Cuba Practice Group

Cuba represents the largest potential consumer market in the Caribbean and the Cuban people are a formidable and well-educated workforce.  In the most significant changes in United States policy toward Cuba in more than fifty years, on December 17, 2014, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would begin to normalize relations with Cuba and it is expected the  Biden administration will similarly seek to pursue such engagement.

We are uniquely positioned to assist U.S. companies to enter the Cuban market based on our knowledge of both U.S. regulations and Cuban laws. Ambar Diaz, the Chair of our Cuba practice, has over 15 years of experience representing companies doing business in Cuba, providing guidance both from the U.S. regulatory standpoint and under Cuban laws as Ms. Diaz also practiced as an attorney in Havana before immigrating to the United States.  Furthermore, several of our lawyers are the sons and daughters of Cuban-born parents. These lawyers are fluent in Spanish, intimately familiar with Cuban history, culture and traditions, and are a very effective professional bridge between companies, businesses and individuals from the U.S. and elsewhere, on the one hand, and their parents’ homeland, on the other.

Cuba represents a market with robust long-term growth potential that hinges on what happens with Cuba's government institutions and economic engine going forward. Lawyers in our Cuba Practice Group are experienced with the laws relating to U.S. policy on Cuba, including the long-standing U.S. embargo, The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (commonly known as the Helms-Burton Act), rules, regulations and amendments promulgated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the most recent changes beginning to take place after President Obama’s announcement on changes to Cuba policy on December 17, 2014.

We closely monitor changes to U.S. policy, new legislation and amendments to existing laws that impact U.S.-Cuba relations. We also advise clients regarding obtaining U.S. Treasury and Commerce Department licenses, negotiating contracts and facilitating complex transactions involving Cuban counterparts while making sure they remain in compliance with U.S. laws.

For more information, please contact the Chair of the Cuba Practice Group, Ambar Diaz, adiaz@smgqlaw.com.