Nearly a year and a half after announcing its intentions to put down stakes in Brazil, Hogan Lovells has opened an office in Rio de Janeiro—the firm's 44th global location.

In announcing the new South American outpost Wednesday, the firm touted the office's official opening as part of its Brazil practice that will represent both local clients and international entities with operations in the country. (U.K. publication Legal Week noted last year that the office would service clients that traditionally worked with Hogan Lovells's office in Caracas, Venezuela.)