Former Chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization
to Chair Greenberg Traurig’s Global Trade Practice Group
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- January 6, 2004 -- The international law firm of
Greenberg Traurig LLP announced today that
James Bacchus, who recently
completed his final term as a Member and Chairman of the Appellate Body
of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has returned to full-time practice
with the firm and has assumed a new leadership role as chairman of Greenberg
Traurig’s Global Trade Practice Group.
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| James Bacchus |
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For the past eight years, Bacchus has served as one of the seven members
worldwide, and the only North American, of the Appellate Body of the WTO
in Geneva, Switzerland. The Appellate Body hears final appeals in international
trade disputes involving 95 percent of world commerce conducted by the 148
countries and other customs territories that are members of the WTO.
Greenberg Traurig assists multinational manufacturers, importers and
exporters in structuring their organizations and trade associations, industry
sectors and individual clients on the complex web of laws and regulations
that govern trade across national borders.
“Jim’s global experience will be of critical importance to our clients,
particularly as globalization makes trade and customs issues extremely relevant
to just about every business,” said
Cesar Alvarez, President and
CEO of the firm. “He has been a trade negotiator for the United States,
a member of the United States Congress with particular interests in trade
issues, and the chief judge for the World Trade Organization. The breadth
and depth of knowledge that Jim brings to the trade area is unique and a
timely resource to just about every business.”
In recent months, Greenberg Traurig has assembled a full and growing
team of attorneys and other professionals in Washington, D.C. who work worldwide
on trade policies, remedies, negotiations, disputes and other trade issues.
The trade group is full service and works closely with others throughout
the firm on the breadth of the WTO and other trade issues that routinely
arise in intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, international
litigation, taxation, and many other areas of Greenberg Traurig's overall
global business practice.
Bacchus will focus in particular on providing ongoing strategic trade
advice for multinational corporations, trade associations, and businesses
of all sizes and kinds on how WTO rules and WTO rulings can best be taken
into account in making trade, investment, and other international business
decisions. He will also be working closely with others firm-wide in leading
the firm's continued efforts to develop its overall international practice
and presence.
Bacchus first joined Greenberg Traurig in Miami in 1979, immediately
after completing law school. He founded the Orlando office of Greenberg
Traurig in 1995, after retiring from Congress. He was the managing shareholder
of the Orlando office for six years while also serving on the Appellate
Body. He has been on leave of absence as a principal shareholder in the
firm while serving as the Chairman of the Appellate Body.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with 1,500
attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The
firm is ranked seventh on The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 listing of the
largest law firms in the U.S., based on number of lawyers.
Greenberg Traurig serves clients from offices in: Albany, NY; Amsterdam, The
Netherlands; Atlanta, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Denver,
CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL;
Morristown, NJ; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA;
Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Silicon Valley, CA; Tallahassee, FL; Tokyo, Japan;
Tysons Corner, VA; Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Wilmington, DE; and Zurich,
Switzerland. Additionally, the firm has strategic alliances with the following independent
law firms: Olswang, London and Brussels; Studio Santa Maria, Milan and Rome; and
Hayabusa Kokusai Law Offices in Tokyo.
For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at
www.gtlaw.com.
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