Florida lawyers prepare to provide legal advice on doing business in Cuba
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Corrected: Lawyers and law firms in Florida are gearing up to provide legal advice on doing business in Cuba following President Barack Obama’s agreement to restore diplomatic ties with the country.
The International Law Section of the Florida Bar is coordinating a Cuba trip this week for 37 lawyers exploring new business opportunities while law firms with Miami offices are gearing up to provide Cuba-related legal advice, Reuters and the Miami Herald report.
The lawyers participating in the bar section’s trip, a “people-to-people tour,” are paying their own way, and the trip was not approved by the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, says Florida Bar public information director Francine Walker, who contacted the ABA Journal for a clarification.
The U.S. trade embargo has not been lifted, but new commercial opportunities are available in areas such as telecommunications and banking, according to Reuters. Companies outside the United States are hoping to gain a foothold in the country before U.S. companies do so, the Miami Herald says.
Lawyers in Florida are already advising clients on new rules for some business ventures, registering trademarks for products that couldn’t be sold in Cuba, and even working on a deal that launched Airbnb in Cuba, according to the Miami Herald story.
Claims related to Cuba’s nationalization of businesses in the 1960s could also provide business for law firms, according to Reuters.
Private law practice is banned in Cuba. No foreign law firms have offices there, and lawyers in the country work for state-run entities.
Related article:
ABA Journal: “Obama plans to use executive power to help normalize relations with Cuba”
Corrected on May 27 to state that the Florida Bar’s International Law Section, rather than the Florida Bar, is coordinating the Cuba trip for 37 lawyers. The lawyers are paying their own way.
