Michael Diaz, Jr.

Managing Partner

   Michael Diaz, Jr., is the founding and managing partner of the international law firm of Diaz Reus & Targ, LLP, where he concentrates his practice on domestic and international litigation and arbitration of complex commercial disputes and regulatory investigations.

    Born in Havana, Cuba, Mr. Diaz graduated from the Business School at the University of Miami in 1983, earning an undergraduate degree in International Finance.  

    In 1986, Mr. Diaz graduated with honors from the University of Miami School of Law. While at the University of Miami, he served as Associate Editor of the Inter-American Law Review, and was recognized for his trial advocacy skills receiving the “Order of the Barrister” National Excellence Award from the Wig and Robe Society.

    Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Diaz served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami- Dade County State Attorney’s Office from 1986 to 1990 for the Honorable Janet Reno, former U.S. Attorney General and Miami- Dade County State Attorney. During his tenure as a prosecutor, Mr. Diaz was rapidly promoted and became a Division Chief, where he primarily investigated and prosecuted major crime cases.

    In 1990, Mr. Diaz entered into private practice and joined and became a Partner in an AV rated international litigation firm where he litigated complex commercial and international money laundering cases. In 1998, he opened his own AV rated litigation and arbitration firm and has been engaged in successful representation of Fortune 500 multinational corporations and foreign government entities involving regulatory investigations and complex commercial, fraud and intellectual property disputes all over the world, including China.

    In addition to being considered a preeminent attorney and “A V” rated by his papers, Mr. Diaz was selected as a “Florida SuperLawyer” for his work in international law. Most recently, he has been selected as a “High Impact Leader” by Florida Trend Magazine for Global Affairs, and has been nominated for the Key Partner Award by the South Florida Business Journal.

    Mr. Diaz maintains an active complex litigation and international arbitration practice, representing U.S. and foreign based clients in U.S. and Latin American seated arbitrations of commercial disputes. In Asia, Mr. Diaz has successfully handled business and litigation matters on behalf of corporations and individuals doing business with China, Latin America, and the Middle East.

    Known for representing high profile individuals, foreign governments, and their officials, and for defending Fortune 500 multinational corporations and financial institutions in sophisticated civil and criminal matters, Mr. Diaz counsels and plans preventative litigation strategies, conducts parallel investigations, and represents his clients before all administrative and governmental agencies, arbitral bodies, the courts, and investigative and charging grand juries. He has appeared before state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States and as advisory co-counsel in international matters.

    Mr. Diaz and his firm are frequent sponsors, guest lecturers and contributors of international business, trade, litigation/arbitration and regulatory compliance seminars. Among others, he has been recognized by Florida Trend, South Florida Business Leaders Magazine, South Florida Business Journal and Florida SuperLawyers for his leadership and excellence. He was selected among the top international experts in the anti-money laundering field to join the faculty of the first graduate course on “Money Laundering Prevention” at the University of Salamanca, sponsored by the Latin-American Banking Federation (FELABAN).

    Mr. Diaz’s most recent published case opinions on international matters include:

·            Honduran Soccer Federation (FENAFUTH) vs. Traffic Sports (International Arbitration, 2008)

·            Canon Latin America vs. Lantech (International Anti-suit Injunction, 2007)

·            Guevara vs. Republic of Peru (Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 2006)

·            Redfield Investments, A.V.V. vs. Village of PineCrest (International Service of Process,2008)

    Mr. Diaz has published various articles in legal periodicals and trade journals regarding international arbitration and doing business in Latin America, China and the Middle East. He is currently on the Board of Advisors of the “Inter-American Dialogue Financial Services Advisor”, where he regularly publishes articles of interest on Latin America, relating to finance, business, trade, law and politics.

    Mr. Diaz is a former President, Director and Officer of the Cuban American Bar Association, Member of the International Bar Association, Consulegis, International Association of Lawyers and Professional Advisors, Miami International Arbitration Society, American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Committee, National and Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association, Florida International Bankers Association, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Latin and Venezuelan-American Chambers of Commerce.

Lectures & Speaking Engagments

Presenter, “Doing Business in the Middle-East”, Middle-East Conference, Business Information Asia, Singapore, 2008.

Presenter, “Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) Middle East – North Africa International Money Laundering Conference”, Dubai, 2007.

Keynote Speaker, CCPIT First “China-Latin America Business Summit”, Santiago, Chile, 2007.

Speaker, “When to litigate, when to mediate, and when to arbitrate?”, 2^nd Annual Conference on Dispute Avoidance and Resolution, “Smartly Using Alternative Resolutions to Boost the Bottom Line of your International Business”, LexisNexis, Shanghai, China.

Presenter, “Corruption and Terrorism: Risks and Challenges of the XXI Century,” 2^nd International Conference, Florida International University, Latin American Caribbean Center, Miami, Florida.

Instructor, “Money Laundering Prevention,” Universidad de Salamanca, Bogotá, Colombia.

Presenter, Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Presenter, Fifth Annual Latin-American Money Laundering Conference, San José, Costa Rica.

Presenter, XXIII Latin-American Congress on Banking Law, Latin American Banking Federation (FELABAN) and the Banking Association of El Salvador (ABANSA), San Salvador, El Salvador.

Presenter, Ninth Annual Money Laundering Conference, Miami Beach, Florida.

Presenter, Annual Educational Conference, American Judges Association, Montreal, Canada.

News & Seminars

• International anti-suit injunctions, by Michael Diaz, Jr. and Carlos F. Gonzalez
• Michael Diaz, Jr. Interviewed by China Business Times
• Costa Rican case stopped in Canon dispute
• Protección a inversionistas
• Juicio Canon-Lantech deberá litigarse en Estados Unidos
• Protectionist statutes can lead to tricky business with Latin America