Florida Supreme Court Justice Cantero to Join White & Case

Miami, August 26, 2008 ... Global law firm White & Case LLP today announced that Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul G. Cantero, III, will be joining the Firm as partner in its Litigation Practice in Miami. Justice Cantero, who will join the Firm on October 1, will lead the Miami Appellate Practice, in addition to focusing on cross-border disputes relating to Latin America.

"Justice Cantero is well known throughout the state for his tremendous intellect, integrity and commitment to professional excellence, as well as his dedication to public service, and we are delighted to have a lawyer of his caliber and reputation joining White & Case," said Victor Alvarez, executive partner of the Firm's Miami office. "White & Case has been in Miami for more than 20 years and, independently measured, is one of the largest firms in the state — the addition of Justice Cantero will be instrumental to the further development of all our practices statewide, and he will play a major role in building our appellate practice on a regional, national and international level."

Appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in 2002 by then-Governor Jeb Bush, Justice Cantero was the first lawyer of Hispanic descent to sit on the Court. In his six years as a justice, he has heard hundreds of appeals and authored well over 100 majority, concurring and dissenting opinions, by definition involving precedent-setting and evolving areas of law.

For example, Justice Cantero authored the Court's recent opinion invalidating the gaming compact executed by Governor Charlie Crist with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and its unanimous opinion holding that the waiver of the Florida homestead exemption in an unsecured agreement is unenforceable. Justice Cantero was also the sole dissenter in a decision of the Court holding that under the Federal Arbitration Act, a party may avoid arbitration by arguing that the contract in which the arbitration clause is contained is illegal — a decision the US Supreme Court later reversed, thus upholding Justice Cantero's position.

Before his Court appointment, Justice Cantero was in private practice for 14 years in South Florida, specializing in civil and criminal appeals, during which he handled more than 250 appeals and more than 100 oral arguments in all five District Courts of Appeal of Florida, the Florida Supreme Court and several US Courts of Appeals. His practice also included administrative appeals to the Florida Circuit Courts from various municipal and county boards.

White & Case's Litigation Practice comprises a global team of more than 750 members across 35 offices, including 152 lawyers in New York, 131 in Washington, DC, 41 in Miami, 31 in Los Angeles and 23 in Palo Alto. Litigation is a key practice of the Firm, accounting for more than one-third of its work worldwide.

About White & Case
White & Case LLP is a leading global law firm with more than 2,300 lawyers in 37 offices in 25 countries. Our clients value the breadth and depth of our US, English and local law capabilities and rely on us for their complex cross-border commercial and financial transactions and for international arbitration and litigation. Whether in established or emerging markets, the hallmark of White & Case is our complete dedication to the business priorities and legal needs of our clients.

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Reilly Starr
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White & Case LLP
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