Harold E. “Ed” Patricoff Jr. and Jake Baccari have joined Duane Morris LLP as partners in the firm’s Trial Practice Group in its Miami office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Patricoff and Baccari were partners at Shutts & Bowen LLP.

“This impressive team of attorneys bolster our international capabilities and add significantly to our growing South Florida offices,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “In particular, their collective experience in South America, Asia and Europe complements and enhances our existing work.”

“Ed and Jake, with their broad client base of individuals and businesses and deep experience in international matters, are a very exciting addition to Duane Morris and our Trial Practice Group,” said Sharon L. Caffrey, co-chair of the firm’s Trial Practice Group. “Their collective experience will enhance our Trial Group and add a new depth to several of our divisions,” added Wayne A. Mack, co-chair of the firm’s Trial Practice Group.

“We are seeing strong momentum in South Florida as businesses expand in the region and turn to Duane Morris with their complex legal matters,” said Harvey W. Gurland, Jr., managing partner of the Duane Morris Miami office. “We are especially pleased to be able to offer our clients the unique international experience that Ed and Jake will provide.”

“Duane Morris offers us a very attractive platform and essential internal resources to expand our practice,” said Patricoff. “We are very excited to be part of a dynamic and growing global law firm.”

Harold E. Patricoff Jr. represents clients in disputes across multinational borders. In his more than 35 years of experience, he has successfully resolved more than 100 high-stakes legal disputes in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia for multinational corporations and financial institutions. Patricoff is widely known for his experience in domestic and international fuel sales, supply and distribution, and the power generation industry. He serves as outside counsel for an international power generation supplier and a global distributor of aviation, marine and diesel fuel. Patricoff also has extensive experience in general commercial litigation. In addition to the power, fuel and aviation industries, he has handled cases in banking, cases involving the blocking or unblocking of assets in the United States and abroad, insurance, manufacturing, construction, banking and real estate. Specific matters include product liability claims, corporate shareholder disputes, developer-contractor disputes, disability claims, commercial foreclosures and lender liability claims, among others. Patricoff was named one of South Florida’s “Most Effective Lawyers” by the Daily Business Review in the Business/Complex Litigation category and is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated veteran litigator. He has been one of South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers for 15 straight years.

Patricoff is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1985) and Stetson University (B.S., cum laude, 1982). He is a member of the board of directors of the Miami Technology Council, the YMCA of South Florida, the Miami Symphony Orchestra, the Jay Malina Trade Consortium, the American Nicaraguan Foundation and the Ted Smallwood Store. Patricoff is also past chairman of the Metro Miami Board for the American Heart Association.

Jake Baccari is a Florida Bar board-certified specialist in international law. He focuses his practice on litigation, regulatory matters and multijurisdictional dispute resolution, with a particular focus on Asia. Baccari has represented clients in a diverse range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, banking and finance, energy, hospitality, private equity and private wealth. He has experience representing clients in multijurisdictional and domestic litigation and arbitration as well as in federal and state court proceedings throughout the United States. Baccari has represented clients in contentious and regulatory matters across the United States and in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He also has experience conducting investigations and advising clients on corporate affairs and crisis situations. In previous roles, Baccari acted as global coordinating disputes counsel for Japanese clients in the Tokyo office of an international law firm, where he was registered as a foreign attorney with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. He later served as senior group counsel for a multinational financial institution based in Singapore. The Florida Bar recently appointed Baccari to serve on the International Law Certification Committee for a three-year term beginning on July 1, 2021.

Baccari is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004), where he was articles and comments editor of the Inter-American Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (B.A., 1998).