Giovanni focuses his practice on international dispute litigation and complex business litigation. He represents individuals, corporations and sovereign governments in international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations under the major arbitration rules. These proceedings include arbitrations administered under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR).
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He has also acted as counsel in U.S. courts for disputes including breach of contract, business torts, defamation, fraud, trademark, unfair competition, and trade secret misappropriation. Giovanni has experience in all phases of litigation, from pre-suit investigations through final adjudication, including trial work. He has represented clients in a range of industries, including luxury consumer goods, hospitality, banking and financial services, food and beverage, and technology and telecommunications.
Before becoming an attorney, Giovanni worked for Bellsouth Communications and AT&T, and while there worked as a special services liaison between hurricane-affected customers and FEMA. Before joining Shook, he was an associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Miami.
Representative Matters
Represent hospitality property investors from Argentina, France, Portugal and Canada in a multiparty investment treaty dispute under the UNCITRAL Rules against the United Mexican States. The proceedings are administered by ICSID and seated in Washington, D.C.
Represent a multinational medical device manufacturer in pre-investment dispute negotiations against a Central American state concerning prospective treaty violations under DR-CAFTA.
Represent a German construction manufacturer and affiliate distributor in a breach of contract and business tort dispute administered by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and seated in Boston.
Represented Barbados investor in ICSID (World Bank) arbitration against the Venezuelan government involving claims under the Barbados-Venezuela bilateral investment treaty, related to expropriation of hotels and tourism-related assets with claims exceeding $400 million.
Represented the Government of the Dominican Republic in an UNCITRAL investor-state dispute involving the real estate sector.
Represented financial services investors in parallel ICSID and UNCITRAL (Permanent Court of Arbitration) investor-state proceedings against the Republic of Colombia.
Represented Panamanian company in ICDR arbitration with Canadian entertainment company involving rights to sale and use of entertainment technology throughout Latin America.
Represented U.S. investor in ICDR arbitration concerning a Jamaican joint venture in the technology industry.
Represented British Virgin Islands companies in federal litigation against the Republic of Ecuador concerning a $1 billion asset expropriation.
Authored amicus brief on behalf of international bar association on N.Y. Convention issues before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Co-authored amicus brief on behalf of the Miami International Arbitration Society on arbitrability issues before the Florida Supreme Court.
Represented a multinational chemical producer and distributor to negotiate international arbitration clauses for its Asia-Pacific affiliates’ commercial transactions.
Represented a Panamanian company in vacatur proceedings pursuant to the New York Convention in the Southern District of Florida.
Represented U.S. aerospace defense company subject to a subpoena in the Southern District of Florida and advised on confidentiality issues related to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act.
Represented a financial institution in negligence action in Florida state court involving liability for latent environmental issues in connection with real estate mortgage.
Represented consumer products manufacturer in the Middle District of Florida for breach of contract in connection with a stock purchase and settlement agreement executed prior to a corporate buyout.
Represented luxury goods manufacturer in international arbitration under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), to defend its trademark rights where foreign infringers were held to be cybersquatters and the improper domain names were seized.
Represented an indigent mother in a federal bench trial in the Northern District of Illinois under the Hague Convention of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, ultimately negotiating a favorable post-trial settlement that won the client custody of her daughters.
Represented an indigent father in federal court proceedings in the Northern District of Georgia under the Hague Convention of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, resulting in an order reestablishing his custodial rights by enforcing the foreign court’s jurisdiction in our client’s favor.
Deposed two federal ICE agents in a class action lawsuit alleging constitutional civil rights violations due to improperly issued immigration detainers, and co-authored briefs to successfully certify the class.
Advised on choice of law issues and led factual investigation of more than 200 alleged false statements in a defamation and disparagement suit in South Dakota state court against ABC News and others, seeking more than $1 billion in actual and statutory damages for a beef producer.
Represented a multinational bank in a patent infringement case against a nonpracticing entity (a patent troll) involving data encryption technology.
Represented a digital cable television provider in a high-stakes patent infringement case against a telecommunications provider involving VoIP and data transmission technologies.
Presentations
Force majeure, hardship and how to deal with the unexpected?, International Association of Young Lawyers, International Arbitration Annual Conference & Public Procurement Law/Healthcare and Life Sciences Seminar, Berlin, Germany, October 2022 (Speaker).
Airbnb v Doe: The Florida Supreme Court Takes on Arbitrability, CLE Program, Miami International Arbitration Society, September 29, 2021 (with Carlos Concepción and multiple speakers).
International Arbitration Skills Masterclass, International Law Section, American Bar Association, May 2021 (Organizing Committee).
Brunch with the GCs, International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, 2020 Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, February 2020 (Moderator).
Making the Environment Great Again: New Frontiers for International Arbitration and State Courts, International Association of Young Lawyers, 57th International Young Lawyers’ Congress, Rome, Italy, September 2019 (Speaker).
The California Consumer Privacy Act and Developments in International Arbitration, Association of Corporate Counsel South Florida Coffee Talk Series, Miami, February 2019 (Speaker).
Strategic Choices in Investor-State Arbitration, International Association of Young Lawyers, 8th Annual Arbitration Conference, New York City, October 2016 (Panelist).
Mediating Commercial Disputes—Hot Topics and Practical Tips, International Association of Young Lawyers, 54th International Young Lawyers’ Congress, Munich, Germany, August 2016 (Speaker).
Implied Powers of the Arbitrators, Conferencia Latinoamericana de Arbitraje, Miami, June 2016 (Moderator).
Publications and Media Coverage
Exploring Integrity, SpotlightAIJA, March 3, 2022.
Miami Group Says Airbnb Ruling May Hurt Arbitration in Fla., Law360, May 28, 2021.
Managing Cyber and Data Risk in Arbitration, Corporate Disputes Magazine, April-June 2019.
Miami Lawyer Wades Into Supreme Court Head-Scratcher Over International Arbitration, Daily Business Review, September 25, 2016.
Author, No Suit For You! Iqbal’s Effect on Potentially Meritorious Cases (note), 86 Notre Dame L. Rev. 795, 2011.