Profile
Carol Barnhart, Co-Chair of the Miami Corporate Practice, represents clients in complex domestic and cross-border transactions across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Her practice focuses on private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, carve-outs, spin-offs, and other strategic negotiated deals, both buy-side and sell-side. She advises clients across a range of industries, including health care, data center/digital infrastructure, professional services, manufacturing, retail, and food & beverage. A significant portion of her practice focuses on structuring and negotiating divestitures, acquisitions, joint ventures, and complex commercial arrangements, as well as structuring bespoke business combinations across multiple jurisdictions. Carol provides pragmatic legal advice to clients operating in unpredictable markets and navigating complex, highly volatile transactions.
Having led multi-jurisdictional structured transactions from both the firm and client sides, Carol brings a practical, business-oriented perspective to sophisticated deal execution. She is well positioned to help clients align legal strategy with business priorities, identify and prioritize key legal needs underlying each transaction, and navigate complex issues with commercial judgment and corporate awareness. Carol also frequently advises and maintains close relationships with clients’ boards of directors, counseling board members on strategic, legal, operational, and deal-related risks. She has significant experience helping clients develop and implement corporate governance and compliance programs.
Carol Barnhart rejoined Greenberg Traurig from packaging manufacturer Grupo Phoenix, where she served for several years as general counsel, chief compliance officer, and chief human resources officer. In that role, she directly managed the company’s corporate, litigation, labor, and regulatory strategy; advised C-suite and senior management on legal, strategic, labor, transactional, supply chain, manufacturing, financing, and general commercial matters; and served as corporate secretary for its Board of Directors.
Prior to her position with Grupo Phoenix, she was general counsel & chief compliance officer for BTG Pactual-owned GlobeNet Cabos Submarinos, where she was responsible for leading the legal, regulatory, and compliance agenda for the international subsea telecom cable owner and operator.
Prior to that, she spent eight years at Diageo, the global drinks company, where she was vice president and assistant regional counsel for the Latin American region and subsequently was in charge of M&A for Diageo’s Latin American region. In that capacity, she led the regional acquisition agenda for Diageo, structured numerous strategic acquisitions and ventures throughout the Americas, redefined the company’s compliance program to address issues on global trade, supply chain, and operational efficiencies, and participated in third-party logistics and freight negotiations, along with a host of other responsibilities.
Carol conducts business in both English and Spanish and brings a deep understanding of civil law jurisdictions throughout the Americas.
Concentrations
- Mergers & acquisitions
- Private equity
- Digital infrastructure
- Joint ventures
- Corporate governance
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented Keel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms), a North American digital infrastructure company, in connection with the lease and assumption of control of a 120 MW data center site in Sharon, Pennsylvania, supporting the expansion of its U.S. infrastructure platform.
- Represented La Bevanda Holdings, parent company of Licores de Guatemala, in the acquisition of 100% of Puerto de Indias, a leading Spanish gin brand, from the Luxembourg affiliate of Miami-based HIG Capital.
- Represented UOVO Art, a storage and logistics provider for fine art and collections, in its acquisition of TYart, the leading art storage and services provider in Houston.
- Represented UOVO Wine, a fine wine and collections storage and services company, in the acquisition of Vino Vault, a premier comprehensive private equity-backed wine services firm in the United States and internationally.
- Represented Sanitas USA, Inc., a leading multinational health business group, in its capacity as the borrower in a senior secured loan financing with a national bank, as the administrative agent and lender.
- Represented UOVO Wine, a fine art and collections storage and services company, in the acquisition of Domaine, a premier comprehensive wine services firm in the United States and internationally.
- Represented EFL Global Logistics (Pte.) Ltd (Singapore) and EFL Global LLC (USA) in the acquisition of LEI Group, a leading freight forwarder in Canada.
- Represented EFL Global LLC (USA) in the acquisition of Trans American Customhouse Brokers, Inc., an in-house customs broker in New York.
- Represented Keralty/Sanitas, a global health corporation, in its acquisition of Inspira Mental Health Management, Inc. and Inspira Behavorial Care, Corp. in Puerto Rico.
- Represented UOVO, a fine art and collections storage and services company, in the acquisition of Art Forward in Aspen, Colorado, a provider of fine art and collections storage and services.
- Represented Hugo Technologies, a leading technology marketplace and last-mile delivery platform in Central America and the Caribbean, in its sale to Delivery Hero SE, the world’s leading local delivery platform, operating its service in 50 countries around the world.
- Represented Meglabs, a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, in its acquisition of Victus, Inc.
- Representation of Betterware de Mexico in its global acquisition of JAFRA from Vorwerk Group in Germany.
- Representation of Inspire Aesthetics and Garramone Plastic Surgery, a leading network of plastic surgery and aesthetic centers in the southeastern United States in its sale to Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, a Florida-based private equity firm.
- Sell-side representation of top-tier health FMO to giant insurance broker Acrisure.
- Represented UOVO, a fine art and collections storage and services company, in the acquisition of Garde Robe, the world's first and only luxury clothing storage and valet service providing first-class climate-controlled storage for couture clothing.
- Represented UOVO, a fine art and collections storage and services company, in the acquisition of Ship/Art International and Ship Art-Terry Dowd, two of the most reputable art logistics companies in the United States.
- Represented EFL Global Logistics (Pte.) Ltd (Singapore) and EFL Global LLC (USA), fully owned subsidiaries of Expolanka Holdings PLC, in the acquisition of 100% equity interest of IDEA Logistics LLC and its Group of Companies.
- Represented EFL Global Logistics (Pte.) Ltd (Singapore), a fully owned subsidiary of Expolanka Holdings PLC, in the acquisition of 100% equity interest of Complete Transport System LLC.
- Represented OneLink Holdings, a former portfolio company of One Equity Partners (OEP) and a leading provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions operating throughout Latin America, in its sale to Webhelp.
- Representation of Hugo, a leading food delivery app in Central America, in its sale to Delivery Hero SE, the world’s leading local delivery platform.
- Represented Keralty/Sanitas, a global health corporation, in its acquisition of Westchester General Hospital in Miami, Florida.
- Led Diageo in the acquisition of Rum Zacapa.°
- Led Diageo in the acquisition of Ypioca, the third-largest cachaca brand in Brazil.°
- Led the distribution aspects of the restructuring of Diageo Latin America.°
- Assisted in negotiations with Jose Cuervo for the potential acquisition of the tequila portfolio in Latin America.
- Led the legal and compliance agenda for Diageo Latin America.°
- Provided support to Diageo during the acquisition and establishment of a joint venture for a Russian brandy/cognac.°
- General corporate representation of multinational Italian-based telecommunications company regarding its acquisitions and financings in the United States and throughout Latin America.°
- Representation of individual artists, record producers, composers, and both independent and major record labels in a wide range of matters within the entertainment industry.°
- Counseled major labels and publishers in the acquisition of catalogs and in the establishment of joint ventures with other independent labels.°
- Assisted in the Terra Networks’ $12.5 billion acquisition of Lycos, Inc.
- Corporate General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Grupo Phoenix, 2017-2019
- General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, GlobeNet (Portfolio Company BTG Pactual), 2015-2017
- Vice President & Assistant Regional Counsel, Diageo, 2006-2014
°The above representations were handled by Ms. Barnhart prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
Recognition & Leadership
- The Legal 500 Latin America Guide, "Latin America: International," 2023-2026
- "Corporate and M&A," 2023-2026
- "City Leaders: Miami," 2025
- "City Focus: Miami," 2023
- Listed, Latin Lawyer, "Latin Lawyer 250," 2020-2026
- Practice Recognition: Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance," 2020-2026
- Practice Recognition: Corporate – M&A," 2020-2026
- Board of Directors, Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2023-2026
- Fellow, Partnership for Miami
Credentials
-
J.D., University of Miami School of Law
- International Citator Editor & Sub-ACE, University of Miami Inter-American Law Review
- B.B.A., University of Miami, 1995
- Florida
- Spanish, Fluent