International Bar President Fernando Pelaez-Pier Wins State Bar's Distinction in International Affairs Award

• by New York State Bar Association

ALBANY, NY (01/28/2010)(readMedia)-- Fernando Peláez-Pier, president of the International Bar Association, received the 2010 Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs from the New York State Bar Association on January 27 during its Annual Meeting at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. Sponsored by the State Bar's International Section, the award honors outstanding efforts in the area of international law and affairs.

The section honored Peláez-Pier, of Venezuela, for his many years of distinguished service to the International Bar Association and his lifelong advocacy for the rule of law and human rights. During his tenure as president of the International Bar Association, Peláez-Pier has taken on the important tasks of mobilizing attorneys to help solve the problems confronting the world's financial markets while also looking for solutions that can help law firms navigate their way through these difficult times.

"As president of the global voice of the legal profession, Fernando Peláez-Pier has done a superb job of finding ways lawyers can work to solve the global financial crisis and shape the new regulatory environment. At the same time, Peláez-Pier has been a strong voice in reminding us all of our obligation as attorneys to promote the rule of law and human rights throughout the world," said International Section Chair and Past President Steven C. Krane of New York (Proskauer Rose LLP). "He is a most deserving recipient of this award, and we are honored to present it to him."

Peláez-Pier is a corporate partner of Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque, concentrating his practice in contract negotiations, mergers & acquisitions, foreign investments, project finance and alternative dispute resolution. He is a prominent member of the global legal fraternity. An expert on inward investment, he has helped several of the largest multinational corporations develop their businesses in Venezuela.

Peláez-Pier is a graduate of the Iberoamericana University, Mexico City; Paris University (diplôme d'études supérieures); and the Universidad de Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela. He was chairman of the Federation of Binational Chambers of Commerce of the European Community (FEDEUROPA) 1981–1982; Lex Mundi Chairman, 1992–1993, and served as vice-president of the International Bar Association (IBA) (2007–2008); Secretary-General(2005–2006), chair of the IBA Section on Business Law (2002–2004), Vice-Chair (2000–2002), and Secretary-Treasurer (1998–2000). He is a member of the advisory board for the Institute for International and Comparative Law and the Interamerican Bar Association.

Previous recipients of the award include: Hon. Jon O. Newman, senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; The Lawyers and Judges of Pakistan, as represented by Aitzaz Ahsan; Gillian Martin Sorensen, senior advisor of the United Nations Foundation; Lech Walesa, former president of Poland; Carlos Salinas de Gortari, former president of Mexico; Cyrus R. Vance, former U.S. secretary of state; and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former U.N. secretary general.

Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.

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