Greenberg Traurig issued the following announcement on Sept. 21.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. continues to expand its client service capabilities with the addition of Monica Lopez-Rodriguez, who joins the Miami office as Of Counsel.
As the former director of Capital Markets for Royal Caribbean Group, Lopez-Rodriguez has diverse experience in banking, business finance, corporate governance, securities regulation, and information technology, all of which enhance the firm’s existing Financial Regulatory & Compliance, Latin America and Corporate practices.
“Monica is well-known to us as an experienced, hands-on lawyer who takes a practical approach with her clients,” said Yosbel Ibarra, co-managing shareholder of the Greenberg Traurig Miami office. “In addition to her legal acumen, Monica’s in-house experience gives her a unique perspective on how legal issues affect clients’ day-to-day business operations.”
The Greenberg Traurig Miami office has been growing this year as the pandemic-driven shift of companies and investment firms to South Florida has helped fuel increased client demand. Lopez-Rodriguez is the eighth lateral Shareholder or Of Counsel hired in the Miami office and more than 70 firmwide in 2021. The other additions to the Miami office have expanded various practices including Litigation, Tax, Corporate, and Latin America practices.
While at Royal Caribbean, Lopez-Rodriguez managed the company’s multiple financing arrangements, maintained the cruise line’s relationships with more than 40 commercial banks, and oversaw regulatory compliance reviews. She also played a key role in managing the financing and legal matters around Royal Caribbean’s ship deliveries from Finland, France, Germany and Italy. In one year alone, she arranged a total of $3.9 billion in syndicated export-credit financings for four new cruise ships across three countries.
Prior to joining Royal Caribbean, Lopez-Rodriguez served for more than seven years with Standard Chartered Bank, first as Deputy General Counsel and then as Director of Governance for North America. While at the bank, she assisted in the sale of $1.5 billion in assets under management from Standard Chartered Private Bank, Americas to Banco Santander S.A.
“Having worked with Monica as a client at Standard Chartered Private Bank, I’m thrilled to now have her experience and skills as part of our Financial Regulatory & Compliance team,” said Carl Fornaris, co-chair of the firm's Financial Regulatory and Compliance Practice. “Her understanding of complex regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, as well as state and federal reporting and disclosure requirements, will benefit many of our clients.”
A Miami native, Lopez-Rodriguez graduated magna cum laude from Florida International University and received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Florida. While in her final year of law school, Monica served as a legal intern with the Miami office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She is a member of the Florida Bar.
“Having come from the corporate world, I bring a unique perspective to my client work because I can tackle legal matters from a more holistic, company-wide perspective,” said Lopez-Rodriguez. “What attracted me to Greenberg Traurig is the firm’s focus on client service and emphasis on collaboration. And of course, having the ability to tap into the firm’s global network – an asset that in-house attorneys usually don’t have – will help me to better serve clients.”
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