Jose W. Fernandez
Jose W. Fernandez served as a partner in the New York office of Latham & Watkins, and Global Chair of the firm's Latin America practice, he has been confirmed by the Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs in the State Department.
Jose Walfredo Fernandez was born in Cuba ; he grew up in a small town in southern Cuba , next to the Bay of Pigs . His father was one of a handful of lawyers in town. His early memories are about family friends who would suddenly vanish either to firing squads or to Miami , Florida . His family left Cuba in 1967 to settle in Hudson County in New Jersey , where his mother took a job as a seamstress in a local factory.
Enrolling in college in 1973 and eventually Fernandez became a writer for the student’s college newspaper and served on the Student Committee on Student Life. Fernandez graduated magna cum laude with high honors from Hanover , New Hampshire . He earned a Bachelor degree in History. He then moved to New York to pursue his Juris Degree in Law from Columbia Law School , where he received the Charles Evans Hughes Prize and a Parker School Certificate of International Law with Honors. He was encouraged by professors and administrators from the university, who convinced him that a career in international law was of within his reach.
In 1980, he thought that he would benefit if he could see what it was like to do business from the perspective of countries on the receiving end of investments, rather than from Wall Street, so he decided to work for a local firm in Spain .
Eventually Fernandez returned to U.S. He began his U.S. law career at the prestigious firm O’Melveny & Myers’ New York office. Fernandez led the international practice group, working on several Latin American issues, including the privatization of the Ecuadorian telecommunications business.
In 2006, Fernandez joined Latham & Watkins law firm as a partner. Pasquarelli, Adrianne, “Executive Moves,” Crain’s New York Business. In July 3, 2006, Fernandez began his international experience and chaired the firm’s Latin American practice. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Fernandez a lifelong supporter of education, the arts and commercial engagement, Fernandez has served on the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College and on the Board of Directors of Accion International and the Council of the Americas . He has been Chair both on the American Bar Association's Inter-American Law Committee, the Committee on Inter-American Affairs of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, co-chair of the Cross Border M&A and Joint Ventures Committee of the New York State Bar Association. He recently headed the Latin American and Caribbean division of the ABA 's Rule of Law Initiative. He has also served on the boards of National Public Radio-station WBGO-FM, Ballet Hispanico of New York and the Middle East Institute. He was a co-founder of TeatroStageFest, a 2-week Latino theater festival in New York City , and he served as an appointed Commissioner of New York's Latin Media and Entertainment Commission.
Fernandez sat on the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) with Maria Otero, who is now the current Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs. He also served with ACCION board former President Otero. He sat on several CFR panels with R. Rand Beers, under secretary for National Protection and programs at the Department of Homeland Security.
Fernandez was named one of the "World's Leading Lawyers" by Chambers Global for his M&A and corporate expertise, an "Expert" in International Financial Law Review's "Guide to the World's Leading Project Finance Lawyers," and one of the "World's Leading Privatization Lawyers" by Euromoney Publications. Fernandez is recognized as a leading corporate finance attorney and leading Latin American attorney in the Latin American market in the Chambers Global 2008 legal guide. He was also featured by “Hispanic Business Magazine” in its "100 Influential’s List" for 2006 and 2007.
During his three decades in law, Fernandez has addressed some of the most challenging legal issues in Latin America . He has handled complex acquisitions
for corporations and private equity firms and has advised on financings and privatizations, among other issues.
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