Page 12 - Miami Vol 7 No 2

the rm to take over some of the re- sponsibilities.
“And we took to it,” he continues. “Because we’d spent so much of our practice working together, the t was very natural. We’ve really enjoyed the ve or six years that we’ve really been ‘in charge’ of the Miami o ce.”
MIAMI’S GLADIATORS
Since the beginning, Shook Mi- ami has been attracting the crème de la crème of juridical talent. To- day, the team of 30 accomplished attorneys is focused on represent- ing health, science and technol- ogy clients with complex litigation needs. Product liability, commer- cial and business litigation, tort and environmental, intellectual prop- erty, data and privacy security, and global arbitration remain their core strengths.
Some of the powerhouse litigators that make up the Miami gladiators are John Barkett, Frank Cruz-Alva- rez, Humberto Ocariz and Kenneth Reilly.
e National Law Journal has se- lected Reilly’s cases for its Top 10 Verdicts in three consecutive years. He made a name for himself in his defense of class actions against the tobacco industry.
Barkett is a problem solver who serves as an arbitrator, mediator and
BILL GERAGHTY AND HILDY SASTRE | PHOTO BY TRACEY BENSON
facilitator a er a long career as a com- mercial and environmental lawyer. He is a certi ed mediator under the rules of the Supreme Court of Florida and a member of the London Court of International Arbitration. Over his career, he has garnered many ac- colades, including the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, a recognition for his distinguished legal writing. Beyond two books, Barkett has been an active legal author throughout his career.
Cruz-Alvarez has represented For- tune 100 companies in various roles from pre-trial counselor to appellate counsel. In addition to his litigation and trial depth, Cruz-Alvarez advises foreign and domestic corporations in arbitrations throughout the world.
Ocariz has rst-chaired numerous trials from product liability and intel- lectual property cases to mass torts and legal malpractice. He has also entered the international arbitration arena.
ADAPTING TO TRENDS
As the team looks ahead, it wel- comes new members to grow the rm and help to adapt to new legal challenges. Beyond drug and medi- cal device and product liability cases, Shook Miami is developing a portfo- lio of data privacy work and interna- tional arbitration.
“Al Saikali, our privacy and data se- curity chair, deserves a lot of credit. He was at the front of this movement,” Geraghty says. “Ten or 15 years ago, there was no data and privacy securi- ty law. Al took it upon himself to be- come a subject matter expert in that eld. It has become a large part of our rm given the nature of business in today’s world. I can only imagine that this practice will grow as technolo- gies continue to evolve and present new issues for tomorrow’s consum- ers.”
“ rough Saikali’s work in data and privacy, we will continue to grow as we get in front of new clients and share our potential with them,” he continues.
Looking at other trends, Shook Miami saw an opportunity to grow an international arbitration team – viewing it as the next legal frontier.
“Latin America is the untapped world,” Geraghty says. “So many of the companies in Latin America and the Caribbean are reticent to be in- volved in American-style litigation. O en, the agreements they have re- quire arbitration. I think it will be- come the new frontier, and I hope to be at the forefront.”
To that end, Shook Miami has welcomed Ricardo Ampudia to help grow this facet of the rm. Ampu- dia comes to the table uent in four languages and a background of rep- resenting clients from ve continents and Central America.
“A er living and traveling all over the world, I have a true understand- ing of a variety of cultures – some- thing that’s invaluable when resolv- ing business issues in and out of the hearing room,” Ampudia says.
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY
ere is an uncommon depth and texture to this thriving rm that goes beyond headlines and illustri- ous clients. Quality, dedication and knowledge are a given, but beyond this, Shook has established a policy of diversity and inclusion that was initi- ated long before it became the trend.
Each o ce, attorney and employee is in tune with, indeed celebrates, the power,versatilityandrangeresulting from an e ective mixture of person- alities, backgrounds and ideas. Na- tionally and internationally, Shook is esteemed for its commitment to creating and sustaining an inclusive workplace where everyone is respect- ed, rewarded, equipped and invested in because of their di erences.
DATA AND PRIVACY SECURITY ATTORNEYS AL SAIKALI AND CAMILA TOBÓN (ON MONITOR FROM DENVER) | PHOTO BY TRACEY BENSON