Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP is pleased to welcome Arcie I. Jordan as a corporate partner in the Firm's Austin office. Ms. Jordan joins Gardere from Jackson Walker LLP and brings more than 20 years' experience in counseling a broad spectrum of companies expanding internationally to and from the United States.
"Arcie's international practice expertise is consistent with our strategic focus in Mexico and Latin America," says Gardere Chair Holland N. O'Neil. "Arcie likewise compliments our burgeoning International Trade Group, which advises clients related to FCPA compliance, anti-trust compliance, import/export and other supply chain regulations around the world. She is well-known in this area of practice, and our clients will be well-served by her acumen in this complicated, but critically important, area of the law."
Ms. Jordan's practice encompasses international transactional, transportation, trade and immigration matters. She routinely assists clients with acquisitions and divestitures, corporate governance, structuring and formation, foreign investments, immigration issues, cross-border labor and employment and tax-related issues, and regulatory permitting, licensing and compliance (including those related to U.S. exports).
"I am thrilled to join Gardere," says Ms. Jordan. "I recall Gardere attorneys blazing the trail for U.S. investors entering Mexico in the mid-1980s, when I was still a neophyte aspiring to be an international attorney. It is an honor to be joining such a well-known and respected international firm."
Since the early 1990s, Ms. Jordan has been extensively involved with the international business community in Austin. She has held leadership roles in the International Partnership of Greater Austin and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Camino Real District Export Council and the Pan American Roundtable, and actively supports the U.S. Export Assistance Center.
Additionally, Ms. Jordan is a founding member of the International Business and Law Roundtable, a networking and knowledge management group for executives involved in international business, and the International Business and Law Council of Texas, a group comprised of in-house corporate counsel dealing with international legal issues. Ms. Jordan has lived and traveled throughout Mexico and several South American countries. She is fluent in Spanish, and she is equally comfortable negotiating and drafting legal documents in Spanish as she is in English. Ms. Jordan also has a working knowledge of French and has set a personal goal of learning Portuguese.
Ms. Jordan received her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. She also completed the advanced studies program on Comparative U.S./Mexico Legal Systems sponsored by the law schools of University of Monterrey and St. Mary's University.
"We are excited to have Arcie join our Austin office," says Gardere Austin Office Executive Partner Kimberly A. Yelkin. "As a leader in the industry, Arcie's proven track record and wealth of experience will be of great benefit to the Firm's international practice and to our multinational clients."
The addition of Ms. Jordan comes on the heels of Gardere's recent announcement in July that it is entering into an agreement with joint venture partner, Arena y Asociados S.C., to combine all Mexico operations into Gardere, Arena y Asociados, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gardere (see the Firm’s July 28, 2014 press release here). She also joins several high-profile attorneys who have made the move to Gardere's thriving international practice, including Juan M. Alcalá (Austin), Michelle Schulz (Dallas) and Elsa Manzanares (Dallas).