PAG Law, a Latin American-focused law firm that works closely with startups, has added partners from Chile and Mexico to help with an expanded base of cross-border work.
Esteban J. Elías has relocated to Miami from Santiago de Chile to practice US law for the firm, while Bernardo Tamez will practice Mexican law from Mexico.
PAG Law founding partner Juan Pablo Cappello said his firm has longstanding relationships with both attorneys.
Elías, who is licensed to practice in New York in addition to Chile, told Law.com International that in recent years he found himself spending perhaps 80% of his time advising Latin American clients on their financing needs in USA, and in particular in South Florida. .
Latin American entrepreneurs can start with seed capital from friends and family back home. But they can find a larger and more diverse source of venture capital in countries like the US
“It was getting to the point where customers were physically moving to South Florida, so it made sense to make the transition,” Elías said.
The political climate in Chile, in particular, is inspiring a growing number of Chileans to uproot their lives and start new ones in South Florida. Over the weekend, Chileans voted against adopting a new constitution that critics had described as a clumsy, left-wing wish list.
Elías holds an International Master in Finance and Corporate Law (LLM) from the American University of Washington College of Law.
He also has a pending admission to the District of Columbia and was recently admitted to the Florida Bar.
Elías said he will continue to practice Chilean law alongside lawyers at a firm he co-founded in Chile—Awad & Elías Abogados.
Tamez, meanwhile, is dual-licensed in Mexico and California, with an LLM from New York University.
In Mexico City, Tamez founded a law firm called LegalMindMX that specializes in helping entrepreneurs and creative professionals with corporate, intellectual property and regulatory matters.
“PAG Law’s deep knowledge of the law, as well as their broad cultural diversity, brings unique skills to the table when serving highly complex multinational businesses,” said Tamez.
“There are few firms that understand tech founders and even fewer that understand Latino founders or businesses operating outside the US,” he added.
