The United States and Cuba are separated by less than 100 miles — but for most of the past six decades, the political gulf between the two countries has seemed much greater. Even in recent years, successive US administrations have held widely divergent positions on diplomatic and trade relations, creating levels of uncertainty that must be taken into consideration when exploring business or investment opportunities in Cuba.

With a well-established Latin America and Caribbean practice and a team of lawyers with direct experience on issues relating to Cuba, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP can help clients balance potential risks and rewards of doing business in the region. Throughout Latin America, we regularly review proposed commercial activities and transactions, ensure the permissibility of such transactions under existing US laws and regulations including the Helms-Burton Act and Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and anti-money laundering statutes.

In addition to advising US clients, we also counsel many non-US entities, including multinational corporations, start-ups, high-net-worth families and individual investors. Clients come to Hunton from a broad range of industries; for example, we have represented parties with interests and operations in the following sectors, among others:

• Agriculture, food and beverages
• Banking and financial services
• Energy and infrastructure
• Hospitality, hotels and tourism
• Insurance and reinsurance
• Media and entertainment
• Retail and consumer products
• Telecommunications and internet

Our lawyers have direct, firsthand experience with US federal agencies such as the US International Trade Commission (ITC), the US Department of Commerce, the US Trade Representative and the US Customs Service. We have represented the concerns of clients before the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, and provided effective litigation counsel in disputes argued in US federal and state courts, including the US Court of International Trade, and before international tribunals.

Our counsel extends across the business lifecycle, from development and launch of new products and services, intellectual property protection, debt and equity financing, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and dispositions, to real estate, environmental and other issues.

Our lawyers are fluent in Spanish. We understand the nuances of local business cultures, political processes and the underlying legal framework in the countries in which our clients operate or have relationships. This cross-cultural perspective, coupled with our real-world international experience, enables us to provide high-quality legal and consulting services.