A shareholder in the firm's Commercial Litigation and International Practice Groups, Luis S. Konski's initial government service encompassed nine years with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., first as a trial attorney and then as a supervisor trial attorney. Luis spearheaded complex federal litigations such as Three Mile Island, relicensing of the Merwin hydroelectric plant, various enforcements, investigations and antitrust cases, and the cancellation of the Pilgrim II Nuclear Plant.

Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Luis has moderated and taught courses at the Florida Bar International Law Section on arbitration and international litigation matters.

Luis graduated, with honors, from the University of Florida, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree and Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies degree. He is a member of the Executive Council of the International Law section of the Florida Bar, and also a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League.

Practice Focus

Luis has extensive experience successfully litigating a broad spectrum of complex commercial matters  throughout the United States, including domestic and international business disputes involving banking, financial frauds, securities, energy, unfair trade practices, antitrust, computer abuse, and international and domestic arbitration.

Representative Legal Matters

• Represented one of the named former directors of Banco Latino in an action brought under the RICO statute, in U.S. District Court, by the government of Venezuela.

• Represented a main defendant in an action brought by a public interest law firm against public figures for alleged interference by the Contras in Nicaragua. This case resulted in the largest sanctions award against plaintiffs at that time.

• Obtained personal jurisdiction in Florida over a Mexican telecommunications company in an action brought by a U.S. citizen.

• Successfully handled a case by a major Brazilian pharmaceutical company against an international race car driver for breach of a sponsorship agreement, applying Brazilian law in a U.S. court.

• Represented defrauded investors from Germany, Venezuela and Panama in recovery of a $85 million international Ponzi scheme.

• Represented individual owners of a $78 million international pension fund for an alleged Ponzi scheme and violations of U.S. securities laws.

• Successfully tried cases and obtained injunctions in cases against major and mid-market petroleum companies in franchise, contract, unfair competition and statutory cases.

• Represented a number of bank officers in misconduct complaints brought by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, United States Department of Treasury.

• Successfully represented an Israeli company which manufactured computer controllers from being subjected to personal jurisdiction in the United States.

• Represented the Peruvian Air Force in a contract dispute over maintenance of aircraft.

• Represented manufacturer of gasoline dispenser anti-leak equipment in a pollution case brought by a major trucking company.

• Successfully represented a Venezuelan manufacturer, marketer and the company’s distributor of medical devices from a $4,000,000 contract claim by a former chief financial officer. This case resulted in the settlement of approximately $500,000, without an answer being filed.

• Defended improper freezing of bank accounts of a Chinese company.

• Obtained largest plaintiff’s verdict and judgment (up to that time) against an Oil Company under the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act.

• Successfully defended a product's liability case against a major chemical manufacturer for claimed injuries by a toxic chemical.

• Defended a securities fraud case against a manufacturer of surveillance equipment for the U.S. Military, foreign and domestic police departments. 

• Successfully defended the owners of an Ecuadorian internationally licensed beverage bottling company from claims by a joint venturer.

• Personal Representative of an estate in charge of liquidating assets of flight school training Japanese pilots, including management of sale of multiple fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, retrieval of assets and claims, and a successful product's liability claim against an aircraft manufacturer.

• International arbitration by Canadian investors against a Czech aircraft factory which was eventually resolved in favor of the Czech Republic under the Canada-Czech bilateral- investment treaty.

• Arbitrated claims, in Portuguese, against a U.S. aircraft broker for commissions on the sale of several aircraft in Brazil under auspices of Commercial Arbitration Chamber of Brazil (CAMARB).

• Successfully defended a German manufacturer of alleged defective park attraction against a major Tennessee entertainment park

• Lead trial counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, in major energy cases. Lead  the cost recovery for the Three Mile Island disaster and the cancellation of nuclear power plants, accounting for construction in progress, access of municipalities to transmission systems and antitrust.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Initial Member, The Florida Bar International Litigation and Arbitration Certification Committee

• The Florida Bar, Executive Council of the International Section, Trial Section and Business Section

• Dade County Bar Association
• Cuban American Bar Association

• Anti-Defamation League, Southern Regional Board Executive Committee