SINGAPORE, April 23, 2012—Duane Morris & Selvam LLP brought 140 business leaders together last week to celebrate, fortify and extend business ties between Singapore and Latin America. The law firm successfully hosted its inaugural Latin American Investment Summit at the Conrad Centennial hotel on April 11, 2012.
Singapore Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs His Excellency K. Shanmugam opened the full-day event, mentioning the extensive bilateral trade blossoming between Singapore and Latin America. That trade reached a remarkable $37.9 billion in 2011 and is likely to increase yet again this year. His Excellency Shanmugam explained that Singapore is a natural partner in Asia for Latin America and spoke of the mutual benefits of furthering ties between Singapore and Latin America, from both general commercial and legal perspectives. He noted that trade with Latin America amounted to 3.8 percent of Singapore's international trade.
Eduardo Ramos-Gómez, managing partner of Duane Morris & Selvam LLP and head of its Latin America practice, was host and facilitator at the Summit. In his introductory address, Ramos-Gómez provided an overview of the Latin American legal system and Duane Morris & Selvam LLP's unique ability to service Asian clients by way of its Latin American law firm network.
"We are very proud of the Summit," Ramos-Gómez said, "as it brought together leading individuals who are helping to nourish and extend the business ties between Singapore and the vast opportunities developing and awaiting us in Latin America. We hope it will be the first of many such meetings of the two regions' business leaders and representatives of their economic muscle."
Other speakers were:
Cristina Sánchez Urtiz, a partner at Miranda & Estavillo, S.C., of Mexico City, spoke on legal matters related to investing in Mexico. In addition to Sánchez Urtiz, other presenters included: Isabel Franco and Ludmila Braga of KLA-Koury Lopes Advogados (Brazil); Ernesto Cavelier of Posse, Herrera & Ruiz (Colombia); Pablo Rueda of Pérez Alati, Grondona, Benites, Arntsen & Martinez de Hoz (Argentina); G. Jayakrishnan of IE Singapore; Luis Coronado and Andy Baik of Ernst & Young; K. Alan Russell of The Tecma Group, L.P.; Francisco Bautista of ProMéxico; Jorge Montero of Proexport (Colombia); and Victor Tay of the Singapore Business Federation.
Ramos-Gómez noted that Duane Morris' Latin American practice includes many lawyers with extensive corporate dealings throughout Latin America. His own connections to Mexico, where he formerly served as ambassador to Singapore, are extensive; he is part of the sizeable team focused on Central American and South American business. In addition, Ramiro Vergel Rodriguez, director at Duane Morris & Selvam in Singapore and a Colombian national, has an extensive corporate practice, including M&A and private equity.
Dignitaries from various Latin American countries were present to lend their support, including: Ambassador Luis Fernando Serra (Brazil); Ambassador A. Raúl Patiño (Peru); Ambassador Antonio Villegas (México); and Consul Isaac Tcachman (Colombia). Also in attendance were Ambassador Burhan Gafoor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassadors Choo Chiau Beng and Leong Horn Kee, Singapore's envoys to Brazil and Mexico, respectively.
Duane Morris & Selvam partnered with IE Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation, Proexport Colombia, ProMéxico and the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation to present the Summit, which drew some 140 attendees.
About Duane Morris & Selvam LLP
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is the joint law venture consisting of international law firm Duane Morris LLP and Singapore-based Selvam LLC, with its headquarters in Singapore. It serves clients throughout Asia, as well as companies based in the Americas and Europe that are conducting business in Asia and Asian entities and individuals doing business in the Americas and the United Kingdom. Duane Morris & Selvam's attorneys represent publicly listed companies, investment banks, individuals and numerous large and small private companies from around the world. Duane Morris & Selvam's practice capabilities span mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, corporate finance, banking and securities, financial services, international joint ventures, commercial real estate, Islamic finance, intellectual property, litigation, shipping and arbitration. It is regularly ranked among Singapore's top corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions law practices by Chambers & Partners, Leading Lawyers and the International Financial Law Review 1000.