Law firm Paul Weiss makes cross-border bet with new Latin America practice

May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison said on Friday that it has hired New York-based corporate partner Maria-Leticia Ossa Daza to lead a newly-formed Latin America group.

Ossa Daza, who focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other deals, founded and was head of the Latin America practice at rival New York firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Paul Weiss said she has advised Latin America-based companies on cross-border and domestic transactions, and companies on investments in Latin America.

"Many of our clients are very active in this market, and both the formalization of a Latin America practice group and the arrival of Leticia will enhance our capabilities in this growing area of interest for our clients," a Paul Weiss spokesperson said in an email.

Latin America is increasingly seen as an attractive M&A market with U.S.-China trade spats helping to whet investor appetite for opportunities in the region, according to a KPMG survey of executives released last summer.

Ossa Daza advised U.S. confectionary company Ferrara Candy Company in its acquisition last year of Brazilian sweets and snacks manufacturer and distributor Dori Alimentos. She also represented Mexico's América Móvil in its sale of TracFone Wireless to Verizon, in a deal completed in 2021 that was worth more than $6 billion in cash and Verizon stock.

She has advised other clients including Zurich Insurance, venture capital firm Greycroft and Brazilian software provider Folhamatic, according to her Paul Weiss online biography.

A spokesperson for Willkie, where Ossa Daza was a member of the executive committee and practiced for more than 20 years, said in a statement that the firm wishes her well.