over the years, we've been approached by many outstanding firms about joining, including firms where we have very good friends, and we always resisted the temptation. But in the case of Reed Smith, the platform was a perfect fit. Our firm's motto has been the 'Power of Focus' - Reed Smith's business model is built around exactly that concept: they focus on five key industry groups, all of which rely on arbitration and do extensive business in the Americas. We see tremendous possibilities and are looking forward to joining Reed Smith's outstanding group of arbitration lawyers."

Ed Mullins, who will serve as managing partner of the Miami office, added, "The combination of our group with Reed Smith is a natural. We've worked with Reed Smith many times in the past, have many ongoing cases together now, and a number of our clients are also clients of Reed Smith."

"One-third of our top 250 clients conduct business in Miami, as do half of our top 50 clients," said Michael Pollack, Reed Smith's Managing Partner for the Americas. "We look forward to expanding these important relationships and building new ones, especially around our five core industry sectors - financial services, health care/life sciences, entertainment and media, shipping, and energy and natural resources - all areas that are key industries in Miami, and in which we have well-established global capabilities. We look forward to growing the office on a targeted basis to serve our clients in these industries." 

The new group establishing Reed Smith's Miami office, located at the 1001 Brickell Bay Tower in downtown Miami, includes partners José I. Astigarraga, M. Cristina Cárdenas, and Ed Mullins; counsel Eduardo J. De la Peña; and associates Ana Maria Barton, Sujey S. Herrera and Marianne I. Maldonado. In addition to the seven attorneys, seven staff members from Astigarraga Davis will join the new Miami office. 

Almost all members of the group are multi-lingual, allowing them to provide enhanced service to clients throughout Latin America. Members of the team have held leadership roles in top arbitral organizations, including the ICC Commission on Arbitration, London Court of International Arbitration, the International Bar Association's worldwide Arbitration Committee, the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, and the American Bar Association's International Law Section's International Litigation and Arbitration Committees.