Chair, International Practice

Pedro A. Freyre

Pedro A. Freyre was born in Havana, Cuba. He came to the U.S. in October of 1960 together with his family. His father, Ernesto Freyre, was a leading Labor attorney in Cuba, representing major U.S. companies such as Hershey, Sears and Exxon. His brother, Ernesto Freyre, Jr. took park in the Bay of Pigs invasion and was captured and imprisoned. The Senior Freyre was the Secretary of the Family Committee, which secured the aid of the U.S. Government and after a difficult and protracted negotiation process secured the release of all the prisoners in exchange for $62M worth of medicines. Pedro Freyre became involved in Cuba related matters in 1989 when he was a founding member of the Cuba Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, which monitored on-going political and economic developments in the island and briefed the South Florida Business Community on prospects for trade, commerce and investment with the island. Mr. Freyre was also chairman of Facts About Cuban Exiles, a non-partisan, anti-defamation organization based in Miami, whose mission is to promote and protect the good image of Cuban Americans. Mr. Freyre was General Counsel of Dow Chemical Latin America and COO of the Mapfre Insurance Group for Florida. Currently, he is a partner in the law firm of Akerman LLP, and Chairman of its International Practice. He is member of the Board of Directors of the firm. Akerman is a leading national law firm with over 700 attorneys and consultants. In the course of his private practice, Mr. Freyre has focused significant time and attention to Cuba related matters, and in particular, with Cuban embargo regulations. He advises U.S. companies and NGO's on Cuba related matters and has made frequent trips to the island with his clients. He was written numerous Helms-Burton opinions for European entities considering investment in Cuba, and various memoranda in support of litigation in the European Union. He has been involved in the defense of several lawsuits brought against U.S. companies under Title III of the Helms Burton law. Mr. Freyre was involved with the Obama Administration giving input on the policy of engagement. He was invited by the Administration to the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana and President Obama's speech to the Cuban people. Mr. Freyre is currently a Lecturer at Law at Columbia University School of Law, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami Law School, where he teaches a seminar on Cuba.