Last month, Squire Patton Boggs hosted an event in Paris to honor and celebrate the diverse contributions of our Latin American lawyers and team members based in the city. Inspired by a successful event organized by our Ukrainian lawyers in 2022, our colleagues from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile collaborated to create an engaging and insightful gathering. This event showcased the rich cultures, culinary delights, traditions, and interesting facts from each country, while also providing valuable insights into the legal work involving Latin America and offering a business perspective on the topic.
Paris has gained significant recognition as one of the preferred seats for resolving disputes involving Latin American entities
The event featured José Ricardo Feris, an International Dispute Resolution (IDR) Partner based in Paris, who explained that the permanent presence of Latin lawyers and interns in our Paris office’s IDR department is a direct consequence of the city’s central and historic role as a global hub for international arbitration, especially concerning cases involving Latin American parties and sovereign states. In fact, Paris has gained significant recognition as one of the preferred seats for resolving disputes involving Latin American entities. Our team, he explained, requires professionals who are fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and possess a comprehensive understanding of the legal systems in these countries. This expertise is essential for effectively managing the growing caseload from the Latin American region.
Jose Ricardo further stressed that the involvement of our Latin American team extends far beyond Paris. They actively contribute to cross-selling initiatives, leveraging their expertise to bring in Latin American clients and legal matters to our firm’s offices worldwide. This expansion of their role highlights their valuable contributions in enhancing our firm’s global presence and serving our clients’ diverse needs.
José Ricardo shared some notable cases the Latin American team is currently handling, including investment arbitrations against Peru, Panamá, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, where SPB represents the states against the investors. These examples showed the team’s expertise and dedication in navigating complex international arbitration cases and achieving positive outcomes for their clients. By presenting compelling success stories, José Ricardo highlighted the team’s skill in delivering favorable results in challenging arbitrations.
During the event, each team member had the opportunity to share a glimpse of their respective countries, enriching the celebration of Latin American diversity. Through captivating anecdotes and fun facts, they provided valuable insights into the cultures and traditions that shape their legal practice.
To add a lively touch to the event, a group of dancers surprised the audience with vibrant salsa and other Latin American dances. Attendees were even invited to join in, resulting in a mix of enthusiastic dancers and shy participants. The event created an atmosphere of celebration and camaraderie.
The event concluded with a feast that brought together all the colleagues based in Paris. Mouthwatering offerings such as Chilean empanadas, Brazilian « Pão de queijo » and « brigadeiros, » and a variety of Mexican spicy treats and sweets were served. Thirst was quenched with refreshing beverages like horchata, hibiscus juice, and tamarind water, further immersing attendees in the flavors of Latin America.
The event demonstrated the firm’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity, enhancing cultural awareness, and emphasizing the importance of our Latin American clients, legal matters, and perspectives within our firm’s work.
The event was an undeniable success, providing both a joyful and informative experience for all attendees. It demonstrated the firm’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity, enhancing cultural awareness, and emphasizing the importance of our Latin American clients, legal matters, and perspectives within our firm’s work. We extend our gratitude to Klaudia Bequart, Kathy Bowman-Williams, DEI’s Global Director of SPB, and our Paris office for their strong support in championing diversity in our agendas. Together, we continue to propel our firm and legal community forward, embracing inclusivity and unity as guiding principles.
To shed further light on the accomplishments and expertise of our Latin American team, let’s take a closer look at the exceptional individuals who comprise our practice group:
- José Ricardo Feris: A partner at SPB since 2017, José was born in Guatemala and raised in the Dominican Republic. He is fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French, and acts as counsel and arbitrator in cases involving multiple jurisdictions. He is one the leading practitioners in Latin American arbitration.
- John Adam: A partner in the IDR department of our Paris office. John holds dual citizenship of Spain and the US. He has acted as counsel in more than 100 international arbitrations and is widely considered by his peers and specialized publications to be one of the leading lawyers of his generation in the Latin American region.
- Paul Von Muhlendahl: An associate at SPB since 2022, Paul was born in Germany, raised in Spain, and educated in France. Though not of Latin American descent himself, he has been warmly welcomed by the Latin team. He works on cases across different regions and languages.
- Aline Ramos: A dual citizen of Mexico and France, is admitted to practice law in both countries. In 2021, she joined SPB as an associate, where she worked as counsel and administrative secretary of arbitral tribunals.
- Marie-Claire Da Silva Rosa: A Brazilian-French dual national, Marie-Claire became an associate at SPB in 2019. She is proficient in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and English and plays an active role in the team’s success.
- Pablo Sobarzo: A Chilean qualified lawyer who joined SPB this year, Pablo has experience in cases involving Latin American parties both Spanish and English.
- Supporting the team are Ilyn Ortiz, a legal assistant from Honduras, and interns Guido Machado, Natalia Rodriguez (both from Colombia), and Luiz Eduardo Jodas Siqueira (from Brazil), who is currently focusing on Portuguese-speaking cases.