Enrique Martin, Partner, Winston Taylor
In an interview with Invest:, Enrique Martin, managing partner of Winston Taylor’s Miami office, discussed the firm’s strategic growth in South Florida, its transformative merger with Taylor Wessing, and why the region has become an indispensable global business hub. “Miami has graduated from a gateway to a destination,” Martin said. “We are not a satellite office — we are building a full-service, globally connected platform here in South Florida, and our new office buildout is proof of that commitment.”
What changes in the global business and legal environment have had the greatest impact on Winston Taylor and your clients over the past year, particularly in Miami?
Our starting point was when Winston made a commitment to South Florida in 2022 when we first opened the office. It has been a deliberate, long-term strategic investment in one of the most dynamic legal and business markets in the United States.
The significance of the merger between Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing, now operating as Winston Taylor, is that the growth strategy for Miami takes on an entirely new dimension. The combination creates a transatlantic legal platform for cross-border and international advisory services, and the Miami office stands to benefit greatly.
We recognized early that Miami had successfully evolved from a regional market into a truly global financial hub. I say often that Miami has graduated from being a mere “gateway”— which denotes a temporary stopping point on the way to somewhere more important — to a final destination. The relocation of major financial institutions, hedge funds, family offices, and technology companies to South Florida has created an ecosystem that demands sophisticated legal counsel, and the merger validates and accelerates our vision for serving that ecosystem.
We also completed a new office buildout in the Southeast Financial Center, which is a tangible expression of Winston Taylor’s commitment to this market. It is a state-of-the-art workspace. Modern, open, and purpose-built for the way law is practiced today. The space was designed to support collaboration, facilitate recruiting, attract top-tier talent, and provide areas for client events and the kind of interaction that builds lasting professional relationships. It signals to the market that Winston Taylor is not simply planting a flag. We are deeply committed and here for the long term.
What trends are you seeing in cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and private equity activity across the Americas, and more specifically in Miami and South Florida?
What we are seeing, despite ongoing geopolitical headwinds and challenges, is a real acceleration in cross-border deal activity across the Americas, both in volume and in complexity. The transactions that come through Miami today are fundamentally different from what we saw only a few years ago.
You have Latin American sponsors and family offices that are far more sophisticated, pursuing diversification and acquisitions in Europe and the United States with the same rigor and structure that U.S. private equity firms bring to their deals. You also have European and U.S. investors deploying capital into Latin American infrastructure, energy, and technology at a pace that reflects genuine confidence in the region’s long-term growth, despite the ongoing challenges in certain countries.
Miami sits at the center of those capital flows, and that is only accelerating as more institutional investors, family offices, and private equity sponsors establish operations here. The city has become the natural command center for deals that touch multiple jurisdictions across the hemisphere. These transactions require more than legal expertise. They demand cultural fluency, language capabilities, and deep relationships across borders. That is exactly the kind of work our Miami team was built to handle.
The merger with Taylor Wessing has been transformative in this context. We have a fully integrated European platform now with deeper expertise in EU regulatory matters, European M&A, cross-border restructurings, and international arbitration. These capabilities are directly responsive to the deal activity we are seeing.
For our Miami-based lawyers, most of whom already have a significant international component to their practices, the combined platform opens corridors that simply did not exist before. The trend lines are clear. Cross-border deal activity across the Americas is not slowing down, and Miami’s role as the hub for that activity is only growing. We built our office to be at the center of it.
How are companies approaching growth and expansion differently in the current economic and geopolitical environment?
The short answer is that companies are thinking bigger and moving faster. When I first started practicing law, a multinational client looking for opportunities outside its home market was the exception. Today, it is the rule. The geopolitical environment has introduced new complexity — tariff uncertainty, sanctions regimes, shifting trade alliances — but sophisticated companies and investors are not retreating from growth and opportunity. They are being more strategic about where and how they deploy capital, and they are leaning heavily on advisors who understand the jurisdictions, the regulatory frameworks, and the cultural dynamics on both sides of a transaction.
In Latin America, for example, the transformation has been remarkable. You have a generation of business leaders who were educated and trained globally, who have access to institutional-quality deal infrastructure, and who view cross-border investment and diversification not as exotic but as essential. There is a much stronger appreciation for the relationship between risk and return. If you want higher returns, you pursue opportunities that others perceive as riskier or will not pursue at all. The most sophisticated investors see opportunity where others see risk, and they are actively looking for platforms in the United States, and in Miami specifically, to anchor their international strategies.
We are also seeing significant inbound investment from Europe into the United States, with Miami serving as a natural landing point. European companies and investors are drawn to South Florida for the same reasons everyone else is — a favorable tax environment, proximity to Latin America, a multilingual business culture, an increasingly deep pool of sophisticated and highly experienced professional services, and, of course, the weather. Miami has become a magnet for technology companies, private equity and venture capital firms, and family offices migrating from the Northeast and from abroad, and all that activity creates a flywheel effect that attracts even more capital.
Winston Taylor was built to serve exactly this client profile. Sophisticated investors and businesses looking for returns in growth markets across the Americas, and European companies seeking a strategic foothold in the United States. The merger with Taylor Wessing gives us an integrated transatlantic platform that connects Latin America, Miami, and Europe in a way that few firms can replicate. Our strategy in Miami is to be the firm that these clients turn to when the deal crosses a border, and the investment we have made in this office and in our people reflects that ambition.
How is Winston Taylor approaching recruitment, leadership development, and workplace culture?
Building a world-class law office in Miami is extremely challenging, particularly in what has become one of the most competitive legal markets in the country. Major national and international firms are establishing or expanding their presence here. Having built law offices before, I joined Winston in 2022 with a specific blueprint and strategy in mind and a vision shared by the leadership of the firm.
Building an international law office requires strategic hiring, intentional culture building, and a commitment to developing a globally connected platform. The biggest mistake a new office can make is allowing itself to become isolated from the rest of the firm.
From the outset, we have been deliberate about the attorneys we bring into the Miami office. We look for practitioners with technical excellence, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a willingness to work across borders and across offices of the firm. Just as importantly, they need to embody a collaborative culture. We are also investing in leadership development and mentorship programs that reflect the expectations and requirements of the next generation of attorneys. Our new office buildout has also been a powerful recruiting tool. Candidates walk in and immediately understand that this is a firm investing in its future.
The Taylor Wessing merger reinforces that strategy. Taylor Wessing is known for its entrepreneurial culture and emphasis on collaboration across offices and jurisdictions. Those values align closely with what we have built in Miami.
We expect significant collaboration between Miami attorneys and our new European colleagues, creating new opportunities for cross-border work and professional development. Our new office was also designed to break down silos, encourage integration, and support collaboration across practices.
What differentiates Winston Taylor in this competitive market is a combination of international reach, specialized expertise, and genuine commitment. We are not a satellite office staffed with a handful of partners — we are building a full-service platform with depth across practices. Our attorneys are active participants in the Miami business community, serving on nonprofit boards, attending industry conferences, and building relationships with the entrepreneurs and investors who are shaping this city’s future. That level of engagement, combined with a truly global platform, sets us apart.
What are clients most focused on when it comes to risk management, regulatory complexity, and long-term planning?
Clients today are navigating an increasingly complex risk landscape, from regulatory uncertainty to geopolitical disruption to rapid technological change. It varies by practice area, but we have placed heavy emphasis on sectors where we are particularly well-suited to serve clients, including fintech, energy and infrastructure, digital assets and financial services.
Miami has positioned itself as a national leader in fintech and digital asset innovation. Our attorneys are advising clients at the forefront of these sectors. In energy and infrastructure, demand for legal services related to renewable energy projects, public-private partnerships, and cross-border infrastructure development continues to grow. We have done significant work for Spanish infrastructure developers, renewable energy companies, and investors.
The merger with Taylor Wessing deepens our capabilities in these sectors and provides access to additional subject matter expertise, particularly for matters involving a European component. Our Miami office will continue to play an important role in connecting clients with that broader platform.
How are emerging technologies such as AI and fintech reshaping business strategy and the legal landscape in Miami?
The legal industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, cybersecurity concerns, and emerging technologies, and these forces are transforming not just how we practice law but also how our clients operate. Winston Taylor intends to remain at the forefront of that transformation, both in the services we provide and in how we run the firm.
From a client-facing perspective, we are advising multinational companies on data privacy, cybersecurity, compliance, AI governance, and the regulatory landscape surrounding emerging technologies.
The merger enhances our capabilities in this area. Taylor Wessing has sophisticated expertise related to GDPR compliance, EU AI regulation, and European data governance frameworks that complement our existing U.S.-focused technology advisory work.
For Miami-based clients with European operations or data flows, those capabilities are immediately relevant. Internally, we are also deploying AI-powered tools to improve efficiency, enhance research capabilities, and deliver greater value to clients.
Our new Miami office was built with technology at its core, including integrated collaboration platforms and secure digital infrastructure. Firms that embrace these technologies will thrive, and those that do not will be left behind.
What is your vision for Winston Taylor’s growth in Miami, and what opportunities do you see shaping the region’s future as a global business hub?
I was born and raised here in South Florida, so I take Miami’s future personally. My father is a Cuban immigrant who came to this country as a teenager with nothing but ambition and a strong work ethic. This city embraced him, and he was able to build a great life for our family through hard work and the opportunities that Miami afforded him. That story, an immigrant arriving with ambition and finding a community that rewards it, is Miami’s story.
Winston Taylor exists here to serve the clients who see South Florida as a place where you can build something extraordinary if you are willing to invest in it. Building an international legal platform in this city is, for me, deeply personal. It is a way of giving back to the community that gave my family its start, and it is a way of ensuring that the next generation of businesses and investors who choose Miami have access to truly world-class legal counsel.
That personal conviction is reflected in our strategy. Winston Taylor’s vision for Miami is one of purposeful, sustained growth. We have made a long-term commitment to this market, and the merger with Taylor Wessing transforms what was already a strong platform into something with truly global reach. For our Miami-based lawyers, this merger opens new corridors of work, deepens existing client relationships, and creates opportunities that simply did not exist before. The plan is to continue expanding our international capabilities through strategic lateral hiring, deeper integration with our European offices, continued investment in technology, and a relentless focus on delivering exceptional client service.
Miami is not a secondary market for Winston Taylor — it is a strategic priority and an essential connector between the Americas and Europe. Look at what has happened here in just the past few years: the capital migration, the institutional relocations, the explosion of private equity and venture activity, the arrival of technology companies and family offices from around the world. There was a time not long ago when it was debated whether Miami’s growth was sustainable. That debate is over. The capital flows are not stopping, the talent is not leaving, and the infrastructure — legal, financial, and physical — is maturing at a pace that exceeds what anyone predicted.
I have never been more optimistic about South Florida’s trajectory, and I have never been more confident that Winston Taylor is positioned to be a defining part of what comes next. We built this office for where Miami is going, not where it has been, and where it is going is extraordinary.
