Julie Gilbert, a spokeswoman for Locke Lord, said it was "way premature" to discuss her firm's opening a Miami office.
"We're an international law firm, and we look at opportunities constantly," she said. "Just because you look at opportunities wherever doesn't mean you will be there."
When asked whether the firm had leased space in Miami, she replied, "Definitely not."
A spokesman for SNR Denton said in an email, "We never comment on rumors about specific discussions or our continuing efforts to enhance SNR Denton's already robust global presence with locations in over 40 countries."
Kara MacCullough, a Greenberg Traurig shareholder, said she has been recruited by out-of-town law firms regularly.
"I used to get calls from other law firms and headhunters on a daily basis," said MacCullough, a Fort Lauderdale corporate and securities lawyer. "It was quiet for a while, and now that the market has picked up I've probably gotten four or five calls in the last year" from out-of-town firms.
Pedro Martinez-Fraga, the Miami hiring partner at DLA Piper, also finds himself peppered with calls from out-of-state law firms. When he tells them he is happy since joining DLA Piper last year, they pick his brain about the logistics of opening a Miami office.
"A number of very interesting law firms want to come to Miami because they view it as a natural gateway," he said. "I tell them Miami is a great market because Latin America is going through an unprecedented boom. A number of firms are studying the area closely."
Common questions are market billing rates and synergies with China, which has become a major investor in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in Latin America.
Of course, not every law firm is successful in its quest to open and maintain a Miami office. Some have come and ultimately failed, like Zuckerman Spaeder, which closed its Miami office in 2008 after three decades.
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