With more than 35 years of experience, John Friedhoff concentrates his practice on International, Intellectual Property and Entertainment/Sports Law. He has been a Board Certified Specialist in International Law for over 20 years and has been AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell for almost 20 years. John served as Vice President of the Central - American Chamber of Commerce and served as President of the Brazilian - American Chamber of Commerce.

Practice Focus

John handles a broad range of matters, including drafting international contracts for U.S. outbound investors, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution of products and services abroad, foreign agency agreements, trademark, registration and licensing of intellectual property. He has in-depth experience with foreign investment matters, including transfer pricing issues, registration of foreign capital and loans, and the establishment of offshore banks, corporations, trusts and mutual funds. A significant portion of his practice involves the counseling and licensing of wire remittance businesses.

John represents foreign investors in the establishment of companies in the U.S., and he assists foreign individuals with estate and income tax planning, and immigration concerns. A specialist in international law, John is a frequent speaker on issues relating to foreign investment in Latin America and authors articles on foreign investment for publication abroad.

In addition, John handles a variety of entertainment/sports law issues, the intellectual property matters that arise from those issues, including global brand management, trademark and licensing. The following are demonstrative of John's entertainment/sports law experience:

• Representation of one of the best soccer players in history
• Negotiated the acquisition and licensing of film rights in professional soccer games
• Negotiated with municipalities for land grants to develop soccer academies 
• Drafted acquisition documents for investment bank's purchase of equity in a Brazilian soccer club
• Consulted on governance and international licensing issues for Brazilian soccer club owners
• Drafted licensing agreements for sponsors at sports stadiums
• Represented free diver holding the world record
• Frequently asked to represent foreign sports stars in doing business within the United States
• Representation and counsel to the US Olympics Sailing Team for the 2016 Olympics
• Representation of Formula One race car driver in various matters including sponsorship contracts
• Representation of NASCAR driver in various matters
• Negotiated sponsorship contract with bicycle wheel manufacturer with Olympic cyclist

In The News

• Featured and interviewed by Philip Bell's LNR Radio Show "Legal News & Review" focusing on international legal work, particularly on inbound and outbound foreign investments, February 2018

• Featured, “Banrural de Guatemala Se Propone Abrir una Representacion en Miami,” (“Guatemalan Bank Set to Open Representative Office in Miami”) El Nuevo Herald, December 16, 2008

Professional Associations and Memberships

• U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group
  • Delegate, Fall 2009

• International Business Law Consortium

• Inter-American Bar Association

• American Bar Association

• The Florida Bar, International Law Section, Business Law Section

• Dade County Bar Association

• Central-American Chamber of Commerce
  • Past Vice President

• Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board Member
  • Past President

• Zamorano University,
  • Board of Trustees, 2010 - 2018
  • Secretary of the Board of Trustees, 2013 - 2018
  • Chair of the Legal Committee, 2012 - 2018

Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, "Taking Advantage of the Gringo Lawyer in Contract Negotiations: Examples and Principles for Future Use," INIDEM Business Law School Master of Laws Program, July 2022
• Presenter, "Kidnapping and Ransom Insurance: Guidance on Implementation," INIDEM Business Law School Master of Laws Program, December 2021
• Panelist, "International Forum on the Impact of Agribusiness, Environmental and Economic Development in the CARICOM Region," Fowler White Burnett, February 2016 

Publications

• Co-Author, "Remote Online Notarization: No More Trips to the U.S. Consulate (or Foreign Notary) for Notarizations," Global Law Experts, December 8, 2022
• Co-Author, "The USA Corporate Transparency Act Update: Alert to Non-USA Lawyers and Clients," Global Law Experts, June 22, 2022
• Co-Author, "Why Has My Bank Account Been Frozen? The IEEPA and Its Historical Underpinnings," Daily Business Review, October 29, 2019
• Author, “What Is It Like To Do Business in Latin America: Leave Your Assumptions at Home,” The Complete Lawyer, November 3, 2008

• Author, “Sales Representative Agreement: Commentary and Form,” International Business Transactions, Kluwer Law International

• Author, “A Offshore e Obsoleta?,” ("Is the Offshore Corporation ARTICLES Obsolete?") USA Lifestyle

• Author, "Mercado Aberto," ("The Open Market: Distribution of Products in the United States") USA Lifestyle

• Author, "Cuidado com as Franquias," ("Beware the Franchise") USA Lifestyle

• Author, "Um Destino Brasileiro," ("A Brazilian Destiny"), Icaro

• Author, "Como Obter Vistos para Abrir Negocio nos EUA," ("How to Obtain Work-Authorized Visas in the United States of America") Gazeta Mercantil

• Author, "O Que e um Trust?," ("What is a Trust?") USA Lifestyle

• Author, "Imigracao: As Seis Preguntas Mais Frequentes," (“Six Most Frequently Asked Immigration Questions") USA Lifestyle

• Author, "Imposto Sobre Venda de Mercadorias do Estado da Florida: Voce Pode Evita-Lo?," ("How to Avoid Sales Tax in Florida") USA Lifestyle

Representative Experience

• Advised S&P 100 company on logistics and drafted documentation for its acquisition in Chile.

• Advised S&P 100 company on logistics and drafted documentation for its acquisition in Argentina. 

• Advised preeminent Central American bank and drafted documentation for its (9 figure) acquisition of another bank in Central America.

• Advised Central American bank on its supplemental preferred shares capitalization by European NGO and negotiate terms of its requirements for the bank.

• Member, Board of Trustees of the preeminent Latin American agriculture university (a Delaware non-profit corporation operating abroad) and serving as the head of its legal committee and corporate secretary.

• Advised Latin American bank on regulatory issues regarding its U.S. real estate subsidiary.

• Negotiated and drafted joint venture between Brazilian real estate developer and renowned U.S. golf course community developer and location of a preeminent PGA golf tournament.

• Advised Latin American golf course community developer on intellectual property and structural issues.

• Manage worldwide trademark portfolio of spirits producer.

• Manage North American and Caribbean trademark portfolio of publicly traded company.

• Drafted international representative office application for two Central American banks in the U.S.

• Served as bank director of internationally oriented Florida state bank.

• Manage worldwide trademark portfolio of shipping company.

• Acted as principal counsel for large importer of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables.

• Advised Venezuelan logistics company on its acquisition by a U.S. logistics company subsequently acquired by S&P 100 company.

• Advised Brazilian university regarding the "importation and exportation" of Brazilian students to a preeminent U.S. liberal arts college and USA students to Brazilian university. Negotiated with said university to provide room and board with proper instruction to Brazilian students.

• Established internship program between Latin American University and US liberal arts college.

• Several successful representations of clients against cyber squatters resulting in the transfer of domain names. 

• Several successful representations of take-down orders to YouTube posters of damaging videos of clients.

• Drafted or revised revocable and irrevocable offshore trusts for high-net-worth clients with $20 million or more.

• Established US domestic corporations held by foreign corporations owned in trust for foreign purchasers of US real estate.

• Counseled foreign clients on estate planning involving U.S. gift and estate tax issues and foreign forced heirship issues. 

• Counseled foreign clients regarding FIRPTA issues and avoidance, as well as estate planning for foreign (beneficial) purchasers of real property in the State of Florida. 

• Advice and counsel to U.S. corporations as to outbound investments in Brazil. 

• Negotiated and drafted (with limited involvement of local counsel) a trademark co-existence agreement for a U.S. company to agree with a Venezuelan company (operating in the Caribbean) to protect the U.S. company's international trademark rights in the Caribbean.

• Established intellectual property holding structure for various Latin American companies desiring to protect their assets from nationalization and for tax benefits.

• Counseled clients on international treaties with the objective of protecting assets from nationalization and creeping nationalization. 

• Counseled a foreign client's operations in the resort and real estate development arena and its website architects to comply with U.S. corporate law with respect to website representations to avoid liability claims based upon claims of co-mingling of assets. 

• Drafted International Sales Representation Agreements and Distribution Agreements in many different industries including aquaculture, agriculture, furniture, liquor etc.

• Drafted International Sales Representation Agreement form for publication in Kluwer’s International Business Transactions formbook as a guide for international lawyers.

• Counseled foreign client selling beverages worldwide regarding compliance with intellectual property marking requirements for its goods and its labels as well as its website.

• Counseled foreign clients relating to personal jurisdiction issues in attempts to isolate them from entering into the jurisdiction of the USA.

• Counseled foreign client on the purchase of South American corporate stock through a North American (non-USA) company held by a Florida limited liability company owned by an offshore trustee in order to isolate environmental and labor law claims against the South American stockholder (which has liability up to the stockholder level) and to comply with trust requirements. 

• Counseled U.S. non-profit Delaware corporation operating in Central America regarding treaty rights under CAFTA-DR as it related to creeping expropriation.

• Counseled foreign client regarding perceived threats to its CEO's family's visas and assets by virtue of the American Economic Powers Act subsequent to a so-called military takeover.

• Drafted international sale of aquaculture perishables including trade secret language for ”enforcement” in foreign jurisdiction of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 and the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, which criminalizes certain trade secret misappropriations.

• Drafted trade secret licensing agreements. 

• Counseled clients regarding defensive company structures and mechanisms against expropriation and other political risks.