Damaso W.
Saavedra

Attorney Profile

Managing Partner

Mr. Saavedra is the managing partner of the firm, which he established in 1988. Born in Havana, Cuba, Mr. Saavedra is fluent in English and Spanish. He received his B.A. in 1979 from the University of Connecticut and his J.D. in 1986 from the George Washington National Law Center. Mr. Saavedra has served as Secretary and Director for the Inter-American Businessmen Association and co-authored “An Introduction to the Settlement of Unresolved Property Claims against the Cuban Government.” Mr. Saavedra also served as Staff Assistant for Congressman William Lehman in Washington, D.C.

Admitted to the Bars of Florida, Connecticut and Washington D.C., Mr. Saavedra has earned the distinction of an AV rating by the Martindale Hubbell Association. The AV rating identifies preeminent legal ability and reflects the experience, integrity and professionalism of the recipient, as well as a commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards.

Personalized Legal Representation Since 1988

Mr. Saavedra specializes in all aspects of corporate and commercial transactional law, including general aviation-related transactions, mergers and acquisitions, complex commercial transactions, land development, and business transactions including transactions associated with the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and Costa Rica.

Mr. Saavedra advises his clients on business formation (corporation, LLC, LLP and partnership), equity/capital placement, as well as debt finance and strategic real estate opportunities, distressed debt investments and additionally transactions involving domestic representation of international clients. He represents clients in general aviation/fixed base operation transactions, associated airport ground leases including leasing, and ownership structures in compliance with applicable aviation regulations and guidelines.

During his career, Mr. Saavedra has represented sellers, purchasers and lenders in approximately $7.2 billion dollars in cumulative corporate acquisitions and real estate transactions in a variety of asset purchases, land development transactions, complex commercial refinancings, long-term leasehold and subleasehold financings, and distressed debt acquisitions. Mr. Saavedra recently represented a corporate conglomerate as lead counsel in approximately $450 million dollars’ worth of refinancings, new construction loans, and tax-exempt bond transactions and construction at locations throughout Florida, New York and Georgia.

Additionally, Mr. Saavedra served as lead corporate counsel in handling a series of real estate bond transactions. In 2018, Mr. Saavedra acted as lead borrower’s counsel for a $640,000,000.00 Senior Credit Facility, collateralized by properties in Florida, Georgia and New York. Mr. Saavedra provided corporate and real estate expertise for all aspects and documentation of the transaction. Mr. Saavedra also serves as corporate counsel to Florida based developers, European, Canadian, Caribbean, Central and South American Clients related to transactions in the United States and offshore.

Education

• George Washington University National Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
  J.D. – 1986
• University of Connecticut
  B.A. – 1979

Practice Areas

• Corporate
• Commercial Transactional Law

Honors

• AV rating by the Martindale Hubbell Association

Representative Clients

• Sheltair Aviation, one of Florida’s largest fixed base operators with over 21 airport locations across Florida, Georgia and New York
• Former national political figures from Costa Rica, Switzerland and Ecuador
• Citicorp Latino, Citicorp Global, N.A., and other publicly traded financial institutions

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1986
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia

Pro-Bono Activities

• Inter-American Businessmen Association, Secretary and Director

Past Positions

• Congressman William Lehman in Washington, D.C., Staff Assistant