Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced that it has once again partnered with ALM, publisher of The American Lawyer and Focus Latin America, to present the second annual U.S. Latin America Legal Summit. General counsel, compliance officers and other corporate executives for Fortune 500 and Latin 500 companies will convene in Miami at the JW Marriott Marquis on Nov. 13 to engage in peer-to-peer discussions on timely cross-border legal and corporate issues impacting U.S. and Latin American businesses.
Following the success of the inaugural summit last year, Akerman is again serving as co-chair and the sole presenting sponsor, with Francisco A. Rodriguez, a partner in the Litigation Practice Group, serving as chairman of the summit. Also this year, Akerman lawyers will lead two discussions on cross-border disputes and anti-corruption laws.
"We are pleased to once again partner with ALM to host the U.S. Latin America Legal Summit," said Rodriguez. "The summit discussions will provide insights on the crucial issues important to our clients as they forge new business partnerships and strategic ventures across the region."
Last year, Akerman presented a session on the increasing role of international litigation and arbitration in commercial dispute resolution, and Miami's emergence as a leading venue for conducting arbitrations. This year, the conversation will continue with a panel led by Rodriguez, who will take a deeper look at the arbitration process and contract clauses. The group will examine the recent Supreme Court decision in BG Group v. Argentina, which confirmed that arbitration clauses have the potential to result in more litigation, and discuss multi-tier dispute resolution clauses as an approach to make the arbitration process more efficient.
At a time when corporations are faced with an unprecedented number of prosecutions and investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Akerman will also present a mock courtroom cross-examination. Conducted by Akerman's International Practice Chair, Pedro A. Freyre, as well as partners Jacqueline Arango, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Christopher Oprison, a former associate White House counsel, the speakers will review prosecutorial criteria and best practices for addressing and defending FCPA allegations, and how to minimize significant business disruptions for companies operating abroad.
A series of conversations will follow throughout the day with an examination of the volatility of the market, including the political and economic scenes, and commercial lending activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. The summit is qualified for CLE credit. More details about the summit, including a complete agenda and a full list of speakers, are forthcoming.
About Akerman LLP
Akerman LLP is a leading transactions and trial law firm known for its core strengths in middle market M&A, within the financial services and real estate industries, and for a diverse Latin America practice. With more than 600 lawyers and government affairs professionals and a network of 20 offices, it is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The National Law Journal NLJ 350 (2014). Akerman also is ranked among the top 50 law firms for diversity in The American Lawyer's Diversity Scorecard (2014).
Akerman's Latin America & the Caribbean Practice includes lawyers experienced in representing multinational clients on a wide range of cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, securities offerings, syndicated and secured lending transactions, project financings and debt restructurings, as well as complex construction and other international disputes. The team also is experienced in representing global companies in connection with establishing and developing their U.S. presence as well as managing their Latin American operations. Akerman lawyers have spent years working in Latin America and the Caribbean and are familiar with the legal, regulatory and cultural systems of countries in the region.
More information can be found at akerman.com or twitter.com/akerman_law.