Danilo Romero Raad and Julian Santos Rubino Join Holland & Knight in Bogotá
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (September 25, 2015) – Holland & Knight is continuing its growth in Bogotá with the addition of two new partners, Danilo Romero Raad and Julian Santos Rubino, and three associates, María José García, Ana María Cantillo and Juana Muñoz.
Established in 2012, Holland & Knight’s Bogotá office now has over 30 attorneys practicing predominantly in the areas of energy and environmental law, corporate/M&A, tax, labor and employment, litigation and arbitration and government relations. The arrival of these new attorneys expands the office’s capabilities into the areas of intellectual property, antitrust, data privacy, and media/entertainment law.
“We are extremely pleased that Danilo and Julian have joined our growing team,” said Enrique Gomez-Pinzón, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Bogotá office. “The substantial skills that these two partners bring will allow us to expand our service offerings into new areas and broaden our existing M&A, energy, government relations and litigation practices.”
Mr. Romero Raad is the founding and sole partner of Romero Raad Abogados, where he and the group of three associates focused on intellectual property, antitrust law, consumer and data protection. Mr. Romero Raad is a renowned professor teaching intellectual property and competition law in Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad Sergio Arboleda and Universidad de Medellín. He is recognized as one of Colombia’s top intellectual property lawyers in the Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America guides, he is a member of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce A-list of Arbitrators, and a member of the Academic Committee of the International Trademark Association (INTA). He received a Master of Law degree in intellectual property law from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
“Working in a small boutique firm is rewarding, but can also be limiting,” said Mr. Romero. “I have many loyal clients who need access to additional legal services and now I’ll have an efficient way to deliver both quality and value through Holland & Knight’s considerable global network.”
Mr. Santos recently acted as Andean North government relations manager for ExxonMobil, where he was responsible for a region including Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru. He previously worked in the legal department at Drummond Ltd. for 10 years. At Holland & Knight, Mr. Santos will advise clients in the area of government relations, commercial contracts, energy and mining, and general corporate matters. He will also offer legal services to media and entertainment companies. Mr. Santos is fluent in English, French and Italian and received a Master of Law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Early in his career, Mr. Santos worked in Holland & Knight’s Miami office as a foreign lawyer trainee.
“It is gratifying to be able to return to Holland & Knight as a partner and help build its Bogotá office,” said Mr. Santos. “The firm’s global brand, platform and client base are a perfect fit for my transition into private practice.”
About Holland & Knight's Latin America Practice Group: Holland & Knight has one of the largest and most diverse Latin American practices among U.S. law firms. The Latin America Practice Group includes more than 100 attorneys with in-depth experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity and financing transactions, and business disputes in and involving Latin America in commercial centers throughout the world.