Reed Smith launches in Miami with arbitration and litigation team from Astigarraga Davis

Global law firm Reed Smith announced the opening of its new office in Miami with seven lawyers from Astigarraga Davis. Highly esteemed arbitrator José I. Astigarraga joins the firm as partner and will lead the international arbitration practice.

José I. Astigarraga served as vice president of the London Court of International Arbitration for much of his 10 years on the Court. He currently serves on the ICC’s Commission on Arbitration, co-chairing one of its task forces, and previously led the International Bar Association’s worldwide Task Force on the Guidelines for Arbitrator Conflicts of Interest.

In the announcement, Astigarraga said, “Over the years, we’ve been approached by many outstanding firms about joining, including firms where we have very good friends, and we always resisted the temptation. But in the case of Reed Smith, the platform was a perfect fit. Our firm’s motto has been the ‘Power of Focus’ – Reed Smith’s business model is built around exactly that concept: they focus on five key industry groups, all of which rely on arbitration and do extensive business in the Americas. We see tremendous possibilities and are looking forward to joining Reed Smith’s outstanding group of arbitration lawyers.”

Joining Astigarraga at Reed Smith are Cristina Cárdenas and Edward M. Mullins as partners; counsel Eduardo J. De la Peña; and associates Anna Maria Barton, Sujey S. Herrera and Marianne I. Maldonado. In addition to the seven attorneys, seven staff members from Astigarraga Davis will join the new office.

Mullins, who will serve as managing partner of the Miami office, focuses his practice on international commercial litigation and arbitration. Cárdenas is a native Spanish speaker who currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Miami International Arbitration Society, and focuses on international arbitration.

With the new Miami base, Reed Smith now has 27 offices worldwide home to over 1,700 lawyers. The firm does not have a presence in Latin America or Iberia but intends to use its new Miami office as a launchpad to cater for clients with business connections to Latin America.

Meanwhile, legacy Astigarraga Davis is set to dissolve with its former co-founder Edward Davis Jr. launching a new firm called Sequor Law which will focus on asset recovery, financial fraud and cross-border insolvency. Eight other lawyers, the majority from the legacy boutique, will join Davis at Sequor Law.