Congratulations to our very own Joseph B. Rome who was selected by ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE as the winner of its 2nd Edition of the Future Thought Leaders Essay Competition! His essay, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the magazine, addresses the topic of where the industry is headed in 2023 by focusing on New Tools in New Places: Digital Assets and a New Chinese Frontier.
Click the image below to read his full essay.
January 18, 2023, Miami, Florida – Sequor Law, a boutique, Miami-based international law firm working in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency and financial services litigation, both domestically and cross-border, is delighted to announce that attorneys Daniel M. Coyle and Nyana A. Miller have been elected as the firm’s newest Partners. This most recent promotion confirms the firm’s ongoing dedication to growth and its commitment to the development of attorneys.
“We couldn’t be prouder in welcoming our newest class of Partners. Both Daniel and Nyana have demonstrated exceptional talent and have distinguished themselves with skill and commitment as invaluable advisors to our clients,” said founding shareholder Gregory S. Grossman. “We have no doubt they will continue to do incredible work for our clients. Elevation to Partner at our firm requires consistently delivering excellent results, but also exemplifying the principles and attributes that define a Sequor Law lawyer.”
Daniel Matthias Coyle focuses his practice on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, secured transactions, collections, executions, asset recovery and cross-border insolvency. He represents financial institutions and other creditors in bankruptcy and state court litigation, including commercial loan enforcement cases, foreclosure of commercial real property and replevin, and suits on notes and guaranties. Additionally, he represents lenders in the negotiation and documentation of workout agreements, loan restructuring, forbearance agreements and loan sale agreements.
Nyana Abreu Miller focuses her practice on cross-border insolvency, marital asset recovery and financial fraud. Nyana has represented individuals, corporations and trustees seeking recognition under chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, evidence under 28 U.S.C § 1782, for use in litigation pending abroad and domestication and enforcement of foreign judgments under Florida’s Uniform Out-of-Country Foreign Money-Judgment Recognition Act. She is also fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
“Daniel and Nyana have enhanced the reputation of the firm and reflect our relentless commitment to our clients through their pursuit of excellence, hard work and leadership. We look forward to their continued success, as we continue to build our firm,” said founding Shareholder Edward H. Davis, Jr.
******
Sequor Law is a Miami-based international law firm representing financial institutions, sovereign governments and state-owned enterprises, public and non-public companies, insolvency practitioners, and individual clients in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency, and financial services litigation. More information is available at www.SequorLaw.com.
As we join Bob Lindquist in celebrating his 50 years in forensic financial investigations, let’s take a look back at his illustrious and storied career. It is one that has been filled with great successes, rewarding experiences and lessons learned along the way.
It Started with a Challenge
In January 1972, an audit partner at what is now Deloitte challenged Bob to decide whether he wanted to drive rally cars or be a professional auditor. Fun fact: he had won the Ontario Rally Championship the year before! Fast forward to February 1972, and Bob joined their insolvency group with the task to proof-read their draft report on the collapse of a mob-styled bank in Toronto that had captured the public’s attention. Bob was struck with its intrigue even though at the time he had no idea that financial investigations would become his career and forensic accounting, his profession. Read more here.
In the early 1970’s, all auditors were auditing, and this allowed Bob to learn from both his good and bad experiences, especially the process of surviving cross-examination. Working with the prosecution taught him how to conduct an investigation and an interview, as well as how to write unbiased memos and reports. Most importantly, Bob learned the key element to any investigation: how to use discernment to find the truth.
Lessons Learned and Advice for the Next Generation
Cases that Left an Impact
One of Bob’s most complex cases involved Dormant Bank Accounts of Victims of the Holocaust, Switzerland, a search for the assets for the victims of the Holocaust in 1996-1998. For the forensic accountant, the human element is at least as important as the accounting for numbers. In this case of such historical tragedy, the human element could never (and we hope) ever be as significant. For Bob, a unique time (1½ years based in Basel) forever remembered, particularly brought home when you interview former management now in their eighties to experience their emotional recollection of the Holocaust.
Another case that was perhaps Bob’s most frustrating was Government of Romania vs. former President Nicolai Ceausescu in 1990. He was hired to assist the new government through the Minister of Justice to find the assets of Ceausescu following the summary trial and swift execution of Nicolai Ceausescu and his wife, Elena. Assets were located in Cyprus but despite the promise of the Minister of Justice, the government never commenced legal proceedings as they walked into the shoes of Ceausescu.
A Sample of 50 Years Worth of Career Highlights
Supreme Court of Ontario and Case Precedent
In January 1974, the Park’s case gave Bob the opportunity to sit with Crown Counsel Rod McLeod at the table through a jury trial. The presiding Judge Garth Moore ruled the accounting schedules admissible given what he described as the “veritable blizzard of documents”. As a result of this case ruling and others, in May 1978, the precedent for the admissibility of accounting schedules was recognized by the Supreme Court of Ontario based solely upon Bob’s cases.
International Investigations that Result in Financial Recovery
Bob enjoys the cultural challenge of international financial investigations. He has conducted many high profile investigations on behalf of corporations and governments in the United States, Antigua, Austria, Brazil, BVI, Canada, Chile, Grenada, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jersey, Netherlands, Malawi, Trinidad, Romania, St. Lucia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Sequor Law is proud to have supported Bob throughout his career and we look forward to seeing all that he continues to accomplish and teach others. If you’d like to learn even more about Bob, visit his bio on our website here.
Shareholder Leyza Blanco and Counsel Nyana Miller showed what it means to Be a Leadher while they attended the IWIRC Annual Fall Conference in Orlando, Florida. As a longtime supporter of this network, Sequor Law was an event sponsor, gifting all attendees with branded pouches empowering women to be leaders.
October 20, 2022, Miami, Florida – Sequor Law, a Miami-based international law firm working in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency, and financial services litigation, both domestically and across borders, announced today that attorney Joseph Rome has been added to the firm effective September 2022, joining an already impressive roster of talented, award-winning attorneys. The addition of Joseph Rome is part of the firm’s ongoing growth and confirms Sequor Law’s ongoing commitment to the development of new attorneys.
“We are delighted to have Joseph, a talented, multilingual attorney. He possesses just the sort of unique skills, high level of integrity, and strong commitment to justice that our clients expect,” said founding shareholder Gregory S. Grossman. “Our ongoing growth and careful recruitment directly supports our strategic plan for the firm.”
Joseph earned his Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law. He was the co-chair of Outlaw and the vice-president of the Asia Law Society. In addition, he was a member of the Jessup International Moot Court team and a top oralist of the 2013 International Round competition.
Prior to joining Sequor Law, Joseph was an “A” level prosecutor for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office focusing primarily on attempted murders, gun crimes, and serious sexual assaults from the investigation stage through trial. He was also a member of the Police Accountability and Integrity Task Force, Hate Crimes Unit, and Traffic Homicide Unit.
Joseph previously worked for two AmLaw 200 law firms in New York and Miami. He represented international corporations and high-net-worth individuals in a broad range of high-stakes litigation and arbitration matters. In addition, Joseph did externships with both the Orleans Public Defenders and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He also did a summer fellowship at the United Nations International Law Commission in Geneva, where he drafted speeches and statements for the Japanese representative.
Joseph Rome focuses his practice on asset recovery, corruption and proceeds of crime, international commercial litigation, domestic and international judgment and arbitral award enforcement, and financial fraud. He represents individuals, governments, and other entities in domestic and international judgment collection matters; cross-border insolvency proceedings under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; actions to collect evidence for use in foreign proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782; and other commercial disputes.
Joseph is admitted to practice Law in New York, Florida, S.D.N.Y and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 1st, 5th, 6th, 9th and 11th circuits. He is Fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.
We look forward to working with Joseph to help him continue to develop his practice and consistently deliver comprehensive, top-tier service to our clients,” said founding shareholder Edward H. Davis, Jr.
******
Sequor Law is a Miami-based international law firm representing financial institutions, sovereign governments and state-owned enterprises, public and non-public companies, insolvency practitioners, and individual clients in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency, and financial services litigation. More information is available at www.SequorLaw.com.
You’ve been ranked Band 2 by Chambers & Partners multiple years; what did it take to get there?
An individual acknowledgment of me is really a reflection of being surrounded by a consistently great team, long term. It may seem cliché to say so, but I have been fortunate to, first, have had hard-working professional colleagues in my early days, and later, to have had a hand in building up a team of first-rate attorneys, paraprofessionals, and staffers to do high-level work.
As a subject-matter expert, you routinely deliver presentations on international insolvency matters, creditors’ rights, enforcement of judgments (both domestic and foreign), assorted bankruptcy topics, workouts and secured transactions. How do you prepare for these presentations?
I am admittedly a legal information junkie, so I am constantly consuming articles, advance sheets, webinars, and the like. If you stay on top of new developments it is far easier to prepare for a presentation. As far as the actual delivery of the information, I try to find a way to explain the material in a conversational way and give examples that are likely to occur.
Why do you think it is important for attorneys like yourself to get involved in public speaking related to their subject-matter expertise?
There are two benefits about speaking on topics you know well. Firstly, it is an opportunity to practice the methods of conveying that information to a captive audience. Today, you may present to a room of conference attendees, and tomorrow it might be the judge in your most important case. Secondly, for litigators, this kind of public speaking creates credibility both in the market for clients, as well as interactions with the other participants in the case.
When did you know you wanted to practice law? Was it something you always aspired to do?
I thought about law school and practicing law while in my undergraduate studies. I was working toward my finance degree, took a class in business law and it just made complete sense. I had no lawyers in my family, so the joke was that my struggles with calculus led me to the law.
Who has had the biggest influence on your law career?
In both my legal career and my life, I have been most influenced by my wife. She is a brilliant health care lawyer and she is the best sounding board for me.
What advice would you give to young lawyers who are deciding what type of law they want to practice?
My first piece of advice is to be brutally honest with yourself. I mean your real self, not the person you want to be or the person your friends or family think you are or want you to be. For instance, if you detest confrontation, it will be a hard lift to be a successful trial lawyer. A process of elimination can also come in handy, such as litigation versus transactional. Even within litigation, can you project yourself working in an area dominated by statutes and regulations (think tax, health care, bankruptcy, environmental), or would you be better suited for a more fact-intensive litigation area (think negligence, injury, and other torts)?
See photos from Juan Mendoza and AIJA Litigation Commission President Arnoldo “Arnie” Lacayo’s recent trip to attend the 60th Annual AIJA Congress in Singapore where they reconnected with old and new contacts.
August 29, 2022, Miami, Florida- Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Mr. Steven Valdes has joined the firm as an Associate Attorney effective July 2022. Steven joins an already impressive roster of talented, hard-working award-winning attorneys. The addition of Steven confirms the firm’s ongoing dedication to growth and its commitment to the development of new attorneys.
“Steven brings years of success as a bi-lingual attorney who has represented victims in a variety of specialized cases. We look forward to seeing how he will strengthen our firm and join the high caliber of skill and integrity we have at Sequor Law,” said founding shareholder Gregory S. Grossman.
Steven earned his Juris Doctorate from the Florida International University College of Law, graduating cum laude. He was the recipient of the C.A.L.I Excellence for the Future Award in Constitutional Law. During Law school, Steven was an active member of the FIU Moot Court Board of Advocates as well as a teaching assistant for the Legal Skills and Values II course. While excelling in his courses, Steven also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Jose M. Rodriguez for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. Steven graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology along with a minor in philosophy.
Prior to joining Sequor Law, Steven worked at one of the top five asbestos and mesothelioma law firms in the nation and represented victims in cases involving products liability, environmental toxic torts, asbestos-related diseases, and wrongful death. Additionally, Steven served as second chair trial counsel in the first in-person mesothelioma trial in Florida since the pandemic began resulting in a $14,000,000 jury verdict.
Steven is fluent in English and Spanish and is admitted to practice law in the State of Florida.
Steven Valdes focuses his practice on asset recovery and financial fraud. He represents individuals, governments, and other entities in domestic and international judgment collection matters; cross-border insolvency proceedings under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; actions to collect evidence for use in foreign proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782; and other commercial disputes.
“With the addition of Steven, we are continuing our commitment to the development of new attorneys, and I look forward to working with him to progress his practice and deliver comprehensive, top-tier service to our clients,” said founding Shareholder Edward H. Davis, Jr.
******
Sequor Law is a Miami-based international law firm representing financial institutions, sovereign governments and state-owned enterprises, public and non-public companies, insolvency practitioners and individual clients in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency, and financial services litigation. More information is available at www.SequorLaw.com.
