DISTINGUISHED ATTORNEYS
CARLOS E. LOUMIET:
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL PRACTICE 2 9 ( + ‡ . and business transactions, Loumiet has advised U.S. and international clients on banking issues, major infrastructure projects, securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and cross-border transactions. “One thing I enjoy about practicing law in Miami is that you can handle many types of matters ,� says Loumiet, a partner at DLA Piper LLP (US) in Miami. “I have always enjoyed a wide variety of challenges.� Over the past three decades, Loumiet has built a global practice institutions, as well as startups and entrepreneurial family groups. / . %ˆ�& / . force that drafted Florida’s International Arbitration Act, and in %ˆˆˆ ( , 6 . ‡ Š %ˆˆˆ “Simply put, Carlos is one of the most brilliant lawyers I know,� says Juan Azel, who is President and CEO, Standard Chartered Bank in Miami. “As my mentor a dozen years ago, he was quite humble and genuinely interested in my development as an attorney — attributes not often mentioned together. Much of my banking knowledge and skills I owe to the foundation and love of banking fostered by Carlos many years ago.� A ‘BORN’ LAWYER / %ˆ!% ( Š 2 to power. “I had an uncle who was a successful lawyer in Cuba, and I thought that one day I might become an attorney as well,� ( , %ˆ!ˆ ( older brother Juan on a plane to Miami to escape the new dictatorial regime. Like many young immigrants plunged into a new culture, he began learning English and studying every aspect of life in a new country, including the proper name for his favorite dessert, which he then called “pie apple�. Two years later his parents left Cuba and the family was reunited in Chicago. From the Midwest, Loumiet went to boarding school in New Hampshire, but got an early taste of international business as well, spending a year in Peru with his father, who worked for Morton Salt throughout Latin America. He enrolled at Yale University, and later received a Marshall Scholarship to study at Oxford University. After earning his law degrees from Yale and Oxford, Loumiet began his practice in New York and Paris. Newly married and starting a family, Loumiet felt that Miami ] %ˆ�$ to South Florida. “The international banks were just coming into Miami, so my timing was good,� he says. “It was a lively decade in the banking sector.� 24
SOUTH FLORIDA LEGAL GUIDE 2014
2 ( America and Europe and the establishment of Edge Act banks, to the Latin American debt crisis and interstate banking battles of the �$ %ˆˆ$ ( heavily involved in banking matters as a shareholder with Green 6 ' %$ and banking practices. 6
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/ ‘ Š 5( ' #$%% E] G and litigation, as well as healthcare and banking,� says Loumiet. E6 6 mestic litigation and real estate.� Along the way, Loumiet has taught international banking and banking regulation courses at the University of Miami Law School and Yale Law School. As someone very involved in Hispanic civil rights, Loumiet has also spoken extensively at conferences and tes 2 E5 , J E@ G ” J CURRENT TRENDS . #$$� Loumiet has seen an increased interest in investing in infrastructure projects. “Pension funds looking for a 7 percent or better annual return in recent years have not been able to achieve that goal in more traditional, liquid investments,� he says. “One strategy is to invest in longer-term projects with higher returns.� ( plants, telecom projects, toll roads and other infrastructure projects throughout the Americas. He was also involved in the 3 ,3!ˆ! 7 E J by Project Finance magazine. E@ , . nence of the results,� he says. “At the end of the day, you can see and touch a new power plant, road or bridge that enhances the area’s quality of life for a long time.� Today, Loumiet’s projects include the disposition of a large local bank, an initial public offering (IPO) for a foreign technology company, the sale of a large South American agricultural conglom 2 public airports in Brazil, and structuring a joint venture involving state-of-the-art food storage facilities in Latin America. E, waiting for me,� he says. “My advice to young lawyers is to make your career as challenging as possible, including becoming involved in outside activities such as politics, Bar or com-