Partners at both Dentons and Costa Rica-headquartered Muñoz Global have voted to approve a merger which will bring the local firm under the Dentons brand and make Dentons one of the first global law firms with a presence in Central America. First reported in November, the deal follows the launches of Dentons López Velarde in Mexico and Dentons Cardenas & Cardenas in Colombia, both of which emerged from local tie-ups announced by Dentons earlier this year. By merging with Muñoz Global, Dentons will gain a presence in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua. It will operate as Dentons Muñoz.

Global strength, local expertise

Dentons global chief executive officer Elliot Portnoy commented: ‘Since our launch in Mexico and Colombia earlier this year, cross-border work into and out of the region has grown rapidly, demonstrating that clients see a great advantage to being served by an international firm that can offer the best locally informed legal advice and business counsel anywhere they operate.’ He added: ‘Given the interconnectedness of the economies of Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, we see real opportunities to serve clients further through more intra-region work as well.’