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“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”
-N.D. Kalu
Dear ILS Members,
Last week the International Legal and In-House Counsel Communities lost a legend in Salvador “Chicho” Juncadella. Salvador was an incredible friend, mentor and leader to many in the legal profession, including me. He received his law degree from the University of Havana in Cuba and began his career at one of the country’s largest law firms. However, the Cuban revolution forced him to flee with his family to Miami where he served as in-house counsel to ExxonMobil for many years. Salvador would later join and ultimately retire from Morgan Lewis after more than 25 years as an International Consultant working on matters involving more than 25 countries.
Salvador was Past President of the Inter-American Bar Association, Past Co-Chair of the Inter-American Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section, a Member of the American Society of International Law, the Advisory Board of Latin American Law and Business Report, and the Panel of International Arbitrators for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and the International Division of the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
Professionally, Salvador is most recognized as the founder and Chair of the Juncadella Corporate Counsel Group (JCCG), which was renamed in his honor. The JCCG is an organization of in-house counsel with over 300 multinationals and 400 members. About 15 years ago, I had the privilege of joining the JCCG after I became the Assistant General Counsel at Royal Caribbean Cruises. I still remember walking into my first JCCG luncheon at the J.W. Marriott in Miami. As I gazed across the room, there were so many significant companies represented and outstanding lawyers present that I felt like I was at the all-star game of international lawyers. The environment was welcoming, and the members were very friendly. But what stood out to me most on that first day wasn’t the all-stars, it was the coach, Salvador Juncadella. Shortly after I arrived, Salvador came over to introduce himself. He always gravitated towards the new members and guests and was excited to welcome them to the “club.” He was a soft-spoken man, but he commanded respect with his presence, and warmed your heart with his kindness. He always called me by my last name, “Montes de Oca.” I think he liked the Spanish sound of it, and perhaps it gave him some nostalgia to his Cuban roots. But he always said it with a smile and in an endearing manner that created a special connection. For Salvador, connections were one of the greatest attributes and he insisted that the JCCG and its members embrace it.
If the measure of a person’s legacy is derived by the amount of themselves that they pour into others, then Salvador’s legacy is indeed a great one as he poured a ton of himself into literally hundreds of international lawyers, and we are forever grateful. Rest easy, Chicho. You will be missed, but never forgotten. My sympathy and prayers to his friends and family.
In this week’s Gazette, we have some important announcements.
First, the iLaw Steering Committee members have been selected and their first virtual meeting is on Monday, August 7 at 5 pm. I want to thank the iLaw Co-Chairs, Davide Macelloni and Adrian Nunez for their leadership and all of the committee members who have agreed to serve on this important committee for our flagship conference.
Also, this past week, the NFL kicked off the preseason with a great football game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns, so be sure to get in on the action and sign up for the ILS Fantasy Football League by contacting Commissioner Jeff Hagen before time runs out! Draft Day is Sunday, August 20 at 7 pm.
Finally, I’m excited to announce that the ILS Leadership Team (Board, Executive Council and Committee Chairs) will be participating in the ILS Leadership Forum on Wednesday, August 30 at 4 pm at Puttshack at Brickell City Centre. This is a critical event for ALL ILS Leaders to plan and coordinate our important initiatives for this year, engage in teambuilding and have some fun! Please RSVP to Liz Hockensmith: ehockensmith@floridabar.org.
Aufrichtig,
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