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Sequor Law's Nyana Miller is selected for the International Insolvency Institute's NextGen Leadership Program Class X, recognized as a future expert in international insolvency. Nyana Miller announced as a member of Class X for the NextGen Leadership Program Open Awards & Recognition Open November 3, 2021 1 minute read Sequor Law November 4, 2021 | Stanardsville, Virginia Nyana Miller was nominated by Members of the International Insolvency Institute (III), approved by the III Executive Committee and recognized by the III Bo ard of Directors. The NextGen Class X was honored at the III’s 21st Annual Conference in New York, NY on October 18-20, 2021. These professionals represent the best of the future experts in International Insolvency. The NextGen Leadership program was established in 2012 to create an interesting, informative and valuable environment for younger professionals and academics which will provide them with an opportunity to liaise with the best people in the world in the insolvency area, the Members of the International Insolvency Institute. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Who’s Who Legal recognizes Sequor Law founding shareholder Edward H. Davis, Jr. as a Thought Leader. He discusses boutique focus, asset recovery, and major Ponzi cases. Edward H. Davis, Jr., selected as a Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader Open Awards & Recognition Open November 30, 2017 4 minutes read Sequor Law Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders 2018 brings together the insight, expertise and wisdom of some of the world’s foremost lawyers in a single book. This year’s edition features Q&As with 67 eminent practitioners across 22 practice areas. These lawyers obtained the highest number of nominations from peers, corporate counsel and other market sources in our most recent research cycle. Edward H. Davis, Jr. Questions and Answers: Who’s Who Legal Thought Leaders: Asset Recovery Edward H Davis, Jr, a founding shareholder of the international law firm Astigarraga Davis, heads the firm’s asset recovery and financial fraud group which represents victims of serious fraud and grand corruption including governments, corporations, insolvency practitioners and individuals by investigating and prosecuting civil fraud and asset recovery actions. Who’s Who Legal: Asset Recovery has recognised Davis as the global Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year from 2013 to 2016, and his firm as Asset Recovery Firm of the Year for 2015 and 2016. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SPECIALISE IN ASSET RECOVERY AND FRAUD WORK? I enjoy representing victims and helping them level the playing field with those that prey on them. As a result, I decided to focus my practice on the representation of individual, corporate and governmental victims of fraud throughout the world. I also enjoy learning about other legal cultures, and asset recovery and fraud work is a specialised form of international litigation. Lastly, I enjoy the “hunt” for those that have committed fraud and their ill-gotten gains. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO FOUND YOUR OWN FIRM? My partners and I were seeking a better way to serve our clients in response to new factors in the industry affecting both the legal profession and our clients. Having a specialised boutique allows us to employ our “power of focus” concept and truly focus deeply on our practice groups and developments in the law to a degree that might not be attainable in a more generalised platform. Also, our boutique setting is nimbler and more cost-effective than that of many other firms, and allows us to take cases on alternative fee structures. WHAT MAKES FOR A SUCCESSFUL ASSET RECOVERY SPECIALIST? The actions taken in the first days following the discovery of a fraud often will determine whether the misappropriated funds or other property are ultimately recovered. Our team responds quickly to such fraud by using emergency injunctions, expedited depositions, subpoenas of bank records, our vast connections to experienced professionals and investigators around the world to seek to either locate the assets before they are dissipated or to investigate and bring claims against third parties who assisted the fraudsters. WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE MATTER THAT YOU’VE WORKED ON TO DATE? Stanford International Bank, Ltd was an Antiguan bank that sold phony certificates of deposit to 21,000 depositors, which resulted in the second-largest Ponzi scheme in history by causing losses to over 27,000 depositor-victims from around the world. Estimated losses by depositor-victims exceeded $5 billion. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE FACING PRACTITIONERS AT THE MOMENT AND HOW IS YOUR FIRM LOOKING TO MEET THESE OBSTACLES? The pressure from clients to keep legal fees and costs as low as possible continues to be one of the challenges affecting practitioners. This can be a problem because of the crisis-like atmosphere in which successful asset recovery practitioners function. We combat these challenges by working closely with investigators, computer forensic experts, foreign lawyers, forensic accountants, law enforcement and other experts. These professionals are key resources in a rapid response to a discovered fraud which can lead to escalated costs (such as cost bonds) which would not be the norm in another practice area. Our firm has been meeting this particular challenge by offering alternative fee arrangements when historically the standard was solely hourly fee billing, and by working with litigation funders that assist victims of fraud who usually don’t have the resources to fight the fraudster after the fraud. DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S INCREASING READINESS TO TACKLE CORRUPTION WILL LEAD TO GROWING INTEREST IN ASSET RECOVERY WORK IN THE WIDER LEGAL MARKET? Yes, as technology continues to get more sophisticated, the speed of the movement of money throughout the world will likewise increase. This, combined with a growing awareness that national borders are no more an impediment to recovery than they are to the fraudster who moves across those same borders, will likely result in the interest in asset recovery work growing into a larger distinct legal market. We already see firms forming asset recovery departments and groups which is a signal that that the market is recognising this distinct practice area as an exciting new offering to their clients. HOW IMPORTANT ARE ORGANISATIONS SUCH THE ICC COMMERCIAL CRIMES SERVICES’ FRAUDNET NETWORK IN INTERNATIONAL ASSET RECOVERY WORK? Organizations like the ICC’s FraudNet are very important and necessary in the international asset recovery work. Fraudsters work using their own networks of cronies and those that provide them assistance – legal and otherwise. So it is essential that counter-networks operate at a high level of coordination to defeat them. They also are powerful change agents that raise awareness and educate fraud victims worldwide about the methods that can be deployed to assist them in their fight to recover their assets and damages. AS HEAD OF THE FIRM’S ASSET RECOVERY AND FINANCIAL FRAUD PRACTICE, IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU ATTEMPTING TO DISTINGUISH YOUR GROUP FROM OTHER COMPETITORS IN THE MARKET? I work on creating innovative solutions. I’ve helped develop and expand various creative discovery and asset seizure methodologies to obtain recoveries for our clients. Additionally, I’ve both led and worked collaboratively on various civil asset recovery teams – another concept I helped pioneer – on cross-border asset recovery engagements. Having a strong commercial litigation and insolvency background, my team and I have championed and coordinated asset recovery efforts between civil and criminal systems as a means to penetrate and defeat complex opaque asset hiding structures used by fraudsters. I was recently mentioned by Latin Lawyer (2016) for my efforts in the area of asset recovery. Lastly, as a result of our efforts, I was also recognised as the global Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year by Who’s Who Legal: Asset Recovery, in 2013 (and again in 2014, 2015 and 2016); my firm was recognised as the Asset Recovery Firm of the Year in 2015 and 2016 by the same publication. View PDF Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Sequor Law announces the addition of three accomplished attorneys to its team in April 2023, including Maria Jose Cortesi and Leidy M. Morejon, strengthening its asset recovery and fraud practice. Sequor Law Strengthens Legal Team with the Addition of Three Accomplished Attorneys Open Firm News Open May 31, 2023 4 minutes read Sequor Law Miami, FL – May 18, 2023- Sequor Law, a prestigious boutique law firm specializing in international litigation, asset recovery, financial fraud, and insolvency, proudly announces the recent hiring of three highly skilled attorneys. The addition of these talented professionals further solidifies Sequor Law’s position as a leading legal firm dedicated to providing exceptional services to its clients. Joining the firm, effective April, 2023, are three outstanding attorneys who bring a wealth of expertise and experience to Sequor Law: Miami, FL – May 18, 2023- Sequor Law, a prestigious boutique law firm specializing in international litigation, asset recovery, financial fraud, and insolvency, proudly announces the recent hiring of three highly skilled attorneys. The addition of these talented professionals further solidifies Sequor Law’s position as a leading legal firm dedicated to providing exceptional services to its clients. Joining the firm, effective April, 2023, are three outstanding attorneys who bring a wealth of expertise and experience to Sequor Law: Daniel J. Halperin: With a focus on corporate bankruptcy, financial restructuring, and a broad range of insolvency matters, Daniel’s extensive knowledge spans both national and international jurisdictions. Prior to joining Sequor Law, he provided legal representation to diverse stakeholders, including debtors, debtors-in-possession (DIP), DIP lenders, committees, secured and unsecured creditors, foreign representatives, trustees, and asset purchasers. Daniel holds a law degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where he received numerous accolades and also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Herbert School of Business at the University of Miami. He is an alumnus of the University of Central Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Maria J. Cortesi: Maria’s practice focuses on cross-border insolvency, asset recovery, and federal and state court fraud-based litigation. Her previous experience includes working at a boutique bankruptcy firm, representing trustees, debtors, creditors, and negotiating settlements in various matters. Maria earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was recognized for her academic achievements and actively participated in the International Moot Court. She also served as a Student Ambassador, engaging with prospective students, and sharing her law school experiences. Maria holds an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice, with a Pre-Law certificate, from Florida International University. Leidy M. Morejon: Leidy focuses on international litigation and investigations involving financial fraud, asset recovery, and insolvency. She also handles complex commercial litigation in U.S. courts, representing individuals, multinational corporations, sovereign governments, fiduciaries, and other entities in domestic and international judgment collection actions, bankruptcy proceedings, and pre-judgment civil actions. Prior to joining Sequor Law, Leidy practiced with a firm in Miami, handling complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts involving breach of contract, business fraud, defaulted loans, fraudulent transfers, bankruptcy claims, and corporate disputes. She also has prior experience at an Am Law 200 insurance defense firm, where she litigated cases related to consumer rights, directors and officers’ liability, personal injury arising from catastrophic loss accidents, and wrongful death. Leidy began her career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Atlanta, Georgia. Leidy attended the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated cum laude and was a member of the International Moot Court team, the Tenants’ Rights Clinic, and the Litigation Skills Program. During her time in law school, she interned at multinational corporations and served as a judicial intern to Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court of Florida. Leidy completed her undergraduate studies at Florida International University, graduating cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in International Relations. Founding Shareholder Edward Davis remarked, “At Sequor Law, we believe that success lies in our ability to adapt and excel. The addition of these accomplished attorneys to our team strengthens our resolve to provide innovative legal solutions and unrivaled client service. We are excited for the opportunities ahead and the impact we will make together.” The addition of these three exceptional attorneys to Sequor Law further strengthens the firm’s capabilities and expertise in the areas of asset recovery, financial fraud, insolvency, and complex commercial litigation. Their diverse backgrounds and specialized knowledge enhance the firm’s ability to provide comprehensive legal services to its clients. Founding Shareholder Gregory S. Grossman expressed his enthusiasm for the recent hires, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Daniel, Maria, and Leidy to our team. Their exceptional skills and dedication to providing top-tier legal services perfectly align with our firm’s core values. The addition of these talented attorneys reinforces our commitment to delivering exceptional results and reinforces our position as a leading boutique law firm.” Shareholder Leyza B. Florin also added, “Sequor Law’s continuous growth and addition of highly accomplished attorneys reflect our unwavering dedication to meeting the evolving needs of our clients in the international legal landscape. We are confident that the expertise and experience brought by Daniel, Maria, and Leidy will further enhance our ability to provide excellent legal services.” Sequor Law continues to expand its roster of highly accomplished attorneys, ensuring the firm’s ability to meet the evolving needs of its clients in the international legal landscape. About Sequor Law: Sequor Law is a Miami-based boutique law firm specializing in international litigation, asset recovery, financial fraud, and insolvency. With an impressive team of accomplished attorneys, Sequor Law provides comprehensive legal services domestically and across borders. The firm’s commitment to excellence and strategic growth solidifies its position as a leader in the legal industry. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Sequor Law highlights the U.S. government's seizure and repatriation of 95 artworks tied to Banco Santos founder Edemar Cid Ferreira's money laundering scheme. US Government Repatriates 95 Artworks Linked to Disgraced Brazilian Financier Open In the News Open October 11, 2017 3 minutes read Sequor Law The blue-chip collection was part of a massive money laundering scheme. By Henri Neuendorf The United States has seized and returned 95 artworks valued in the tens of millions of dollars that once belonged to the disgraced Brazilian banker Edemar Cid Ferreira. The founder and former president of Banco Santos, Ferreira was convicted of money laundering and crimes against the national financial system in 2006 and is currently appealing against a 21-year prison sentence. During his tenure as president of Banco Santos, Ferreira bought dozens of works by blue-chip names including Jean-Michel Basquiat , Louise Bourgeois , Francis Picabia , Henry Moore , and Anish Kapoor . In 2006, a Brazilian court found that he bought the works with illegally obtained funds from Banco Santos and ruled that they should be seized and used to repay the bank’s creditors. But when Brazilian officials searched Ferreira’s home, storage facility, and offices in 2006, they discovered that much of the collection was missing. They have been on the hunt for them ever since. The collection was illegally smuggled out of Brazil between November 2004 and March 2005, according to authorities. The works were shipped through the US with false documentation, inaccurate valuations, and fabricated titles to locations in Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. (For example, when the work by Basquiat, which has been appraised at $8 million, was sent to a New York storage facility from the Netherlands, the shipping invoice stated it was worth only $100.) Over the next 11 years, the US worked with Interpol and governments across Europe to locate the star-studded collection. Dutch authorities seized three crates containing 85 of the missing artworks from a storage facility and turned them over to US authorities; a UK-based auction house voluntarily handed over seven artworks to US law enforcement; the underwriters of an insurance policy to a company controlled by Ferreira handed over a painting by Rufino Tamayo ; and an unnamed New York gallery reached a settlement to jointly sell a painting by Helen Frankenthaler with the Brazilian judicial administrator in a deal approved in March 2017. Most recently, a Henry Moore statue was seized by French authorities from a storage facility and handed over to US authorities this summer. Why did it take so long to find and return the works? According to Arnoldo B. Lacayo of Sequor Law, one of the attorneys representing the Brazilian Judicial Administrator, the repatriation process was drawn out because the art was subject to complex criminal and bankruptcy cases in Brazil and the US. “The recovery process… has taken time but represents an important success on behalf of the many creditors of the Estate of Banco Santos who were hurt as a result of the illicit activity which resulted in the bank’s demise,” he says. “In short, while some of the art left Brazil as long ago as 2004, the criminal, bankruptcy and forfeiture cases only came later.” The latest repatriation comes after the US attorney returned five works —paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein , Joaquin Torres Garcia, Serge Poliakoff , and a Roman sculpture—valued at a combined $20–30 million to Brazil in June 2015. “These works were used to mask an audacious criminal scheme by Edemar Cid Ferreira,” acting Manhattan US attorney Joon H. Kim says in a statement . Thanks to efforts of the US attorney’s office and Homeland Security Investigations, “these treasured pieces will be returned to their rightful owner, the bankruptcy estate of Ferreira’s insolvent Banco Santos.” Click to view full article. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Sequor Law's Leyza B. Florin is named among Latinvex's top 100 female lawyers for her leadership in litigation and arbitration in the Latin American legal market. Shareholder Leyza Florin Blanco has been selected by LatinVex among Latin America’s Top 100 Female Lawyers Open Awards & Recognition Open November 9, 2021 1 minute read Sequor Law November 9, 2021 The editorial and research staff of Latinvex has selected the 100 leading female attorneys from international law firms that are involved in the legal business in Latin America. Congratulations to Shareholder Leyza B. Florin for being selected among the top 100 Female Lawyers ranking in Litigation and Arbitration. Click here to read the article. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Sequor Law's Arnoldo Lacayo, Daniel Coyle, and Alejandro Anselmi explore how traditional asset recovery instruments can be adapted to trace and recover cryptocurrency assets globally. Global: An Introduction to Asset Tracing & Recovery (Law Firms) Open Legal Insights Open August 10, 2021 11 minutes read Sequor Law By Arnoldo B. Lacayo , Daniel M. Coyle , Alejandro Anselmi Facing the Cryptocurrency Challenge With Existing Asset Recovery Instruments: Give Us the Tools and We Will Finish the Job The coronavirus pandemic has caused extreme damage between 2020 and 2021. The human toll itself is staggering: the United States recently surpassed six hundred thousand COVID-19 deaths. In other parts of the world, 1.2 million lives lost across Europe, over 500,000 in South-East Asia, and more than 100,000 in Africa have contributed to an approximate worldwide total of over 4 million deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Moreover, the genesis of new variants on different continents threatens the amazing progress made on the development of vaccines and the mass distribution of these scientific wonders throughout the world’s populations. Even though healthcare workers, medical practitioners, and the scientific community must be praised for facing the viral threat in several hundred million infections and engineering at least six different vaccines to combat a novel virus, the community of legal practitioners has addressed the secondary effects of the world’s shut-down: battered economies and economic sectors and increased opportunities for fraudulent practices. This article will endeavour to provide a bird’s eye view of two of the most significant challenges that have emerged from the changed landscape of the post-COVID world economy: the growing ubiquity of cryptocurrencies and corresponding opportunities for their misuse. However, considering that the impacts of the catastrophes the world experienced in 2020 and 2021 are still playing out today, the consequences of economic contraction and recovery and the role of cryptocurrencies for U.S.-based legal practitioners are anything but clear and will depend largely on the motivations of a wide array of actors, ranging from federal and state governments, the ordinary consumer, and potential fraudsters seeking opportunities from the uncertainties of a changed world. Insolvencies and Stock Market Disappointments in Early 2020 Benefitted Cryptocurrencies The economic crisis spurred by the shutdowns in 2020 abruptly ended the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, which had been ongoing since the passing of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As a result, public company bankruptcy filings reached their highest level in the past decade, with corporations in the service and oil and gas industries leading the drive in these numbers. Moreover, given the dive in stock prices during March 2020, investors of all kinds flocked to the cryptocurrency market, while banks, money managers, and other financial entities more readily embraced digital assets like cryptocurrencies. Despite the astounding rebound in the stock market by December 2020, to say nothing about the elemental disconnect between success stories on Wall Street and the pain felt by most on Main Street, digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ether saw their value exponentially increased, 300% and 470% respectively. These sharp increases in value, albeit unstable, further incentivized the use of these virtual currencies for everything from purchasing a sandwich at Subway and for more nefarious purposes, like facilitating ransomware payments, scamming and defrauding amateur investors, money laundering, financing terrorism, or drug trafficking on the dark web. International asset recovery and insolvency practitioners must study these trends and develop effective strategies to better serve their clients and help combat fraudulent practices worldwide. However, considering that traditional cash assets were already highly mobile, the decentralized nature of many cryptocurrencies facilitating the unregulated movement of these at even larger scales will make the illegitimately achieved gains from criminal enterprises or fraudulent transfers exponentially more difficult to find and recover. Typically, the victims of fraudulent transfers or other criminal enterprises that succeed in recovering their lost assets depend on both the ability of asset recovery practitioners to analyse, identify, and attach stolen assets within existing legal frameworks in disparate jurisdictions where scammers and fraudsters decide to hold or hide their ill-gotten gains. As has become well known, the biggest challenge for insolvency and asset recovery lawyers in cases involving digital assets like cryptocurrencies involves the dual challenge of discovering where these assets may be hidden, plus the second challenge of deploying either untested or poorly adapted legal mechanisms available throughout the world to freeze these assets. The Cryptocurrency Angle: Still Relatively New, But Already Wreaking Havoc Currently, many regulations acting on the exchange and use of cryptocurrencies are found at the state level. Some states, like Wyoming, have moved to facilitate the use and transaction of digital assets. For instance, the Wyoming legislature created a new type of “bank” that will serve businesses by allowing investors to deposit their digital assets. Other states have exempted cryptocurrencies from state securities laws and accepted the payment of taxes in cryptocurrency. Other jurisdictions remain apprehensive about the use of digital currencies and have either altogether prohibited the use of cryptocurrencies when paying for government services or simply warned their citizens about the risks of investing in cryptocurrency. The federal government in the United States has yet to comprehensively address the regulation of cryptocurrency, despite apparent recognition that embracing cryptocurrencies will prove important for the nation’s future infrastructure and its role in the vanguard of the market’s development worldwide. On one hand, apprehension or unwillingness to act on cryptocurrencies is best illustrated by the Securities Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) recent announcement that it will not address virtual currency regulation in the short term despite their meteoric rise in value and transactions. On the other hand, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (“AML Act”) made several changes to the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), through which it modified the BSA’s definitions to encompass regulation of cryptocurrency and other digital assets. The AML Act achieved these modifications by referring to cryptocurrency and digital assets as “value that substitute for currency or funds,” perhaps to cast as wide a net as possible in recognition of the highly fungible nature of the market for digital assets and cryptocurrency. Similarly, administrative action through federal agencies, like the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), has resulted in proposed rulemaking in 2020 and 2021. For instance, FinCEN’s proposed regulation, pursuant to the aims of the BSA, seeks to establish requirements for banks and money services businesses transacting virtual currencies and other digital assets with legal tender status. New requirements under the proposed regulation would demand banks and money service businesses to submit reports, maintain records, and verify the identities of customers involved in transactions of virtual currencies and digital assets. However, FinCEN’s proposed regulation has not yet cleared the requisite administrative procedures to come into force. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan effort to legislate digital assets. If approved by the Senate and signed by the President, the Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act of 2021 would establish a working group, composed of members of the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), tasked with facilitating collaboration between the government and the private sector and clarifying when the SEC has jurisdiction over digital assets as securities or when the CFTC would have authority when digital assets are categorized as commodities. Nonetheless, some policymakers worry that suddenly promoting too much regulation will eliminate incentives for investors and consumers to develop the market. In the meantime, what was once a trickle of queries and consultations for asset recovery specialists relating to losses associated with digital assets (or where ill-gotten gains may have been converted into digital assets) has grown to a steady stream and portends to grow even further. To be sure, for some victims the losses are material and are causing real financial pain and damage. What Can Courts and Practitioners Do? Mechanisms to recover digital currencies are limited because of the very nature of cryptocurrencies. Digital currencies were created with the singular purpose of avoiding the influence of any central or official authority. For instance, cryptocurrencies are designed as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Cryptocurrency traders on decentralized exchanges benefit from the lack of an official entity that regulates all digital currency transactions because there is no need to confirm the credentials of other traders with a payment processor when conducting a transaction. On decentralized platforms, only a particular owner may access and dispose of their digital asset because no central authority exists that can exercise control over a particular cryptocurrency wallet to preserve or help recover ill-gotten proceeds. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency wallets hosted on centralized exchanges may be subject to government regulatory oversight, requiring wallet owners to provide identifying information. Public addresses, the equivalent of bank accounts in the digital currency world, can only be accessed and controlled by private keys linked to that address. As long as the owner of the cryptocurrency maintains their private key secret, no one and no governmental authority is able to access their funds, even in official proceedings. Consequently, the only way to access funds that have been converted into crypto assets is to gain access to the owner’s digital asset wallet with a private key. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) reports that the allure of increased anonymity in cryptocurrency transactions (as opposed to traditional cash deals) has led to a rise in scams since October 2020. According to the FTC, approximately 7,000 people have reported losses totalling more than $80 million, nearly twelve times the number of reported cases in 2019. Another increasingly popular tool in the repertoire of fraudsters and online criminals that have adopted cryptocurrency is the utilization of ransomware attacks against companies and institutions with weak IT systems. Cybersecurity has become more difficult to maintain during the coronavirus pandemic because many workers are working from home, using personal internet connections to access delicate institutional mainframes. Coupled with the benefits of decentralized digital currencies, cybercriminals are more easily able to attack weak security systems and evade law enforcement and other financial regulations when they demand payment in cryptocurrency, providing a blueprint for white-collar criminals seeking to hide assets including during and after judicial proceedings. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack during May 2021 was a wakeup call for both cybercriminals and asset recovery practitioners. After Colonial paid $4.4 million in Bitcoin, the Department of Justice was able to trace the ransom money through blockchain analysis. The FBI was able to recover approximately $2.3 million of the original payment, demonstrating to the legal community that it is possible to recover assets criminally taken, even if in cryptocurrency form. Nonetheless, while clearly a victory for law enforcement, it still presents a challenge for asset recovery specialists practising primarily through civil process. It is still unclear precisely how the FBI was able to retrieve the funds from the cryptocurrency wallet containing them because the government has not revealed how it was able to obtain the private key. In private civil proceedings, insolvency and asset recovery lawyers dealing with fraudulent transfers likely will not have the international cooperation, technical resources or subpoena power available to the FBI to quickly uncover information or to freeze the cryptocurrency, much less to access cryptocurrency wallets to obtain an injunction or once a court order or judgment against fraudulent transferors has been issued. At the pre-trial stage, asset recovery efforts face two significant challenges. First, cryptocurrency wallets on decentralized exchanges are identified only by the public address and there is no way to discover the identity of the owner of the wallet unless the exchange is required to—and does—maintain “Know Your Customer” information. Therefore, those seeking to recover stolen assets converted into digital currency and “hidden” must first conduct blockchain analysis, like the DOJ’s Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force efforts during the Colonial Pipeline investigation. A blockchain analysis involves reviewing the public ledger, where all cryptocurrency exchanges are recorded, to trace the transactions of the ransom payment and subsequent transactions the fraudsters use to attempt to secrete the digital assets that are the proceeds of the fraud or theft. The analysis identifies suspicious transactions that are linked with the fraudster’s attempts to disguise the flow of the cryptocurrencies. This step might prove costly for some practitioners who might not have in-house access to the necessary quality of cyber and forensics teams available to the government, forcing some practitioners dealing with a cryptocurrency hunt to outsource blockchain investigations to third-party commercial entities. Further complicating issues for international asset recovery practitioners there is a stark absence of internationally recognized rules governing the collection and handling of digital evidence. This greatly benefits cyber-criminals and fraudsters because the speed with which private asset recovery specialists and law enforcement are able to trace and gather required evidence to litigate or prosecute (as opposed to simply recovering ransom pay, like in the Colonial Pipeline situation) is likely to be slower than criminals and debtors can move and hide their assets. This is especially true given that cryptocurrency is truly global in nature, and cross-border asset recovery is dependent upon principles of comity where domestication/recognition of non-final orders may be non-existent and domestication/recognition of final orders is time-consuming and expensive. However, as with other asset recovery efforts, not all hope is lost when confronted with a sophisticated fraudster or criminal. The key thing is to identify the institutions and entities that can be compelled to produce evidence, which will allow for the trace or forensic review. This is where knowledgeable professionals and courts can assist victims seeking to uncover and recover digital assets. Second, ensuring that a court preserves its jurisdiction over a defendant (i.e., preventing flight or further transfer and secreting of assets) and avoiding judgment-proofing tactics through unmonitored transactions presents a wholly different set of challenges for practitioners. Luckily, insolvency and asset recovery specialists can seek preliminary injunctive relief to prevent debtors from judgment-proofing tactics by inhibiting the movement of assets or can seek equitable remedies such as the naming of a trustee, receiver, or other disinterested third-party office holder to take control of a vehicle used to hold an asset or perpetuate a fraud. Additionally, courts can issue different kinds of orders, like various injunctions, worldwide freezing orders, and Spartacus orders, which can help prevent wrongdoers from further transacting ill-gotten gains. Furthermore, the availability of these judicial tools largely depends on applicable law, which is an issue further complicated by the nature of digital assets, which makes it so that victims of cyber-criminals have a more limited ability to prevent an absconding defendant from secreting the digital assets beyond the jurisdiction with the most effective legal tools. Perhaps this area most strongly requires an international effort to recognize cross-border asset recovery operations involving cryptocurrencies. A legislative approach like the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency (UNCITRAL), which has promoted a coordinated legal regime that facilitates cooperation between nations in international insolvency cases, may be what is required to afford victims and asset recovery practitioners an effective way to tackle the novel practicalities of dealing with digital currency recoveries. At the post-judgment stage, some of the instruments to recover stolen cryptocurrency assets (or those converted into digital currencies) are writs of execution, replevin, and levy as well as in personam orders compelling individuals to act with certain assets under pain of contempt However, while these tools may be powerful to recover properties and enforce money judgments, these mechanisms are difficult to use where judgment creditors are not in possession of private keys necessary to access cryptocurrency wallets or where the debtor has absconded the court’s jurisdiction with digital assets and the private keys to access them. Even where judgment debtors are threatened with contempt of court for failure to comply with judicial orders, judgment debtors fleeing U.S. jurisdictions with large amounts of digital assets may not be sufficiently motivated to comply given the ease with which they can easily move, transfer, and otherwise hide their digital wealth abroad. Amendment of statutory provisions and tools for post-judgment recovery to better address crypto-assets must be considered in the immediate future. The Uncertainties of the Mission Require Even More Preparation While it appears that cryptocurrencies are here to stay, providing bona fide investment opportunities to professional and amateur traders alike, as well as a regulation and law enforcement evasion tool for cybercriminals, their stability and value in the long run remains uncertain. In late May 2021, a widespread cryptocurrency crash eliminated approximately $1 trillion in market value, with Bitcoin losing close to 30% of its value. The causes of the crash, statements from Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk and crackdowns in China over use of digital currencies, strongly suggest that the market remains exceedingly sensitive to pop-culture and regulatory influences. While cryptocurrencies have increasingly become more mainstream, they are still relegated to the edges of financial systems because they are still not widely accepted as legal tender and are limited to private transactions between individuals online. However, more and more nation-states and municipalities are voicing openness to potentially accepting these digital currencies for official business. Whether cryptocurrencies will become the main form of payment for all transactions in the future is an altogether different question that remains to be comprehensively answered and may also depend on the environmental impact of the mining of cryptocurrency, which is notoriously energy-intensive. However, that does not mean that insolvency and asset recovery practitioners can afford to wait for the question to be settled. Given the current trends seen regarding the prevalence of cybercrime and its preferred method of payment, lawyers at the vanguard of fraud and cross-border asset recovery must contribute to the development of judicial tools and legislative frameworks that promote international cooperation and facilitate digital asset recovery. Developing these tools will allow the law and the courts to modernize with the times, placing cyber-crime victims, creditors, and practitioners on equal footing with online criminals, debtors, and the Internet. To see the original article, click here . Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Sequor Law's October 2020 quarterly newsletter featuring the latest news and updates from the firm's associate attorneys. October 2020 – Latest News from Our Associates Open Firm News Open October 1, 2020 1 minute read Sequor Law Click below to view the latest news from Sequor Law’s associates, and make sure you join our email list to receive future newsletters. News: Latest from our Associates Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

Arnoldo B. Lacayo discusses international financial fraud, cross-border asset recovery, and crypto-related fraud in his WWL Thought Leader Global Elite Q&A. WWL Thought Leader Global Elite - Arnoldo B. Lacayo Q&A Open Awards & Recognition Open August 25, 2022 2 minutes read Sequor Law Navigating the evolving landscape of international financial fraud and asset recovery demands not only legal expertise, but a deep understanding of how fraudsters think and where they hide assets. In his ThoughtLeaders interview, Sequor Law Shareholder Arnoldo B. Lacayo offers a candid, experience-driven look at the challenges and strategic considerations that shape modern cross-border asset recovery work. Lacayo, whose practice focuses on financial fraud , asset recovery and cross-border insolvency , frames asset recovery as a discipline defined by its complexity and the ingenuity of adversaries. He explains that one of the greatest hurdles in this space is the boundless creativity of fraudsters and the sophisticated networks — including legal allies and financial professionals — they can deploy to shield assets and frustrate efforts by victims and creditors. A significant portion of the discussion centers on the global dimension of these disputes, particularly the flow of capital from regions like South America into the United States. Lacayo notes that political and economic pressures abroad often push disputed assets into U.S. jurisdictions , creating frequent and complex cross-border issues for litigants and counsel alike. The article also addresses how Sequor Law stays ahead of emerging trends, including crypto-related fraud . Lacayo emphasizes that the firm’s investigative and discovery strategies are constantly evolving as new technologies mature, even as crypto fraud continues to pose unique challenges. Lacayo reflects on some of the most intricate matters he has handled, from the Stanford International Bank Ponzi case to the largest bank failure in Brazilian history — each illustrating the multifaceted nature of asset concealment and recovery . His insights reinforce the importance of flexibility, innovation, and thorough preparation in formulating legal strategies across jurisdictions . Looking ahead, Lacayo stresses that staying “one step ahead” of those who conceal assets will require both legal innovation and judicial receptivity to new methods of discovery and relief. He also offers practical advice to aspiring asset recovery lawyers, underscoring the value of specialization, professional networking, and continual professional development in this demanding area of practice. For a deeper dive into Lacayo’s perspectives and professional experiences, we invite you to read the full interview in the PDF below. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

A Florida bankruptcy judge preliminarily approved an $8 million settlement resolving Banco Santos’ racketeering and fraud claims against Espirito Santo Bank. Fla. Judge OKs Espírito Santo’s $8M Deal With Bankrupt Bank Open In the News Open December 23, 2014 2 minutes read Sequor Law By Carolina Bolado A Florida bankruptcy judge on Tuesday indicated that she would sign off on an $8 million settlement ending bankrupt Brazilian bank Banco Santos SA’s racketeering and tort suit against Portugal-based Espirito Santo Bank. In a hearing in Miami, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurel Isicoff said she would sign off on an order preliminarily approving a deal that resolves a suit filed by Banco Santos’ court-appointed administrator, Vanio Cesar Pickler Aguiar, claiming the bank lost $38.7 million through ESB’s fraud and money laundering. The judge noted that there were no objections filed to the settlement agreement and urged the attorneys to get the order in quickly so that she could sign off on it before the holiday break. In the adversary proceeding, filed in December 2013, Aguiar claims that ESB diverted millions in Banco Santos’ assets through various corporate entities to Florida, from which they were transferred offshore and laundered, according to the complaint. In the suit, Aguiar requested not just the $38.7 million the bank allegedly lost, but also treble damages of $116 million. ESB rebuts all of the claims in the complaint. Banco Santos was ordered into a court-supervised liquidation by the Second Bankruptcy and Judicial Reorganization Court of Sao Paulo in September 2005. Aguiar filed a Chapter 15 petition in December 2010 in the Southern District of Florida listing $500 million to $1 billion in assets and more than $1 billion in liabilities. The Espirito Santo group, which traces to a storied Portuguese banking family, saw four of its companies file for creditor protection in July after a central bank audit two months earlier had turned up accounting irregularities at Espirito Santo International SA, the group’s holding company. The Portuguese central bank in August unveiled a plan to split up BES, the country’s second-largest lender, under a rescue plan backed by €4.9 billion ($6.4 billion) in state money after the bank failed to weather losses on its exposure to the Espirito Santo group. Authorities in several countries are investigating the dealings of the Espirito Santo empire. Switzerland’s financial regulator said in September that it is looking into the distribution of financial products by a Swiss bank, Banque Privee Espirito Santo SA, which is tied to the Espirito Santo group. Aguiar is represented by Edward H. Davis Jr. , Gregory S. Grossman , Arnoldo B. Lacayo and Nyana A. Miller of Astigarraga Davis . ESB is represented by Samuel J. Capuano and Gary M. Freedman of Tabas Freedman . The adversary proceeding is Aguiar v. Espirito Santo Bank, case number 1:13-ap-01934, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. The bankruptcy is In re: Banco Santos SA, case number 1:10-bk-47543, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. Click to view full article. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

A look at 8 Florida cases to watch in 2019, covering remote employee jurisdiction, Ponzi scheme clawbacks, the Parkland shooting lawsuit, and EB-5 investment fraud, among other key legal battles. 8 Florida Cases to Watch in 2019 Open In the News Open January 9, 2019 4 minutes read Sequor Law At the top of 2019, which Florida cases have lawyers checking dockets with bated breath? Here’s a look at eight cases that have gripped local litigators. Where… By Raychel Lean At the top of 2019, which Florida cases have lawyers checking dockets with bated breath? Here’s a look at eight cases that have gripped local litigators. Where can a Florida-based company sue its out-of-state employees? Miami business litigator Eric Ostroff, partner at Meland Russin & Budwick, has his eye on Citrix Systems Inc. v. Matthew Ware et al . Chief Broward Circuit Judge Jack Tuter will soon hold a hearing on the case, which tackles the question of personal jurisdiction when it comes to remote employees. In 2017, Fort Lauderdale-based tech company Citrix Systems Inc. sued seven former employees who worked from North Carolina when they left to work for a competitor. The suit accused the staff of misappropriating trade secrets and breaching a contract that included a covenant not to compete. But the employees argue Florida doesn’t have jurisdiction over them. Do foreign governments take precedence over state courts? Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero is among a group of Miami lawyers challenging a Third DCA ruling they say could result in Florida courts having to submit to totalitarian regimes. The Ecuadorean government sued two brothers in Miami for allegedly embezzling about $662 million from Filanbanco, the bank where they were administrators. The suit — Republic of Ecuador v. Roberto Isaias Dassum and William Isaias Dassum — was initially dismissed for lack of standing and expired statute of limitations, but the appeals court reversed the move. International litigator Arnoldo B. Lacayo of Sequor Law, Miami, said the case is a crucial one for international practitioners, as it asks whether acts in another sovereign state are valid in Florida’s courts. Could this case reveal Bitcoin creator’s identity? Dave Kleiman v. Craig Wright , an $11.4 million bitcoin trial will play out in Miami federal court in September, is almost certain to raise eyebrows. Kleiman’s suit accuses his Australian former business partner of committing forgery and filing false documents to take control of bitcoin. Wright has claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, mysterious creator of the cryptocurrency, but that claim has never been verified. Complex litigator Daniel Maland at Kozyak, Tropin and Throckmorton is watching closely and says bitcoin transaction logs indicate that Nakamoto is one of the richest people in the world. According to Alan Rosenberg with Markowitz Ringel Trusty + Hartog, the vast size and scope of the case could serve as a roadmap for future cryptocurrency litigation. Will a key ADA ruling be overturned? Juan Carlos Gil v. Winn Dixie , an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit pending in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, could unravel or affirm a landmark 2017 ruling that found a supermarket’s website violated blind internet users’ rights and laid the groundwork for an influx of website- accessibility lawsuits. The court will consider Winn-Dixie’s appeal that websites are not places of public accommodation and that the supermarket is in compliance with the ADA. Commercial litigators Michael Landen of Kluger Kaplan and Jason Kellogg, partner at Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider & Grossman, said many of their clients in the business world are waiting in suspense. Can school shooting victims sue rifle makers? The family of a victim of the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day in 2017 has sued Smith and Wesson, makers of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle used in the attack. Miami firm Podhurst Orseck represents the plaintiff. The court heard the defense’s motion to dismiss Jamie Guttenberg et al v. Smith and Wesson in December, and is expected to rule in a few weeks. Has a Miami church breached its lease? The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser has claimed Brickell’s First Presbyterian Church of Miami is violating its religious exemption status by leasing some of its grounds to a for-profit school and food trucks. The case could have wide implications for developers and religious institutions, according to Franklin Zemel, a partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, who represents dozens of churches, synagogues and mosques around the country. The Church claims it’s not leasing but merely “outsourcing” the administration of its school. “Why is the characterization so important? Because in order to qualify for the tax exemption, there must be unity between the owner of the property and the user of the property,” Zemel said. Will Florida courts embrace cannabis? According to Kathi Giddings, deputy chair of Akerman’s Litigation Practice Group, cannabis is set to be a hot topic this year. Several appeals are pending in the First District Court of Appeal concerning the 2016 general election, in which Floridians voted to broaden the use of medical marijuana. The legislature has restricted who can cultivate, process, sell and smoke medical marijuana, but the lawsuits argue otherwise. Akerman represents medical marijuana center Florigrown in one of those cases, and recently obtained an injunction against the Department of Health. Will Florida courts side with EB-5 Investors alleging fraud? A group of 78 Chinese investors sued Nicholas Mastroianni II , a high-profile EB-5 investment broker with ties to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. In a Palm Beach Court filing, the plaintiffs claimed Mastroianni cheated them out of almost $100 million in a real estate venture, but Mastroianni has rejected the suit as a “sham.” Jeffrey Schneider, managing partner at Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider + Grossman, who filed the suit, said the case could send a strong message to the EB-5 industry about promises made to investors. “This case is important at a time when developers have completed their projects and are now expected to return the EB-5 money back that they ‘borrowed’ from the EB-5 investors,” Schneider said. It’s hard to say which way the courts will rule, so observers must stay tuned for updates on these cases throughout the year. To view full article, click here . Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

University of Miami names Sequor Law's Of Counsel Andrew Dawson as the first holder of the Judge A. Jay Cristol Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy, honoring his leadership in cross-border insolvency. University of Miami names Sequor of counsel as first bankruptcy chair Open Awards & Recognition Open March 6, 2020 3 minutes read Sequor Law A lawyer at Sequor Law will be the first to hold a new bankruptcy chair donated to the University of Miami by the Southern District of Florida bankruptcy court’s Chief Judge Emeritus Jay Cristol . Of counsel Andrew Dawson will be awarded the Judge A Cristol Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy at a ceremony on 6 March, which will take place at the university where he is already a professor and a vice dean. Judge Cristol, a University of Miami School of Law alumni himself, created the bankruptcy chair in 2016 to recognise faculty members for achievements in bankruptcy law. In a statement, Sequor Law called Dawson a “leader” and highlighted his research focus in cross-border insolvency and labour law. “Drew is truly deserving of this award and we are honoured to count his expertise among our ranks at Sequor Law. He is an outstanding example of our firm’s unsurpassed leadership in the practice, and demonstrates a relentless pursuit of success through his many invaluable contributions on behalf of our clients,” founding shareholder Ed Davis said in the statement. Dawson has worked at the University of Miami as a professor of law for the past nine years and currently also holds the title of vice dean of academic affairs. He regularly appears as a presenter and a panellist at conferences held by the Southeastern Association of Law Schools, the Hispanic National Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), taking part in the latter’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 between 2012 and 2014. Dawson has also contributed to the study of cross-border insolvency under the UNCITRAL Model Law. He lays claim to producing the first empirical study of Chapter 15 following its adoption in 2005. The study, entitled “Offshore Bankruptcies”, was published in in 2009. His most recent publication in the Chicago-Kent Law Review hones in on the topic of modularity in understanding how to apply the UNCITRAL Model Law, according to his resume. The concept – which suggests the Model Law should be understood as a “modular” system that divides complex cases into a hierarchy of components – was intended to resolve questions over the cross-border recognition of judgments following the UK Supreme Court’s 2012 decision, where it refused to enforce a US bankruptcy court’s ruling against a person who had not submitted to UK courts. Dawson received his BA from Massachusetts-based Williams College and completed his JD at Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he received an ABI Medal of Excellence, awarded to the student with the highest grade on a participating law school bankruptcy course. Early in his career, Dawson clerked for Judge Jane Roth at the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and for Judge Peter Walsh at the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. His first role in academia was at Harvard as a Kauffman Legal Fellow, awarded for research on the public sector, during which he researched bankruptcy law and corporate reoganisations. During the fellowship he had the opportunity to edit Chapter 11-related research by former Harvard bankruptcy professor turned-senator and US Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren. The bankruptcy chair is Judge Cristol’s second major donation to the University of Miami. In 2012, he named the school’s pro bono bankruptcy clinic after his late wife Eleanor. To view the original article, click here. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..

A Florida court grants emergency Chapter 15 relief to Grant Thornton trustees after UK jeweller Darren McCormick failed to disclose his US property portfolio in his British bankruptcy. Tyneside jeweller failed to disclose US assets, joint trustees say Open In the News Open November 20, 2019 2 minutes read Sequor Law A Florida court has recognised a British jeweller’s bankruptcy after his joint trustees Grant Thornton found he had lied about his US property portfolio before an English court. In an order on 15 November Judge Catherine McEwen , at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, granted emergency relief to Grant Thornton partner Nicholas Wood and director Colin Diss , who were appointed as joint trustees of Darren McCormick in May this year. McCormick is a jewellery distributor based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a city in the UK’s north-east England region. He is the director and shareholder of locally incorporated company Darren McCormick Jewellery. Hong Kong-based watch company Zero Time Product Design International filed for a petition for McCormick’s bankruptcy in December 2018, after he failed to pay a debt he owed to them. McCormick failed to appear at the bankruptcy hearing and in April 2019 District Judge Michelle Temple, in the County Court of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, declared him bankrupt. The court appointed Diss and Wood the following month. In their petition before the Florida court the trustees said McCormick had transferred £83,000 (US$107,000) from two UK pension funds to his US bank account in Florida in January. In a signed declaration before the Newcastle court in July, McCormick said the withdrawals from the pension funds were, “to fund a dental cosmetic treatment and cell injection therapy” he had been receiving in the US and denied owning property in the US. But an investigation by the joint trustees found that he in fact owns a property in Rockwood, Tennessee, and had recently owned two in St Petersburg, Florida. One of the properties McCormick had owned in Florida, which he claimed he sold for US$236,000, had in fact been sold for US$255,000. It found he had sold the second to DMJ Trading, a Florida company he owned, for US$10. Diss told the court the third property was valued at US$349,600. The joint trustees deduced that McCormick had lied about his US property assets to thwart their ability to realise his US assets. Based on these findings the joint trustees said “we know that the Debtor’s sworn declaration, stating that he owned no property in the United States, is false”. In March, after McCormick learned that bankruptcy proceedings were pending against him, he transferred ownership of his primary residence in Newcastle to his ex-wife, although he continued to live in the property rent-free with her permission. McCormick then transferred £14,000 (US$18,000) from his US bank account to another one of his creditors American Express. Diss told the court he had later transferred his controlling interest in two companies to a third party “for no apparent consideration”. He said that following Chapter 15 recognition he expected to be able to identify additional assets belonging to McCormick in the US. In the US Bankruptcy Court Middle District of Florida Tampa Division In Darren Bernard McCormick [Case 8:19-bk-10768-CPM] Counsel to Foreign Representative Sequor Law Shareholder Leyza B. Florin in Miami Joint trustees and foreign representatives Grant Thornton Director of asset and recovery team Colin Diss and partner Nicholas Wood in London County Court at Newcastle Upon Tyne District Judge Michelle Temple To view the original article, click here. Open Back to all Entries Share this article Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Copy link Latest News & Insights Open Open Attorney Spotlight Aug 17, 2026 3 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Carolina M. Rosso “Pour faire de grandes choses, il ne faut pas être un si grand génie... Firm News Jun 23, 2026 3 minutes Sequor Law Welcomes Attorney Carolina M. Rosso to Its Expanding International Litigation and Asset Recovery Team Sequor Law is pleased to announce that Carolina M. Rosso has joined the firm as an Attorney. Attorney Spotlight May 19, 2026 1 minute read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Noah Rosenblum 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was drawn to law because I've always enjoyed solving complicated problems and thinking.. Attorney Spotlight May 9, 2026 2 minutes read Attorney Spotlight – Get to Know Michael Hanlon 1. What inspired you to pursue a law career? I was less drawn to law in the abstract and more..