Although Bilzin Sumberg is located in Miami, Bilzin’s clients come from across the state, nation, and around the world. A few weeks ago, I learned just how far Bilzin’s reach is. I was assigned a project which spans the course of July assisting Marty Steinberg, Jeff Gutchess and Rafael Ribeiro with an international arbitration involving multinational companies. Each week I meet with the attorneys to receive my assignments for the case. Luckily for me, the week-long arbitration will take place right here in Miami and I will have the opportunity to assist and observe the attorneys throughout the week.
The fact that the arbitration is in Miami is no surprise as the city has become a hotspot for international matters. Miami’s unique culture and location make it especially desirable for commercial disputes pertaining to Latin America.
Last week I had the opportunity to talk about this trend at lunch with Jose Ferrer, a partner in litigation with a significant amount of international experience. Jose and I spoke about his practice as well as the article which he had just written, featured on Law360, titled: “South Florida: Latin America’s International Arbitration Destination.”
Notably, as Jose explained, many large Latin America companies have regional headquarters in South Florida. Additionally, Florida’s Arbitration Act allows foreigners to act as arbitrators and participate as attorneys, encouraging parties to arbitrate in the state. It’s no surprise that the International Council for Commercial Arbitration will hold its legal conference here in Miami in 2014. Speaking with Jose made me even more excited to be working on an arbitration assignment and to be working in Miami. I am certainly looking forward to attending the arbitration in a couple of weeks.