MIAMI (April 23, 2014) – Yosbel A. Ibarra, a shareholder in the Miami office of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, has been named co-chair of the firm’s Latin American and Iberian Practice Group. The appointment was announced by Patricia Menéndez-Cambó, a senior shareholder at the firm who, among her other key roles, has led this practice since 2003.
As co-chair, Ibarra will work closely with Menéndez-Cambó on continuing to develop the firm’s practice in Latin America and Spain in collaboration with lawyers from across the firm’s 36 offices.
“As I focused on building this practice over more than a decade, Yosbel was one of the first lawyers we hired,” said Menéndez-Cambó, who previously served as Subdirectora General for Teléfonica S.A. before returning to Greenberg in 2003 as chair of the firm’s Global Practice Group and co-chair of the Global Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group. “Working collaboratively with the rest of our team, Yosbel has been instrumental in maintaining our reputation for quality and client focus, as well as continuing to build upon our successes in the region.”
“In today’s increasingly global business world, our clients are looking for leaders like Yosbel who understand the importance of structuring cross-border deals that provide the type of value and business-focused solutions they need to respond to the changing marketplace,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, chief executive officer. “He is also a role model for our collaborative and collegial culture.”
Ibarra, who joined Greenberg Traurig in 2004, has worked closely with Menéndez-Cambó and Randy A. Bullard, chair of the Miami Corporate and Securities Practice, on many of the key transactions undertaken by the team. Transactions include the acquisition of substantially all of the Latin American and Caribbean operations of McDonald’s Corporation by Arcos Dorados and the launch of Volaris, one of Mexico’s first low-cost airlines, as well as more recent representations for Miami-based Brightstar Corp. and The Related Group.
“I am honored to have been selected for the position of co-chair of the firm’s Latin American and Iberian Practice Group,” Ibarra said. “I look forward to working closely with my colleagues at Greenberg Traurig and our friends throughout Latin America and Spain to meet our clients’ growing demand for high-quality legal counsel in the region.”
In addition to his work in the region, Ibarra has advised Spanish and other European clients doing business in the United States, including on public-private partnership projects. Ibarra and Menéndez-Cambó advised the winning bidder on the Port of Miami Tunnel Project, a public-private partnership to design, build, operate and maintain a tunnel to the Port of Miami, and have represented Spanish infrastructure company Global Via Infraestructuras, S.A. on a number of P3 projects in California, Florida and New York.
Ibarra, who also worked closely with Menéndez-Cambó, Bullard and a team of high quality Mexican shareholders to establish the firm’s Mexico City office in 2011, has received numerous awards and accolades. Most recently, these have included:
• Listed, The M&A Advisor, "40 Under 40," 2013
• Listed, Chambers USA Guide, 2008-2013
• Team Member, "Corporate & Finance - Law Firm of the Year (Florida-Based)," Chambers Latin America Awards, 2010, 2011 and 2013
Born in Cuba and raised in South Florida, Ibarra received a law degree in 1998 from New York University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in finance, with honors, in 1994 from the University of Florida. He is admitted to practice in New York and Florida.
Greenberg Traurig’s multidisciplinary Latin American and Iberian team has wide-ranging experience representing U.S. and international clients who engage in cross-border business in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as advising Latin American and Spanish clients on their business ventures in the Americas. The firm’s Latin American and Iberian team is consistently recognized in the various guides published by Chambers & Partners, including Chambers USA, Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America. Recent accolades include, “Law Firm of the Year - Mergers and Acquisitions - Mexico,” Dealmakers, 2012; Winning Team, “Deal of the Year - Project Finance,” Euromoney, 2012; Winning Team, "Deal of the Year - Restructuring,” Latin Lawyer, 2012; and Winning Team, “Transaction of the Year - Corporate/Strategic Acquisition of the Year (Over US$1 Billion),” The M&A Advisor, 2011.
The Latin American and Iberian Practice spans across 15 Greenberg Traurig offices, bringing together multilingual and multicultural lawyers located in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, New York, Orlando, Palm Beach, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C.