Brigard & Urrutia Announces an Association in their Intellectual Property Practice

April, 2005 - Bogota, Colombia

(Bogota - April 14, 2005) - Two leading law firms in Colombia, Brigard & Urrutia and Brigard & Castro join their activities in the IP Practice. On April 7, 2005, Brigard & Urrutia formalized the acquisition of part of Brigard & Castro's shares. This association places both firms in the forefront of the Colombian legal market.

Brigard & Castro has a distinguished tradition of more than fifty years in the field of Intellectual Property Law. The firm has wide experience in all IP matters. Particularly the team has played a significant role in almost all trademark cases in the country, successfully representing national and international clients, such as 3M company, Associated Brands Industries Ltd., Cargill, Chum Limited Co., Colombia Pictures Industries Inc., Colgate Palmolive, General Motors Corp., Glaxo Wellcome Group Ltd., Kraft Food Inc., Monsanto, Phillip Morris Products Inc., Smith Kline Corporation, The Coca Cola Company, to mention some. Brigard & Castro has been recognized as one of the best IP practices in Colombia and Latin America by specialized legal journals for example "Managing Intellectual Property".

Founded in 1934, Brigard & Urrutia maintains a leading position in the Colombian legal market. The firm has earned its clients by providing excellent services and effective results, during the last seventy years. Briagrd & Urrutia has been acknowledged as one of Latin America's top firms by international publications, including Chambers & Partners who has nominated it for the award "Law Firm of the Year, category: South America".

Partners of both organizations pointed out that their practices are perfectly complementary and that this association will allow them to take advantage of synergies and offer clients prime legal services in all business law areas.

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