Holland & Knight Partner Wifredo Ferrer Honored by the Anti-Defamation League

MIAMI (November 22, 2019) – Wifredo Ferrer, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Miami office, was presented with the 2019 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Jurisprudence Award at a luncheon in his honor at the InterContinental Miami on November 21. Mr. Ferrer joins an elite group of men and women who have received this prestigious honor over a span of more than two decades.

"The ADL has chosen a true champion of justice and equality," said Steven Sonberg, managing partner of Holland & Knight. "We are incredibly proud of everything Willy has accomplished and continues to accomplish over the course of his distinguished career. We thank the ADL for their tireless work in fighting discrimination and for the opportunity to celebrate Willy’s significant contributions to our community."

Holland & Knight is a dedicated friend of the ADL and past recipients of the Jurisprudence Award include the firm’s founding Partner Chesterfield Smith and Partners Dan Pearson and Marilyn Holifield.

The ADL Jurisprudence Award was established to recognize individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the legal profession and to the community at large, while exemplifying the principles upon which the Anti-Defamation League was founded – "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all."

Before presenting the award to Mr. Ferrer, luncheon co-chair Peter Prieto remarked, "Willy is living proof that good guys don’t finish last - they finish first. It’s not a stretch to say that if the world were full of people like Willy Ferrer, we would not need an organization like ADL."

Mr. Ferrer, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is the current chair of Holland & Knight's Global Compliance and Investigations Team. Before becoming the U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer served in various roles with the federal government. He gained experience as a White House Fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and later as deputy chief of staff and counsel to the late Attorney General Janet Reno.