An experienced and respected litigation attorney, he was cited in Los Angeles 2018 Leaders in the Law, “Los Angeles Verdicts,” as among the leading plaintiffs’ lawyers recovering the largest verdicts for their clients in 2017. He has represented both medium and large businesses, including well-known Fortune 500 companies, in matters ranging from business and commercial litigation, to insurance coverage disputes, to labor & employment law, product liability, and similar types of legal challenges common to national and regional business concerns. He is also highly-skilled in dealing with elected leaders and other officials in local, state, and federal government on behalf of both business and governmental clients, and is equally skilled at assisting clients in managing complex media and public relations issues. He served as deputy to a high-profile, prominent, senior member of Congress in the House of Representatives, where he engaged regularly with, and developed a deep understanding of, multiple federal departments and agencies as well as the inner workings of the Congress. His career has also included working with a prestigious Washington, D.C. strategic communications firm on matters involving international and domestic issues, developing an expertise in strategic communications, public relations, public affairs, and international relations involving government-to-government affairs, NGOs, and issue-related messaging on behalf of major clients. His unique background and combination of law, government, and media skills enables him to bring an equally unique, broad perspective to assisting clients in managing and overcoming complex legal and business problems. Intertwined through his entire career has been a commitment to his community, to bringing diverse groups and constituencies together, and, on a personal level, to a pro bono willingness to assist others with legal problems that might otherwise go unaddressed.
Experience
Trial-related experience includes over 100 bench and jury trials in state and federal courts, as well as in state and federal administrative proceedings before a diverse range of state and federal regulatory agencies. He has also served as national coordinating counsel for major insurers, overseeing national and local law firms across the U.S. and developing strategies for defending against class action lawsuits targeting directors & officers of Fortune 500 companies in the context of rapidly evolving liability standards in multiple fields, including technology companies, financial institutions, the secondary mortgage market, and others.
Mr. Jeff represents acquirers and targets in merger and acquisition transactions in the U.S. and in nearly every country in Latin America. Representative transactions include:
- Representation of EFG Capital International, Inc., in connection with the purchase from Dresdner Bank Lateinamerika AG of its direct and indirect subsidiaries engaged in the business of providing securities brokerage and investment advisory services to customers located in Latin America
- Representation of EFG Capital International, Inc., in connection with the purchase of PRS International Consulting, Inc., PRS International (Cayman) Limited and other affiliated entities and related assets constituting an integrated group providing private banking services, investment advisory services, fund administration services, securities brokerage services, the creation, design, and marketing of hedge funds and funds of hedge funds, investment management, and the sale of direct or indirect interests in mutual funds
- Representation of a U.S. publicly held company, EZCORP, in the US$60 million acquisition of an offshore holding company that controls local subsidiaries engaged in the pawn broker/consumer finance operations in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Peru
- Representation of a South American financial group in the sale of a Colombian consumer finance company to a global financial services company and a follow-on transaction in which the same group repurchased the company less than two years later
- Representation of a Venezuelan buyer in three simultaneous purchases of mobile telephone companies in Venezuela, the largest being Digitel, S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Italia
- Representation of a Spanish construction company's U.S. subsidiaries in connection with acquisitions of construction companies in New York and Florida
- Representation of a U.S. leading provider of specialty consumer financial services in connection with the company's transaction to acquire a controlling interest of a Mexico-based specialty consumer finance company
- Representation of a Venezuelan-based financial group in connection with the acquisition of a community bank in South Florida
- Provided transaction and regulatory advice in connection with acquisitions and divestitures of regulated entities, including banks and bank assets, as well as the formation of de novo banks and opening of international bank agencies, administrative offices and representative offices of foreign banks
- Representation of a bank holding company engaged in an internal review of a number of stock issuances to determine if an unintended change in control occurred without the required regulatory approval
- His government experience includes serving in numerous consulting roles in local, state, federal, and international matters, representing private-sector clients as well as domestic and foreign governments. He has represented clients before committees of the Congress and before federal agencies, as well as before committees of state legislatures and state and local agencies, on diverse matters, including preparing witnesses to testify on pending legislation, negotiating outcomes on proposed bills, and in shaping agency regulations. His work internationally on behalf of both major businesses and foreign governments has also included negotiating market access, developing mutual trade opportunities, and counseling in connection with compliance under FCPA, ITAR, Denied Persons, Anti-Boycott, and related U.S. laws and restrictions impacting international transactions. Experience also includes forming coalitions to support or oppose government action, often creating the foundation for new, permanent trade associations working effectively with government regulators.