October 29, 2024 – Miami, FL — Becker & Poliakoff, in partnership with the University of Miami School of Law, recently welcomed Julissa Reynoso, Partner at Winston & Strawn and Former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, as the keynote speaker of the Alan S. Becker and Gary A. Poliakoff Preeminent Leaders in Law Speaker Series.
The Alan S. Becker and Gary A. Poliakoff Preeminent Leaders in Law Speaker Series, established to honor Becker & Poliakoff’s founding partners, Alan S. Becker (J.D. ’69) and Gary A. Poliakoff (J.D. ’69), serves as a platform for legal professionals to share their insights and experiences with the broader community. Held twice a year, the Series aims to bridge the gap between theoretical legal education and practical application, providing valuable perspectives on the evolving legal landscape.
As a partner at Winston & Strawn, Julissa Reynoso’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, regulatory enforcement, international arbitration, and cross-border disputes. Reynoso made history as the first woman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Her distinguished career includes serving as Assistant to President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden, and Co-Chair of the White House Gender Policy Council. She previously held the role of U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay under the Obama Administration and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Reynoso’s extensive legal experience includes her time at Chadbourne & Parke LLP and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she specialized in antitrust law and international commercial and investment arbitration.
Becker shareholder Donna DiMaggio Berger, led a Q&A session with Reynoso after the lecture. She spoke about how her training as a lawyer, especially as a litigator, was useful in her early days as a diplomat and managing foreign policy issues. “I had to be very, very attentive to the facts. I had to ensure that all my assumptions were supported with reality on the ground… I also had to be very careful with my words, both written and oral. I had to learn quickly and be agile with new complex problems,” she told students. Reynoso and DiMaggio Berger also touched on human rights, balancing relationships at an international level, and how diplomacy is involving with artificial intelligence, among many other topics.
Previous speakers in the Series have included Florida Supreme Court Justice John D. Couriel, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.
To learn more about the Alan S. Becker and Gary A. Poliakoff Preeminent Leaders in Law Speaker Series, please click here.
About Becker
Becker, with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists and other professionals at offices throughout the East Coast. More information is available at www.beckerlawyers.com.