James M. Stillwaggon expands firm’s immigration practice, and Luis M. Artime brings general counsel and compliance experience to corporate practice
Miami, Fla., June 05, 2014 – Alvarez Arrieta & Diaz-Silveira, LLP, a prominent South Florida boutique transactional law firm, has announced the addition of two new attorneys, James M. Stillwaggon and Luis M. Artime to continue growing the firm through their significant practice area knowledge and industry experience.
“As a founder of Alvarez Arrieta & Diaz-Silveira, I knew that our long-term success was linked to our client-first approach and our ability to provide world-class legal counsel,” said Pedro (Tony) Alvarez. “Mr. Stillwaggon’s years of immigration practice leadership, and Mr. Artime’s perspective as general counsel for some of America’s most successful companies will be invaluable to our clients. We are thrilled to have them on our team.”
Prior to joining Alvarez Arrieta & Diaz-Silveira, James M. Stillwaggon spent nearly 30 years leading the New York corporate immigration practice for a U.S.-based global law firm. He regularly advised banks, corporations, institutions and high-net-worth individuals on a variety of issues regarding visas, immigration and citizenship. In addition, he has represented individuals in challenging contested removal proceedings.
Mr. Stillwaggon has served as a trustee of the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation and as a member of the City Bar’s Council on Children. He was appointed to the American Bar Association’s Presidential Working Group on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is a faculty member at the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation at Fordham University. At his prior firm, Mr. Stillwaggon led the domestic and international pro bono efforts of the firm.
Mr. Stillwaggon graduated from Villanova University in 1967 and received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in 1974.
Stillwaggon stated, “As a Miami-based firm, Alvarez Arrieta & Diaz-Silveira is uniquely positioned to address the needs of multi-national corporations and individuals. I share their business philosophy and commitment to the community, and I look forward to serving the immigration needs of clients while growing the practice.”
Luis M. Artime has been practicing corporate transactional law for more than 30 years. His experience includes structuring and negotiating complex business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, venture and growth capital investments, commercial contracts, and real estate matters. He was the founding Miami partner for what is now the largest law firm in Florida, where he practiced for more than 19 years. His clients included investors, bankers, entrepreneurs, realestate developers and members of the health care industry.
From there, Mr. Artime transitioned to a decade of in-house legal work, most notably as Senior Associate General Counsel supporting Wal-Mart’s International operations. While there, he was promoted to lead the legal team responsible for supporting all of Wal-Mart’s U.S. stores’ operations. Before joining Wal-Mart, Mr. Artime was the Vice-President and General Counsel for BellSouth International, Inc. BellSouth International was a major wireless telephony operator in Latin America and Israel. Mr. Artime’s experience as corporate counsel included an extensive
compliance practice.
In addition, he served as the Senior Vice-President and General Counsel of AHI Healthcare Systems, Inc., where he assisted the healthcare management company with its Initial Public Offering. Most recently, Mr. Artime was Global General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Brightstar Corp., a global wireless telecommunication distribution and solutions company.
Mr. Artime graduated from Fordham University in 1973 and received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976. Artime stated, “As a former general counsel, I understand the corporate legal environment, and know that working with the right advisers can make huge difference in forwarding business growth while also protecting company interests. Today’s complex business environment requires that corporate clients invest significant time and resources to ensure compliance. I look forward to strengthening this practice at Alvarez Arrieta & Diaz-Silveira.”