MIAMI – Dec. 16, 2015 – Greenberg Traurig, P.A. advised LLORENTE & CUENCA, the leading reputation, communication and public affairs management consultancy in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, in the 70 percent acquisition of EDF Communications, a Miami-based strategic communications and public affairs firm.
Under the terms of the agreement, EDF Communications will be integrated into LLORENTE & CUENCA’s Miami operations. EDF Communications, which has been operating in the U.S. and Latin America for more than a decade, has a presence in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica. The employees of EDF Communications in Latin America will also be integrated into the LLORENTE & CUENCA operations in their respective countries. Following the acquisition, Erich de la Fuente, founder of EDF Communications, will become partner and CEO of LLORENTE & CUENCA’s Miami-based U.S. operations.
This is the fourth acquisition LLORENTE & CUENCA has finalized since last June, when it announced the incorporation of French private equity firm MBO with the intention of implementing an expansion plan to grow its presence in existing markets. This acquisition is the first of its kind in the U.S. and further strengthens LLORENTE & CUENCA’s position in the U.S. and Latin American markets, creating added-value for clients who will benefit from a significantly enhanced service portfolio, and a network of 11 offices across the Latin American region.
The Greenberg Traurig team was led by Antonio Peña, a shareholder in the firm’s Latin American and Iberian Practice and the Miami Corporate and Securities Practice. Other team members included Charles Stiver, Tax Shareholder in Greenberg Traurig's Miami office; Todd Wozniak, Labor & Employment shareholder in Greenberg Traurig's Atlanta office; and Miami Corporate Foreign Law Clerk Maria Cecilia Canepa and Associates Juan Delgado, Henry Roque and Evan Kanter.
Peña, licensed in Florida and Mexico and an alumni of Spain’s Universidad de Navarra, represents a significant number of Spanish companies investing in the United States and Latin America. Peña is a member of the team that received the 2015 “Corporate/M&A (Florida-based) – International Counsel in Latin America” award from Chambers and Partners. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce which named Greenberg Traurig the 2015 recipient of its “U.S.—Spain Company of the Year Award.” The annual award honors the firm for its significant contribution to the development of economic and commercial ties between the United States and Spain.