New York and Rio De Janeiro, April 7, 2016 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed announced today that the firm has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Saud Advogados, a Brazilian law firm based in Rio de Janeiro. Saud Advogados was founded by Salim Saud Neto, who was previously a partner in the Anti-Corruption & Compliance practice in the Rio de Janeiro office of a Brazilian firm.

Hughes Hubbard has worked extensively with Salim Saud Neto and his team. As part of this strategic cooperation, Saud Advogados and Hughes Hubbard will collaborate closely on anti-corruption and international matters. The new agreement gives Hughes Hubbard’s clients direct access to local law capabilities in Brazil, and provides an international network of lawyers for Saud Advogados’ Brazilian clients.

“Brazil has been an active and important area of the world for us and our clients for decades, and our clients will benefit from access to local capabilities on the ground there,” said Candace K. Beinecke, Chair of Hughes Hubbard. “We have worked with Salim for a number of years, and we know the tremendous value he brings to clients in Brazil. When Salim decided to create Saud Advogados, we jumped at the opportunity to strengthen our ties.”

“Today, I am very excited to engage in the strategic cooperation agreement with Hughes Hubbard & Reed, a top international law firm” said Salim Saud Neto. “Together, we will collaborate to provide local and international clients with seamless legal service of the highest quality.”

The newly launched Saud Advogados and its team of practitioners have experience in several areas of law, from anti-corruption enforcement and compliance, to litigation and arbitration, as well as general business. The team’s area of focus includes cross-border capabilities, with each member bilingual in Portuguese and English, and additional proficiencies in Spanish and French. All of the firm’s attorneys are qualified to practice in Brazil and some are also qualified to practice in other jurisdictions.

The announcement drew coverage in The American Lawyer and other news outlets.