Winston & Strawn LLP announced that Juan Azel has joined the Miami office as a partner in the Transactions Department and a member of the Financial Services Practice. Juan brings considerable fintech, banking, and consumer and financial crime regulatory compliance experience to Winston’s expanding presence in the heart of Miami’s commercial district.
Juan is the latest in a series of partners who have joined Winston in Miami. The firm previously announced that litigation Partner Adam M. Foslid had joined the office. Earlier, Winston noted the arrival of corporate Partner Carl A. Fornaris and litigation Partner Jared R. Kessler; they were preceded by corporate Partners Craig V. Rasile and Nicholas E. Rodríguez. This rapid expansion occurred shortly after Winston announced the launch of its Miami office in May with six partners.
Juan has 25 years of experience serving in major law firms in Florida and as in-house counsel at domestic and international banks. Most recently, he was Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Cross River Bank, one the country’s most active fintech-sector financial services organizations.
“Fintech’s and crypto’s rapid evolution continues to transform financial services and to create legal complexities in risk management and regulatory compliance,” said Juan. “Miami is a major center for the further development of fintech and digital assets nationally, and I believe my combination of in-house and external counsel fintech experience will allow me to provide value-focused legal and business solutions to clients across these sectors. I look forward to working alongside colleagues, both former and new, during this exciting time for the financial services industry.”
At Winston, Juan will advise domestic and foreign financial institutions and fintech companies on risk management, consumer and financial crime regulatory compliance, and corrective remediation responses to enforcement actions. His practice will complement the firm’s existing services on behalf of banks, fintech companies, cryptocurrency entities, broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other finance-related organizations.
“Miami has become a significant hub for fintech and finance more broadly,” said Miami Office Managing Partner Enrique J. Martin. “The continued influx of capital to South Florida is generating both opportunities and complexities in this space, and we’re pleased to add Juan’s knowledge and experience to our team.”
“We are thrilled to have landed someone as talented and knowledgeable in the fintech space as Juan. His addition will further enhance our ability to provide financial services clients with best-in-class legal services,” said Carl A. Fornaris, partner and co-chair of Winston’s Financial Services Practice.
“Juan joins a growing team in Miami that is making significant advances in helping financial institutions and fintech organizations solve today’s management and regulatory challenges,” said Winston Chairman Tom Fitzgerald. “He will add tremendous client value, and we look forward to his contributions.”
About our Miami office
Winston & Strawn’s Miami office leverages the area’s status as a dynamic financial hub, an epicenter of business activity spanning numerous industries, and a critical nexus point for banking and international trade with Latin America and other parts of the world.
The office serves clients representing some of the global economy’s strongest and fastest-growing sectors, including complex commercial litigation, mergers and acquisitions, financial services, fintech, cryptocurrency and blockchain, real estate, energy and infrastructure, bankruptcy, and Latin America.
Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 16 offices in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.
