The firm announced today that Agustin Mayer will replace Andrés Cerisola as new managing partner effective July 1, 2017.

In June 2016 Andrés Cerisola had informed the firm's partners of his intention to step down from the position. FERRERE then launched a process that concluded in November 2016 when the partners unanimously chose Agustín Mayer as new Regional Managing Partner and Managing Partner of the Uruguay office. Cerisola has been consulting with Mayer on the firm's chief decisions since November, and will stay on to support the leadership transition until December 31, 2017 when he will retire from the partnership.

Mayer has been with FERRERE for 23 years, 13 as partner, and has been active in the firm's management for over 10 years. He is also one of the partners most involved in FERRERE's regional operations. His deep understanding of management issues and of operations in the firm's four jurisdictions is a valuable advantage for his new role, at a time when the Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay offices have been seeing extraordinary growth.

To date Mayer headed up the TMT, Pharma and Intellectual Property groups, and he is internationally ranked as one of the leading experts in his area. He has been actively involved in building the firm's strategic international relations for many years, and is an officer of the International Bar Association's Latin American Regional Forum and its Intellectual Property Committee.

Mayer said: "I am honored to have my partners' confidence to lead FERRERE's strategy and expansion in the coming years. Andrés has been a formidable leader, and has directed the firm in a process of rapid and profound change and expansion. His tenure began in 2009, when the international financial crisis was catalyzing a structural change in our industry. Over the following eight years, against the global tide of slow growth, FERRERE went from being a firm of 120 attorneys, with only 14 outside Uruguay, to one of the three largest firms in Spanish-speaking Latin America, with more than 230 attorneys, half of them based in Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay.

"As for the future, each leader has his or her own style and emphasis, but this is a change in people, not direction. FERRERE's fundamental strategy of being the leading firm in the small jurisdictions, totally integrated, with highly specialized US-style practice groups, and a merit-based, diverse and nonfamily essence, will continue to be our guiding principle. FERRERE boasts an extraordinary group of partners and professionals. It is my intention and commitment to devote all my energy to ensuring that each of them and the organization as a collective unit reach our maximum potential.

"Andrés always said he would retire young, and it looks like he was serious about it. We will miss him, and we extend our heartfelt wishes for the greatest success in whatever he may decide to do in the future."

Cerisola said: "After almost 30 years with FERRERE, 23 years as partner, and 8 as Regional Managing Partner, I felt the time was ripe to pass the firm's leadership along to a younger generation. I am sure that Agustín, whom we elected unanimously to the position, will be an effective and successful managing partner. The vision and values of our founder Daniel Ferrere are deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of each of FERRERE's members, and Agustín is a true symbol of the passion we all share for the firm, what it represents, and the vision we have devoted years to building. Agustín is a genuine leader, and I have no doubt that he will take FERRERE to the next level.

"As of 2018, my intention is to put the experience accrued over the last 30 years to use in other pursuits in the business world that have long been an interest of mine, as well as to devote more time to my ongoing community activity. And, of course, I look forward to taking some initial time to catch up on personal matters, before moving on to whatever this new stage may bring. "