US employment law giant Littler has opened an office in the Mexican industrial city of Saltillo, its third base in the country.

The move coincides with the tenth anniversary of the firm’s launch in Mexico, when it set up offices in Mexico City and Monterrey.

The firm said the city, in the northeastern state of Coahuila, was home to several clients in the automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and agricultural sectors.

León Rodríguez, managing shareholder of Littler’s Mexico offices, has taken charge of the office with assistance from shareholders Monica Schiaffino, David Leal, Tania Terrazas and Jorge Sales.

“We’re well established in Mexico City and Monterrey and are already known in Saltillo,” he said. “But having a physical space in close proximity to our clients and courts in the area will be invaluable.”

One associate, Alondra Valdez Padilla, will permanently staff the office while two others – Luis Héctor Cortés Salazar and Rogelio Alanis Robles – will split their time between the new base and the firm’s Monterrey arm.

Littler’s Mexico team, which boasts 22 lawyers, received a boost in June when it secured shareholder Jorge Sales Boyoli, who was previously a founding partner and managing director of Mexico City employment law boutique Bufete Sales Boyoli.

He joined with associates Jesús S. Escárcega Martínez, Erik Daniel García Coronel and Valeria Cutipa Hernández, as well as a law clerk.
 
The office’s launch comes hard on the heels of last week’s hire by Greenberg Traurig of a seven-strong team from Holland & Knight to set up an employment practice in Mexico City.

Last month, Littler gained a presence in Portugal through a tie-up with boutique law firm DCM Lawyers. It is the 12th European country where it has a base.