Clarissa Rodriguez is a Board-Certified Expert in International Law.  She is a member of the Harper Meyer Art and Entertainment Law Group, International Litigation and Arbitration Group, and California desk practice areas.  She has an overwhelming amount of dispute resolution experience that paved a way for a cross disciplinary practice between disputes and the arts.

In 2016, Clarissa met and later partnered with Donald S. Burris, Esq.  Donald “Don” Burris is a renowned attorney with experience serving as Assistant Counsel to the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee and concentrating in the restitution of Nazi-looted art, specifically winning the landmark US Supreme Court case of Altmann v. Republic of Austria 541 U.S. 677 (2004).  As a colleague and dear friend, Don inspired Clarissa to develop and dovetail her passion for arts and entertainment law with her experience in litigation and alternative dispute resolution.  Don and Clarissa work together on various art law cases as well as sophisticated business litigation matters in Miami and Los Angeles.

Art and Entertainment Law are so much fun. Clarissa assists clients on all legal issues related to the acquisition, retention and disposition of fine art, and rights to works of artistic creation. She counsels clients on all issues related to the purchase, sale, and ownership of art and advises clients on all areas of due diligence, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and transactions related to artwork, the art market, and the art world.  She has experience in motion picture and television financing, production legal, distribution, talent representation and intellectual property in entertainment law.

Clarissa remains active in the litigation trenches handling corporate disputes in litigation, prosecuting claims to verdict or other final award on behalf of business clients as well as defending against contract, corporate fraud, and other tort allegations in bet-the-company and other high-value cases. Her experience also includes internal investigations and compliance matters involving asset forfeiture, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), import/export, and other criminal laws and regulations, including mission-critical circumstances parallel to threatened or pending civil litigation.

As an advocate of ADR, Clarissa also represents clients in international and domestic arbitrations, including before the American Arbitration Association (AAA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), and Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), in “post-deal,” breaches of representations and warranties, and other confidential business matters involving up to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Successfully obtained approvals of various copywritten art and materials for academic and publishing use for renowned writer/author.
• Effectively negotiated various story rights and life rights agreements for media company.
• Assisted world renown art gallery in recovery of bank wired funds in cyber fraud case.
• Effectively negotiated investment deal for movies featured at Sundance Film Festival.
• Effectively negotiated sale of secondary marker art collection.
• Positive resolution for award winning movie producer in cross-border litigation over stolen blue-chip artwork.
• Successfully obtained emergency injunction against art gallery to prevent the sale of blue-chip artwork.
• Successfully obtained an injunction and judgment in federal court on behalf of an international hotel chain against internet trademark infringement by a “cybersquatter” under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.
• Demanded arbitration and prosecuted claims on behalf of an agricultural vegetable grower against produce distributor.
• Effectively served as family office counsel for ultra-high net worth LATAM client.
• Successfully represented South American multi-national telecommunications provider in ICC arbitration against largest South American telecommunications satellite owner operator for breach of agreement.  Resulted in multi-million-dollar award for the client.
• Successfully represented Brazilian national against multinational banking institution in FINRA arbitration and mediation for restitution for price of future contracts purchased in Brazil.  Favorable award for client of million dollars.
• Represented Brazilian engineering company against a US manufacturing company in ICDR arbitration over US$20 million claim for in a breach of contract.
• Represented multi-national South American distributor in the drafting, negotiating, and securing sequential supply contracts and service agreements, worth more than US$80 million, for construction materials from US suppliers.

ORGANIZATIONS & AFFILIATIONS 

• The Florida Bar International Law Section, Past Chair (2019-2020)
• The Florida Bar International Law Certification Committee, Chair (2022-2023)
• Center of Law Art, Sponsor and Member (2020-Present)
• Village of Miami Shores, Fine Arts Committee Board
• Federal Bar Association, Member of Art & Fashion Law Section
• American Bar Association, International Law Section Member

PUBLICATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Frequent Lecturer at Florida International University School of Law on Art Law Disputes.
• Quarterly Moderator of ILS Lunch& Learn Series at Fiduciary Trust International featuring various discussants on International Law (2021-Present).
• Panelist at Russian American Bar Association on International Disputes, March 12, 2021.
• Moderator at ABA International Law Section speaker series on Culture and Diversity, April 14, 2021.
• Speaker at the ILS Retreat on “The ABCs of Art Theft”, November 7, 2020.
• Panelist at International Law Students Association on “Pathways to International Arbitration”, September 23, 2020.
• Moderator at JAMS on “Expanding the Dispute Resolution Toolbox”, July 13, 2020.
• Moderator at ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Town Hall on Conflict Prevention, June 30, 2020.
• Panelist at the iLaw2020: Global Forum for International Law on “Rapid Fire Discussions in International Arbitration, February 28, 2020.
• Panelist “Women in International Law” at Nova Southeastern University, Shepard School of Law, September 18, 2019.
• Moderator of 2018 Art Law Symposium titled, “Resolving Arts Law Disputes: Solutions for Stakeholders” at the Sagamore Hotel, December 4, 2018.
• Lecturer at the Wolfsonian Museum of Art on Art Law Disputes, November 30, 2018.
• Discussant at the Miami International Arbitration Society Conference on the Court of Arbitration of Art (CAfA); a New Player in International Arbitration, November 14, 2018
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., Reversing the Silk Road: The Rapid Rise of the Art Market in Asia and its Implications, International Law Quarterly, vol. XXXIV, no. 2 at 10, Fall 2018
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., Chapter 1: Introduction to International Law, International Law, The Florida Bar International Law Section, publication pending
• Speaker at Hispanic National Bar Association, Roundtable Teleconference on Damages in International Family Law, August 28, 2018
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., A Good Day at Work, The Woman Advocate, ABA, Winter 2018, Vol. 24, Issue 1
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., Consider Alternative Dispute Resolution BEFORE You Litigate, The Dade County Bar Assoc. Bulletin, January 2018
• Speaker at Russian American Bar Association, International Women’s’ Day Discussion on Career Paths for International Law, March 2018
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., The Art of the Arbitration, International Law Quarterly, vol. XXXIII, no. 3 at 14, Fall 2017
• Speaker at University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Seminar on International Business Transactions, November 9, 2017
• Reich, Laura M. & Rodriguez, Clarissa A., Prepare to Win: First Steps in International Arbitration, The Woman Advocate, ABA, Winter 2017, Vol. 22, Issue 2
• Creator and Organizer of Femme Arbitration: Women in Int’l Arbitration, sponsored by The Florida Bar Int’l Law Section & Future of Arbitration: Miami (September 14, 2013)

SKILLS

• Fluent in Spanish; proficient in Portuguese
• Creative
• Logistical specialist and analytical person

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