Am Law Spotlights Arrival of Devry Boughner Vorwerk and Growth of Akin Gump’s Cuba Efforts
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The American Lawyer featured the arrival of public law and policy senior advisor Devry Boughner Vorwerk to Akin Gump (learn more here) in its article “Akin Gump Hires Cargill Exec To Lobby on Cuba Relations.”
Vorwerk is noted as having come to the firm from Cargill, Inc., where she had served as vice president of corporate affairs, and as chairing the board of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, which advocates an end to the U.S. embargo on the island nation.
Vorwerk said she will be “looking for opportunities to enhance trade” between the two countries.
Regarding the embargo and Cuba bills introduced in both houses of Congress, Vorwerk said, “The embargo, at some point, will end. Even though these bills haven’t had a vote yet, they’re looking at it seriously, which is why clients really need to be looking at this now.”
Vorwerk will be working with the firm’s Cuba initiative, whose formation in 2015 formalized more than a decade’s work with clients seeking to do business with Cuba.
Public law and policy partner Scott Parven, who spearheads the initiative, said that companies from across the economy are calling to ask about Cuba: “They want to know: ‘What can we do? How long will this take? What’s the environment like? What are the risks? Are my competitors doing it? Can you provide an introduction for us on the ground in Havana?’”
Akin Gump formally launched its Cuba initiative in September 2015 with the hire of Cuba relations professional Anya Landau French. To learn more, please click here.
