Squire Sanders Promotes 12 Distinguished Lawyers From the US, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe

WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- With a focus on opportunities and the resources needed to respond to client challenges as the economy continues to recover, global law firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. has made promotions in key practices, electing four new partners and naming four new principals and four new national partners.

"We promote lawyers who are proven leaders in areas of key importance to clients and who consistently demonstrate commitment to the firm's core standards of quality, efficiency, and respect and understanding of client goals," said firm Chair James J. Maiwurm. "All of those we have chosen for promotion combine quality, leadership and commitment with an appreciation of Squire Sanders' one-firm culture. We and our clients are fortunate to be associated with these valued colleagues."

New partners are:

• Awilda M. Alcantara Bourdier, corporate transactions, finance and governance practice, Santo Domingo
• Stephen P. Anway, international dispute resolution practice, Cleveland
• Ramon A. Azpurua, corporate transactions, finance and government practice, Caracas
• Andrew R. Kruppa, litigation practice, Miami

New principals are:

• Massimo Capretta, financial services practice, Cleveland
• Allen A. Kacenjar, Jr., environmental health and safety practice, Cleveland
• T. Bennett Litle, public finance practice, Columbus
• Christine Henagen Peer, labor and employment practice, Cleveland

New national partners are:

• Adrian Barger, real estate practice, Bratislava
• Christian Bohn, real estate practice, Frankfurt
• Rodrigo Menezes, corporate transactions, finance and government practice, Sao Paulo
• Rostislav Pekar, international dispute resolution practice, Prague

Lawyers' biographical information below:

Awilda M. Alcantara Bourdier, a member of the corporate transactions, finance and governance practice, focuses on a wide range of commercial, securities, finance and tax matters. Alcantara is a member of the Squire Sanders Diversity Committee and serves as training and mentoring coordinator for the Santo Domingo office. She has been recognized as an up-and-coming lawyer for corporate and commercial matters in the Dominican Republic by Chambers Latin America 2010 and was noted by LatinLawyer 250 for her work in banking, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and restructuring. Alcantara is a member of the Asociacion Dominicana de Promocion y Proteccion de la Libre Competencia, Asociacion Nacional de Jovenes Empresarios and Fundacion Institucionalidad y Justicia. She received her LL.M. in 1998 from Suffolk University and her bachelor of law, magna cum laude, in 1996 from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra. Alcantara is based in the Santo Domingo office.

Stephen P. Anway practices in the firm's international dispute resolution group, ranked by The American Lawyer's 2009 Arbitration Scorecard as one of the top arbitration practices in the world., Over the past five years, Anway has represented clients in seven international arbitrations in which the controversies topped US$1 billion and several others in which the controversies topped US$100 million. Those arbitrations include numerous bilateral investment treaty arbitrations representing both sovereigns and investors as well as commercial arbitrations, with a focus on natural gas pricing disputes. His US-based litigation practice focuses on complex commercial litigation before state and federal courts. Before joining Squire Sanders, Anway clerked for Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer. Anway has been selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition each of the past four years. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and is the author of several award-winning law review articles. Anway received his J.D., with honors, in 2002 from The Ohio State University, where he was managing editor of the Ohio State Law Journal, and his B.A., summa cum laude, in 1999 from Bowling Green State University. Anway is based in the Cleveland office and is admitted to practice law in both Ohio and New York.

Ramon A. Azpurua is a member of the firm's corporate transactions, finance and governance practice; his expertise focuses on general corporate law, energy and arbitration. Azpurua's practice covers a broad range of domestic and international transactional matters including franchising, technology, maritime, pharmaceuticals, and oil and gas. He was selected by his peers as one of the top 25 Venezuelan lawyers under age 40 in a survey conducted by LatinLawyer magazine, and he has been listed in Chambers Latin America and The Best Lawyers in Venezuela. Azpurua is an international associate of the American Bar Association and a member of the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce. He received his LL.M. in 1996 from New York University and his J.D. in 1992 from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, where he was valedictorian. Azpurua is based in the Caracas office.

Andrew R. Kruppa is a trial and appellate lawyer with a focus on commercial litigation and defense of tort, product liability and serious injury cases. He has represented clients at trials in California, Florida, Indiana, New York and South Carolina and routinely represents clients in cases involving multimillion-dollar claims. Among his more recent significant representations, Kruppa was trial counsel for an automotive supplier in a contested proceeding in the Chrysler bankruptcy. He was selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition in 2009 and 2010. Kruppa received his J.D., with honors, Order of the Coif, Phi Kappa Phi, in 2000 from The Ohio State University and his B.A., magna cum laude, distinction in major, in 1997 from Colby College. Kruppa is based in the firm's Miami office.

Massimo Capretta is a member of the financial services group who focuses on US and cross-border finance. His experience includes syndicated financings, asset-based lending, leveraged and acquisition financing, mezzanine debt, private note placements and asset securitization. Capretta has also advised on various project and infrastructure financings, including those involving public-private partnerships, and has significant experience in certain bank regulatory matters. Over the past 12 months, Capretta has advised clients on the financing and out-of-court restructuring of more than US$1 billion in credit commitments. He has particular experience in the chemicals, metals, automotive, heavy manufacturing and energy industries. Capretta has chaired the Banking and Financial Services Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. He has been selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition. Capretta received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, in 2000 from the University of Michigan and his A.B., with honors, in 1997 from the University of Chicago. Capretta is based in the Cleveland office.

Allen A. Kacenjar, Jr. is a member of the environmental, health and safety practice with experience advising on climate change, environmental rulemaking and appeals, cost recovery litigation and transactional/redevelopment for companies facing significant environmental liabilities. His primary focus is minimizing clients' exposure to liabilities through proactive efforts to shape evolving environmental laws, development of business practices and evaluation of transactional risks or aggressive litigation. He represents major corporations, public bodies and industry advocacy groups and has substantial experience under all major state and federal environmental laws. Kacenjar has been selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, in 1999 from Case Western Reserve University, where he was executive notes editor for Case Western Reserve Law Review. He received his B.S. in 1996 from Miami University. Kacenjar is based in the Cleveland office.

T. Bennett Litle is a member of the public finance practice who serves as underwriters', bond and borrower's counsel in an extensive range of financing transactions. He regularly works with major US national and regional underwriters in public and limited offerings of rated asset-backed securities and corporate-backed private activity financings. Recent representative experience includes providing general counsel services to the largest US nonprofit student loan-backed issuer, advising a client in the restructuring of a multimillion-dollar asset-backed securitization and serving as underwriters' counsel on several multimillion-dollar student loan-backed offerings. Litle has been selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition. He received his J.D. in 2001 from Duke University and his B.A., cum laude, in 1998 from Miami University. Litle is based in the Columbus office.

Christina Henagen Peer is a member of the labor and employment practice whose primary focus is on private and public sector employment law and education law. She represents private and public sector employers before federal and state agencies and in the courts in a range of employment discrimination matters. In addition to her labor and employment law practice, Peer represents boards of education in all facets of school law before state and federal agencies and in the court system. She maintains an active appellate practice, representing both private and public sector clients before courts of appeal. Peer has been noted for her work in the area of special education law and is a recognized authority regarding state and federal laws governing the education of students with disabilities. Peer is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she teaches disability law. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys and is a member of the Labor and Employment Section of the Ohio State Bar Association. She has been selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition. Peer received her J.D., Order of the Coif, in 1999 from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was executive notes editor of Washington University Law Quarterly, and her B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1996 from Miami University. Peer is based in the Cleveland office.

Adrian Barger is a real estate lawyer whose transactional experience includes real estate, project finance and M&A. He has particular expertise in real estate and European Union state aid issues. Barger regularly publishes and speaks about real estate development and financing in Central and Eastern Europe. He has also represented numerous clients in corporate matters such as M&A, privatizations, financings and economic regulation. He received his economics diploma (Ing) in 2004 from Ekonomicka Univerzita and his Mgr (M.A.) in 2001 from Univerzita Komenskeho. Barger is based in the Bratislava office.

Christian Bohn is a real estate lawyer with particular expertise in construction law and litigation. He advises developers and general contractors during all phases of national and international real estate developments. He also counsels Germany-based construction companies establishing their operations in other countries, as well as international construction businesses that establish operations in Germany. He was appointed to Germany's Institute for Standardization and has been elected to represent Germany's interests in upcoming ISO meetings. He studied at the Universities of Bonn and Lausanne and completed his Second State Law Examination in 1997. Bohn is based in the Frankfurt office.

Rodrigo Menezes is a member of the firm's corporate transactions, finance and governance practice. His expertise is in M&A and corporate finance, with particular experience in the energy, telecommunications, cosmetics, heavy industry and technology industries. Menezes regularly counsels clients regarding compliance with Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission and Sao Paulo Stock Exchange rules. He provides on-the-ground leadership for the firm's office in Sao Paulo. Menezes received his LL.M. in 2006 from Instituto de Empresa, Madrid and his LL.B., cum laude, in 1999 from Universidade Candido Mendes. Menezes is based in the Sao Paulo office.

Rostislav Pekar, a member of the firm's international dispute resolution practice, has represented both sovereign governments and foreign investors in significant bilateral investment treaty arbitrations and major international commercial arbitrations. Pekar has also handled state aid, M&A and corporate law matters and has extensive experience in Czech and European competition law. He frequently lectures and publishes on investment arbitration and protection. Pekar serves on a pro bono basis as local partner of TRACE International, Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports antibribery compliance in international corporations. He received his LL.M. in 2006 from Harvard University and his Mgr (J.D.) in 2001 from Univerzita Karlova. He also received a Bc. (B.A.) in 2000 from University of Economics, Prague and obtained a diploma in 1999 from Universite Pantheon-Assas-Paris II. Pekar is based in the Prague office.

About Squire Sanders: Founded in 1890, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. has lawyers in 32 offices and 15 countries around the world. With one of the strongest integrated global platforms and a longstanding one-firm philosophy, Squire Sanders provides seamless legal counsel worldwide.

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