"Skadden to open in São Paulo"
To me this makes more sense in many ways than opening an office in an already "over lawyered" area as many firms are still rushing to do. The problem is, however, that, as is often the case in many older, more stable areas, such as São Paulo, there are already some very strong local firms with which to partner thereby eliminating the costs and risks of setting up a stand alone office. In my view, the only good reason to set up a stand alone office is because there are no realistic possibilities of suitable "best friends" relationships.