Yosbel A. Ibarra - Key Contact Partner

Yosbel A. Ibarra
Greenberg Traurig, P.A (Florida, U.S.A.)
Key Contact Partner

1. Share with us something new and interesting about your firm.
As many know, Florida has been especially hard-hit by COVID-19. Since March, our Florida offices have, for the most part, been working remotely. Luckily, before the pandemic even arose our firm had made substantial investments in remote working technology, so we were able to move from in-office to remote almost immediately and seamlessly. All of our lawyers and staff are now connected remotely and continue to operate just as if we were in the office. Also, even during this time of uncertainty, we have continued to grow, particularly in the area of private equity, where we are seeing increased activity from PE firms moving to Florida, and in our White Collar and Compliance practice, where we were joined by Ben Greenberg, who previously served as U.S. Attorney in Miami. As with the market downturn in 2009, our Latin America practice has also been very busy with in-bound transactions, as foreign buyers look for deals in the U.S.

2. How has WLG membership been important to you and your firm during the pandemic?
If there is one thing that we have all learned from the pandemic is the importance of building strong relationships, like the one our firm has maintained with WLG for many years. That relationship has helped us to continue to provide our clients with the assistance they need around the globe and, as we tell our partners who ask us for referrals, without worry about level of service and quality.

3. What destination are you most looking forward to visiting post-pandemic and why?
Before the pandemic, my husband and I were looking forward to a July trip to Bordeaux, which we obviously had to cancel. We are looking forward to taking that trip as soon as we can and stocking up our wine cellar!