Michael Diaz, Jr. Outlines Trends in International Commercial Law at Recent Legal Seminar in Havana, Cuba

Cuban-born attorney Michael Diaz, Jr., managing partner of Diaz Reus & Targ, LLP, recently outlined trends in international commercial law in a Havana seminar sponsored by the Union Nacional de Juristas de Cuba (National Union of Cuban Jurists). Diaz focused on the growth of free trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere, the decline of local protectionist laws and the growing harmonization of international commercial law throughout Latin America.

“This was my first visit to Cuba since I left the country as a young boy,” said Diaz, a former president of the Cuban American Bar Association in Miami. “While there are many differences between the United States and Cuba, there are common issues facing commercial attorneys in both countries, especially relating to international law.”

More than 150 practicing lawyers and professors attended the 11th international Havana conference on private and commercial international law, hosted by the University of Havana. The June event is one in series of continuing legal education seminars in Cuba.

Speaking on "The Free Trade Treaties in Latin America and The Caribbean: Their Contribution to the Harmonization of Commercial Law in the Region,” Diaz and firm associate Chad Purdie presented a case study involving a dispute between a global technology company and its Central America distributor.

“The law in this case was repealed as part of the free trade agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America, and the U.S. (DR-CAFTA),” said Diaz. “In fact, local protectionist laws in those countries have gone away as a result of the free trade agreement, which has had a profound impact in harmonizing commercial law throughout the region.”

Miami-based Diaz Reus & Targ, LLP, is a full-service international law firm focusing on litigation, trade, customs, financial, commercial and corporate transactions, tax, immigration, and arbitration matters. The firm operates offices in Miami, and Orlando, Florida; Shanghai, China; Mexico City, Mexico; Frankfurt, Germany; Caracas, Venezuela; Dubai, U.A.E.; Bogota, Colombia; Sao Paulo/Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more information, contact announcements@diazreus.com.