Virtual Congress Welcome

Opening Speech by the President of de board.

Pragma Marketing Updates

A short session where we will be highlighting some of the results from the marketing activities whith special enfasis on how we are dealing with the COVID-19 and the opportunities this respresent for the Network.

Patzina ⦁ Lotz

Litigation and conflict management are the core competency of PATZINA ⦁ LOTZ. These two areas have been the focus of the firm pretty much from day one. The firm has many years of experience in both. We know that the best way to win legal disputes is by precisely analyzing the matter at heart and presenting it in a well-structured manner.

Suman Khaitan & Co

Suman Khaitan & Co. is a multi-practice international law firm advising domestic and international companies and emerging businesses on all areas of law with special expertise on arbitration, corporate law, regulatory compliance, labour, environment and litigation. We provide legal services on all areas of law as may be required.

Financing In The Era Of Covid

Rafael Klotz is involved in all aspects of Gordon Brothers' business outside of North America, including deal structuring and execution, global expansion, and business development. He is also leading the development of the firm’s business in Latin America. Prior to moving to the international division, Mr. Klotz led the firm's Brand Division, and before that, he was involved in major transactions across all of Gordon Brothers' divisions.

An Overview of the Hospitality Industry

An overview of the hospitality industry markets in the US and Western Europe, including Netherlands and Spain, and the impact of COVID19 on the respective markets, covering e.g. valuation, usage of space etc. We expect to have industry specialists, lawyers and clients on the panel, sharing insights and expertise.

Hans completed his studies at Leiden University, and has served as a tax consultant at international consulting firms since 1990. Hans has also completed a variety of management courses and specialised courses for tax professionals. Hans has worked as an international tax advisor at BOS VAN DER BURG since 2012.

Cecilia Gordon serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Hospitality and Recreation Industry Group. She frequently advises clients in the hospitality industry regarding investment in and management of hotel and resort properties across the country.

Ewout studied architecture and Business Administration in Delft and has 29 years of experience in developing and implementing strategies, project management, market research and development of market strategies in the following sectors: building industry, general consultancy, and hotel tourism and leisure industries.

Michael Cummings, MAI ISHC, is a Managing Director in the USA with offices in New York NY, Norfolk VA and Orlando FL. He brings over 20 years of professional consulting experience to Horwath HTL.

State-of-the-Art in Retail

Explore current developments in the fashion and retail spheres generally (including the effects of COVID19) by offering perspectives from the critical players in the field: developers, retailers, internet retailers and manufacturers. We expect to have both lawyers and clients on the panel sharing insights and expertise.

American and international retailers turn to Matt Epstein for business and real estate law advice. Matt has coordinated the national roll-outs of stores for numerous retailers, including the negotiation of leases at regional malls and urban locations. Matt has over 25 years of experience in a wide range of real estate matters.

Goulston & Storrs is an Am Law 200 law firm, with offices in Boston, New York, Washington, DC and Beijing. With nearly 200 lawyers across multiple disciplines, Goulston & Storrs is a Real Estate powerhouse with leading-edge corporate, capital markets and finance, litigation and trust and estates practices.

A partner specialising in administrative law, Mr. Alonso advises both public bodies and private citizens. He is a specialist in domestic trade, the organisation and delivery of public services, environmental protection, public tenders and heavily regulated businesses activities. His specialist knowledge extends beyond administrative legislation to encompass management strategies and setting up specific projects.

Manubens Abogados is a multidisciplinary law firm having a clear national and international scope, specializing in providing all kinds of clients with a full range of services. Manubens Abogados offers high quality advice and excellence to the clients. 

Christoph Jonas specializes in the implementation of Intellectual Property Rights (mostly patents, trademarks and designs) – if necessary, on a cross-disciplinary basis. His client list primarily comprises global corporate players in the areas of lighting, healthcare & life sciences, media, automotive, retail, fashion and consumer goods.

Litigation and conflict management are the core competency of Patzina ⦁ Lotz. Experience has further shown that the real way to lead (out-of-court) conflicts to a permanent and economically productive solution is to not only stay focused on the matter at heart but to produce a solution that works for both parties.

Eric Smookler is Chief Financial Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer at WS Development, a Massachusetts-based, mixed-use developer with a portfolio of over 25 million square feet, making it one of the largest privately-owned, retail-led development firms in the country. Eric leads investment decisions for WS, including sourcing new acquisitions, structuring transactions, managing the existing portfolio and analyzing redevelopments within it.

Building by building, project by project, WS has developed 102 properties comprising over 25 million square feet across 11 states, making the company one of the largest privately-held retail development firms in the country. From its origins in suburban New England, its portfolio has grown nationally to include urban core retail, high-end lifestyle centers, and mixed-use developments.

Kim Sigler has more than 20+ years of experience as an attorney currently in the role of Assistant General Counsel at Bose Corporation.  Kim is based in the Company’s Global Headquarters and is responsible as part of the in-house legal team for Global Real Estate (retail and corporate), Americas Wholesale and E-Commerce, Government Relations, and Sustainability.

Bose is a leading audio technology company which was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, then a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Today, the company is driven by its founding principles, investing in long-term research to develop new technologies with real customer benefits.  Bose products for the home, in the car, on the go and in public spaces have become iconic, changing the way people listen to music. 

Akiko Okuma is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Vince Holding Corp. Prior to joining Vince Holding Corp., Akiko was an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Vince Holding Corp. is a global contemporary group, consisting of three brands: Vince, Rebecca Taylor and Parker. Vince, established in 2002, is a leading global luxury apparel and accessories brand best known for creating elevated yet understated pieces for every day effortless style.

Diploma in Business Administration, TU Berlin, first start-up founded at 17 and sold at 21, 2 years experience in banking, leading employee/senior executive, 3 years founding and build-up of software. 4 years building up Software Company as Director Sales and member of the management board.

Miss Moneypenny creates and manages customer journeys on digital wallet apps, thus establishing a new communication channel for customer engagement and efficient interactions. Individual customer journeys are automatically mapped in mobile wallet passes and help companies bring relevant and personalized information into the digital everyday life of their customers.

Graduated as a state-certified technician in the field of wood technology and specialized in industrial furniture production. In 2000 change to the commercial area, offer and property department and takeover of the back office and planning department.  Since the beginning of this year, authorized signatory and member of the management board.

VARIO® is and continues to be a producer of high quality office equipment with great benefits for the customer, on the basis of distinctive trade and construction know-how. VARIO® will continue to expand its strengths and support the changing requirements of the modern office environment of its customers with optimum furniture concepts and products.

Lawyer with extensive experience in the areas of real estate, urban and administrative law who continues to grow professionally and enjoying legal, strategic advice and the management of the legal department of a large multinational company.

Brico Depôt is a DIY retailer currently operating in 4 European countries. It belongs to Kingfisher, international group with 1.200 stores in 10 European countries (being main brands, apart from Brico Depôt, B&Q, Castorama or Screwfix).

Founded in 1999, PRADERA is a leading retail real estate investment management specialist. They currently manage four discretionary retail property Funds investing in shopping centres and retail parks. They also manage assets on behalf of separate mandate clients and invest with partners on a joint venture basis. At present PRADERA has in excess of €3 billion of assets under management across 10 countries.

Fast Track Procedures and Virtual Protocols

Modern life and commerce transactions need fast resolutions for their disputes, and the pandemic situation needs virtual hearings. The conference will address fast-track arbitration, also known as expedited arbitration, and how the world is dealing with virtual hearings.

Mrs. Hulbert has 25 years of professional practice in commercial dispute resolution. She is the founding partner and director of Hulbert Volio Montero Law Firm; with vast experience on national and international law, with special emphasis on complex cases.

He has over 40 years of professional practice, most of it as partner of Baker McKenzie, international firm from which he retired in 2019 to become of counsel of Interconsulting Milan. Gianfranco’s practice focus is in commercial litigation and arbitration. He is a member of statutory auditors board and supervisory compliance board of several companies and has performed duties of Honorary Judge of the Court of Lecco 2012 to 2018. He taught civil procedure law at the Sole 24 Ore master of business law from 2002 to 2008 and since 2017 has been cooperating with the Civil Procedure Clinics at the Catholic University of Milan.

Bernardo is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and he is listed in the SHIAC Panel of Arbitrators, in the HKIAC List of Arbitrators and he is also member of several arbitral institutions spanned all over the world (LCIA, CAAI, SAC, AIA, AtlAS, ASA, Delos, MCN, Lewiatan, etc.).

Bernardo has also written some papers on arbitration-related issues (the latest ones are about: a) Third Party Funding in Hong Kong and Singapore; b) Witness Preparation and c) The impact of Covid-19 in international commercial contracts ).

Bernardo regularly serves as volunteer arbitrator in the Vis Moot and in the FDI Moot.

She has over 30 years of professional practice in commercial dispute resolution, IP Rights and white collar criminal matters joined to international humanitarian law in the implementation of the rule of law in the field of international civilian crisis management.

Dedicated to the practice of law since 1997. He is founder and main partner in PAE Legal, a ranked law firm (establish in Caracas, Venezuela) with vast expertise in strategic dispute resolution. He has extensive experience in Civil, Commercial, Procedural and Private International Law; as well as in the resolution of conflicts through judicial processes (national and international) and through the use of alternative dispute methods such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration (national and international).

Providing a Common Language for the Legal Industry

SALI is a not-for-profit organization comprised of legal industry professionals from legal operations, law firms and solution providers with the goal of developing open, practical industry standards for efficient and innovative legal services.

As Director of Client Relations & Innovation, Kelly Harbour spends her time on initiatives at the intersection of client service, revenue generation and innovation, supported by process improvement, project management and technology.

Jim Hannigan leads initiatives in business operations improvement and practice innovation. Jim has worked in the legal industry in a variety of contexts including product development, tools and data project implementation, and information services.

Mr. Stock works with law departments to help them better serve their internal business clients as well as outside counsel and vendors. This includes helping to leverage tools, proprietary technology and best practices. Common areas of consulting and technology implementation include contract management, matter management and data analytics.