Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance > Miami, United States > Firm Profile

Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance
MIAMI TOWER AT INTERNATIONAL PLACE
100 S.E. SECOND STREET, SUITE 2600
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33131
FLORDIA
United States

Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense Tier 3

The white-collar practice at Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is hailed as a ‘great team of professionals with great knowledge in their field’. The group is reputed for advising Latin American clients in internal investigations and government enforcement proceedings. The ‘technically extraordinary’ Michael Diaz leads team jointly with litigator Robert Targ, whose experience extends to health care fraud, money laundering, and matters pertaining to asset seizures and forfeitures. Javier Coronado is well-versed in conducting parallel investigations and has proven expertise dealing with cases of money laundering and sanctions violations. All mentioned attorneys are based in Miami.

Practice head(s):

Michael Diaz; Robert Targ

Testimonials

‘They have a great team of professionals with great knowledge in their field.’

‘The team is brilliant, so focused on details and very proactive.’

‘Michael Diaz: technically extraordinary.’

‘Javier Coronado: very skillful, fast and intelligent.

‘The firm is flexible, laser-sharp focused on the task at hand, a huge difference compared to “blue chip” firms that drag their feet and seem to live on their reputations. This firm is focused on winning and cutting to the chase quickly.’

Key clients

La Liga de Beisbol de Venezuela

Suppliex Inc. and its principal

ATBIZ

Work highlights

  • Representing the former Treasurer of Venezuela, who was recently released from a 10-year prison sentence, in defense of the U.S. government’s continued efforts to secure and forfeit assets and monies from third parties.
  • Representing a Guatemalan congressman sanctioned by OFAC under the Global Magnitsky Act, in conducting legal efforts for OFAC to reconsider the designation of the client on the List of Specially Designated Nationals.
  • Representing the Venezuelan non-profit baseball league organization, La Liga de Baseball de Venezuela, regarding a grand jury subpoena for records and documents relating to monies paid to them by the alleged strawman for Venezuelan President Maduro.

Dispute resolution > International litigation Tier 3

Best known for its experience handling international disputes between sovereign-owned or government related entities in the US and Latin America, Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is equipped to advise clients on both civil and criminal matters including asset recovery, shareholder disputes, sovereign immunity and allegations of financial fraud. The practice is led from the firm’s Miami headquarters by Michael Diaz, Jr., global managing partner, and Gary Davidson , who was recently appointed Chair of the International Litigation and Arbitration Certification Committee of the Florida Bar. Marta Colomar-Garcia has extensive experience representing Latin American companies and state-related bodies in a range of disputes, and Javier Coronado Diaz is a key contact for criminal proceedings disputes relating to the region including anti-drug trafficking and corruption.

Practice head(s):

Michael Diaz, Jr.; Gary Davidson

Testimonials

‘Boutique firm with an experienced team. Focused on strategies that get results for its clients.’

‘This firm has many clients but the level of detail and accessibility of the partners makes me believe that I am the most important one (figuratively speaking).’

Key clients

Plus Ultra Lineas Aereas

Alibaba

Ataraxia

Sergeants

Binyomin Rutstein

Ocean Residences Development

eFinanzas

Work highlights

  • Advising Alibaba in all their US litigation involving IP violations, including in arbitration-related matters, including current cases in New Jersey, California, Tennessee, Washington D.C. and Illinois.
  • Representing a Mexican Nationalin a $30m derivative suit against his former partner, a well-known businessperson, who owns various companies, including a television broadcasting station.
  • Representing the board of directors of Eastern National Bank in two $20m lawsuits brought by minority and majority shareholders.

Latin America: International firms > City focus - Miami Tier 1

Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is a giant of the Miami market, particularly in the fields of white-collar crime, anti-money laundering and investigations, international arbitration and other contentious commercial matters, especially partnership disputes. Clients widely praise the firm for its cultural understanding of Latin America, benefitting from the presence of various Latin America-born practitioners within its, a number of whom are dual-qualified in Latin American states and in the US, providing additional expertise in both common and civil law codes. Corporate real estate and tax work related to the region are both areas of growth. Venezuela has featured prominently for the firm over many years, but it has broadened its geographic reach to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Mexico among other markets. The firm is also building its standing in tax disputes and international tax, often in connection with Latin American investments into South Florida; estate planning and pre-immigration tax planning for Latin American clients are also central parts of the Miami practice. Global managing partner Michael Diaz is hugely well connected and has an outstanding reputation in white-collar crime and investigations. Robert Targ  is a prominent figure in fraud, asset seizure and money laundering cases; and Gary Davidson has an excellent reputation in cross-border commercial disputes and international arbitration. Marta Colomar-Garcia is another key figure in cross-border disputes involving Latin American businesses and senior executives. Colombian national Javier Coronado, who is licensed in New York, Miami and Colombia, is another emerging talent.

Practice head(s):

Michael Diaz; Gary Davidson; Marta Colomar-Garcia

Testimonials

At Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance, I have found excellence displayed in many forms. Primarily through the service and commitment of their attorneys, but also through efficacy and execution, and legal support and knowledge which I had not found with other law firms and litigators. The capacities and knowledge that they have given to our cases, including a civil suit that we have been working on in Miami, FL, and another fraud case that has involved extensive and elaborate negotiation and back-and-forths, Diaz Reus has taken the proper steps and provided practical advice, always handled professionally and timely to recoup assets that were taken away from us. The judicial decisions and advice given for negotiations to recover assets taken fraudulently have made a significant difference thanks to their professional knowledge, experience, and commitment.

All of the Diaz Reus attorneys I’ve had the opportunity to interact with have always displayed outstanding professionalism and knowledge. In particular, attorneys Marta Colomar-Garcia, Gary Davidson, and Michael Diaz, have always taken the time to thoroughly explain the legal process, available options, and potential outcomes. They have been diligent in their research and preparation and have genuinely demonstrated their care and commitment to solving the issues presented. I cannot speak highly enough of their professionalism and expertise.

In Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance, we have found an extension of our counsel in Miami. Their knowledge, experience, attention to detail, and commitment to their clients make them an exceptional choice for anyone seeking legal representation.

There are plenty of firms that claim being “multicultural” but the reality is that they have Americans who speak Spanish or have roots but makes Diaz Reus unique is that it is really diverse and international. They of course have multilingual practitioners, but also understand culture, fee approaches and the way of working with European and Ibero-American multinationals. I strongly recommend them.

Michael Diaz is an unique lawyer. We recently hosted a client meeting on a sensitive sanctions matters and he is very capable and knowledgeable but, most importantly, provides reassurance and full control of matter. We also enjoy working with Javier Coronado, Gary Davidson and Marta Colomar-Garcia. A truly first class team!

 

Key clients

Silmar Robert Bertin

Alejandro Andrade

Eastern National Bank

Victor Herrera

Arturo Samanyoa

Liga de Béisbol de Venezuela

Felipe Alejos

Raine Chacko

Virginia Mcgowan

Samuel Tcherassi

Erik Gautier

Alibaba

Work highlights

  • Represented Alejandro Andrade, the former Treasurer of Venezuela who was recently released from a 10-year prison sentence, in defence of the US government’s continued efforts to secure and forfeit assets and monies from third parties as part of the largest FCPA case in South Florida history.
  • Represented the board of directors of Eastern National Bank in two $20m lawsuits brought by minority and majority shareholders, involving two parallel proceedings in Venezuela and Curaçao relating to the control of an entity that holds 99% of the bank’s shares.
  • Representing the respondent in a foreign arbitral award recognition and enforcement action in the Southern District of New York, opposing an action which seeks to enforce an arbitration award of $40m issued by an arbitration panel in Brazil.

Latin America: International firms > Compliance and investigations Tier 3

Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is based in Miami and has strong ties to Latin America and an established record in white-collar crime and investigations. It has a history of securing government declinations of criminal prosecutions and pre-indictment resolutions strategies in criminal investigations. The firm is widely recognised for its representation of senior executives and government officials in investigations by US law enforcement agencies; it recently acted for Alejandro Andrade, the former Treasurer of Venezuela who is serving a 10-year prison sentence, in the defence of the US government’s efforts to secure and forfeit assets and monies from third parties as part of the largest FCPA case in South Florida history. The firm also has an increasing profile in sanctions violations cases. Michael Diaz has an outstanding record in major cases involving senior executives and government officials. Robert Targ  is another senior practitioner with a fine reputation in representing Latin American corporates and individuals. Marta Colomar-Garcia is a key figure in anti-money laundering cases, while Javier Coronado, Juan Vargas and Houston/Mexico-based Greg Ahlgren are also prominent practitioners in the white-collar crime area. Of counsel Jorge Schmidt, a native Spanish speaker and Latin America white-collar crime specialist, joined the firm in May 2023. All named individuals are based in Miami unless stated otherwise.  

Practice head(s):

Michael Diaz; Robert Targ

Key clients

Alejandro Andrade

Arturo Samayoa

Felipe Alejos

Liga de Beisbol de Venezuela

Suppliex and its principal, Doenitz Walter Roman

Jesús Alebero Riera

Work highlights

  • Acted for Alejandro Andrade, the former Treasurer of Venezuela who is serving a 10-year prison sentence, in the defence of the US government’s efforts to secure and forfeit assets and monies from third parties as part of the largest FCPA case in South Florida history.
  • Acted for Liga de Béisbol de Venezuela regarding a grand jury subpoena for records and documents relating to million-dollar monies paid to it by Alex Saab, the alleged strawman for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
  • Represented Felipe Alejos, a Guatemalan congressman sanctioned by OFAC under the Global Magnitsky Act, in conducting legal efforts for OFAC to reconsider the designation of Alejos on the List of Specially Designated Nationals.

Latin America: International firms > International arbitration Tier 5

Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance is headquartered in Miami and has a major focus on Latin America. The full-service law firm has a big reputation in contentious matters, primarily litigation and white-collar crime, but is also a recognised player in international arbitration, particularly the enforcement of arbitration awards. The firm has a lengthy track record representing clients in cross-border disputes involving Venezuela, although it also enjoys extensive geographic coverage of the Latin America region. Global managing partner Michael Diaz; senior dispute resolution specialist Gary Davidson who is qualified in Arizona, Florida and the District of Columbia (and who has a significant focus on Venezuela); and Marta Colomar-Garcia (who is qualified in Florida, New York, DC and Spain), are the key figures. With considerable arbitral experience, Brant Hadaway - formerly a partner at the firm for 12 years - returned as of counsel in November 2022.

Practice head(s):

Michael Diaz; Gary Davidson

Testimonials

‘The Diaz Reus international arbitration team’s main differentiator is that is truly international, hosting qualified lawyers from all over Latin America, Spain, etc, and at the same time understanding very well the pitfalls of international arbitration with seats in the USA.’

‘The approach to fees including contingencies and ABAs (alternative billing arrangements) is quite innovative. Marta Colomar, Gary Davidson and -not least- Michael Diaz and Javier Coronado are extremely responsive and proactive and it is a pleasure work with them.’

 

Key clients

Alibaba

American Veteran Enterprise Team

Silmar Roberto Bertin

Work highlights

  • Assisted Silmar Roberto Bertin oppose the action which seeks to enforce an arbitration award, issued by an arbitration panel in Brazil, of $40m in the Southern District of New York.
  • Represented Alibaba in all its US litigation involving IP violations, including in arbitration-related matters.

Miami-headquartered Diaz Reus International Law Firm (DRT) is a global legal practice focused on national and international parallel proceedings and business transactions in the following broad areas, with board certified lawyers in international litigation and arbitration, international law, and immigration and nationality law:

  • Fraud, civil litigation and arbitration
  • White-collar crime, regulatory, criminal investigations and defense in matters of corruption, bribery, money laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, OFAC, Magnitsky Act, CAATSA, Specially Designated Nationals, the Bank Secrecy Act and other US law violations
  • Asset investigations, identification, location, tracing, and recovery
  • Politically sensitive investigations and the recovery of US immigration status and visas
  • Corporate / M&A
  • Real Estate
  • Sports and entertainment law
  • Immigration, tax and estate, family law
  • Sovereign trade, commerce, banking, real estate, intellectual property, capital markets, and finance
  • Corporate/financial institutions, governance and compliance
  • Blockchain and cryptocurrency

Diaz Reus serves US-based and global clients, including multinational corporations, import and export companies, manufacturers, technology companies, government entities, heads of states, political parties, public officials, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, family offices, high net worth individuals, and athletes and entertainers. Diaz Reus is an entrepreneurial, enterprising, emerging-markets law firm providing traditional legal services across all industries while focusing on promising new business opportunities for its clients. The firm is dedicated to growing and protecting its clients’ assets and securing their long-term stability. From 36 offices located throughout Latin America, North America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, our multicultural lawyers operate seamlessly, giving clients access to boots-on-the-ground, global legal counsel.

Main areas of practice
High-stakes litigation and arbitration: Transnational litigation, arbitration, and appellate matters including commercial disputes, sensitive investigations, financial fraud, asset seizure and forfeiture, white collar criminal, asset recoveries, international law, intellectual property rights, and recovery of visas.

Transactional: Complex contract negotiations, finance, real estate, IP licensing, joint ventures, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, customs, trade, and franchising.

Regulatory: Anti-money laundering compliance, BSA, corporate governance, regulatory investigations, FCPA, customs, and criminal and civil RICO cases. Representing banks, corporations, traditional and non-traditional financial institutions, sovereigns, political parties, government entities and officials, and private individuals.

Private client: Domestic and international tax, athlete, and entertainer representation. Immigration, trust and estate, and family law matters.

Representative litigation and arbitration matters

  • Represent holdout group of bondholders in $700m Argentinean government default
  • Represent US citizen/Venezuelan national in defense of a federal criminal investigation in the Southern District of Florida (Miami) involving allegations of unlicensed money transmitting and money laundering
  • Represent group of US auto dealerships in breach of agreements in importation and sale against Indian truck manufacturer. Claims include fraud, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent inducement, unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy, and violations of the federal automobile dealers Act and state ‘dealer day in court’ laws
  • Represent head of political party in lawsuit for defamation against The Wall Street Journal
  • Represent Latin American, Chinese, and Middle Eastern nationals in recovery of US Visas, following investigations for human rights violations and corruption
  • Represent Venezuelan government agency in lawsuit alleging expropriated property in excess of $1bn, violating the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
  • Arbitration of dispute in Panama between US company and Brazilian general contractor engaged in construction of airport
  • Represent parties allegedly defrauded of equal shares in joint venture to sell power-generating turbines to Venezuelan electricity sector. Includes allegations of fraudulent transfer, an out of state trust, an affiliated company in Panama, and US law enforcement investigations
  • Represented Mexican oil giant, PEMEX, in multimillion-dollar action under federal RICO, involving complex extraterritoriality issues
  • Represented US-multinational corporation victimized by fraudulent acts during government bid process in Peru
  • Represented Central American commodities enterprise in dispute with US-based supplier regarding cross-border shipment of goods under CAFTA-DR
  • Arbitrated commercial dispute in purchase and sale contract transferring airplanes from Central to South American airlines, ultimately sold to a third-party airline in Dubai
  • Represented iron/ore producer in defense of arbitration dispute for maritime vessel and iron/ore contracts in London, Zurich, Miami, and New York
  • Represent prominent, wealthy Honduran family and their business empire against money laundering charges and OFAC designations in federal court in New York City

Global managing partner: Michael Diaz, Jr

Offices
USA: Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New York;Washington, D.C.;

Canada: Toronto
Latin America: Aruba; Bogota; Bonaire; Buenos Aires; Caracas; Curaçao; Lima; Mexico City; Monterrey; Panama; San Pedro Sula; Santiago; Santo Domingo; Sao Paulo
Europe: Frankfurt; Madrid; Moscow; Prague
Middle East/Asia: Abu Dhabi; Aleppo City; Baghdad; Beirut; Dubai; Lahore; Riyadh; Shanghai
Africa: Johannesburg; Lagos

Languages: Arabic, Catalan, Czech, English, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Shanghainese, Spanish.

Department Name Email Telephone
OFAC Sanctions, Corporate investigations and white collar criminal Michael Diaz, Jr. mdiaz@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
OFAC Sanctions, Corporate investigations and white collar criminal Robert I. Targ rtarg@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
International litigation and arbitration Marta Colomar-Garcia mcolomar@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
International litigation and arbitration Gary E. Davidson gdavidson@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
OFAC Sanctions, Corporate investigations and white collar criminal Javier Coronado jcoronado@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Corporate Evan Stroman estroman@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
White Collar criminal defense Richard Wiedis rwiedis@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Immigration Michael A. Harris mharris@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Real estate George Diaz gdiaz@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Corporate, White-Collar Criminal Defense Marcela Blanco mblanco@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Litigation, Entertainment Kenneth A. Linzer klinzer@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Tax planning and estates Julio Barbosa jbarbosa@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Tax planning and estates Steve Horowitz shorowitz@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
White collar criminal defense Juan Vargas jvargas@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277
Civil & Criminal Litigation Greg Ahlgren gahlgren@diazreus.com +1 877.247.9277