A group of exiled Venezuelan judges aligned with Venezuelan opposition leader and U.S. ally Juan Guaido has hired law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner to engage with U.S. officials about the effects of U.S. sanctions.
By Reuters – Jacqueline Thomsen
Aug 16, 2022
The firm disclosed its work in a filing with the U.S. Justice Department. It said it has previously offered legal advice to the judges but its work for the foreign figures is now stretching into political activity, which must be disclosed under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The U.S. and UK-based law firm will talk with U.S. government authorities about sanctions policy tied to the group of exiled judges, as well as “accounts made available to the Guaido-led government,” it said.
Partner Pedro Martínez-Fraga signed the disclosure. He and a firm spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The judges, known as the Supreme Tribunal of Justice for Venezuela in exile, could not immediately be reached for more information.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner said in the filing that it is charging the group 80% of its regular rates. Martínez-Fraga, who is based in Miami and New York, has the highest rate of the legal team, according to the papers, and will bill $1,156 an hour. He is joined by the firm’s Miami managing partner C. Ryan Reetz and lobbyists David Russell and Russ Carnahan.
U.S. officials have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Venezuela, citing alleged human rights abuses and the “illegitimate” regime of President Nicolás Maduro. In 2019 then-U.S. President Donald Trump ordered that the Maduro government’s assets within the United States be frozen.
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Read More: Reuters – Exiled Venezuelan judges hire U.S. lawyers for sanctions work
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