The Jones Day law firm said today it will open an office in Brazil, one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

The office will be Jones Day's 33rd and its second in Latin America after Mexico City.

The Sao Paulo office will support global clients investing in Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as providing counsel to Brazilian companies in their international operations. It will concentrate on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and finance and project finance/infrastructure transactions, as well as energy and capital markets.

The office will launch as a foreign legal consultancy, as required by the Brazilian Bar Association, and open once obtaining regulatory clearance. It will be a standalone Jones Day office, with no association or alliance with any local Brazilian firms.

"Brazil is a dynamic, expanding economy, and one of the world's key emerging markets," Stephen Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day, said in a statement today.

"It is a significant commodity producer, a world leader in energy, and home to some of the most important worldwide infrastructure projects undertaken in recent years."

Brogan also said Brazil has Latin America's largest and deepest stock market, massive inbound investment and soon-to-be-massive outbound investment.