Bahamas Native and Becker & Poliakoff Shareholder will open largest US/Florida Law Firm in the Bahamas

FORT LAUDERDALE– Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., a diversified commercial law firm with more than 125 attorneys in 15 offices throughout Florida, in New York City, and affiliated offices in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, today announced that Ryan Pinder, a shareholder and Board Certified Tax attorney in the Firm’s Corporate & Tax Law Group, has been named to head the firm’s new office in Nassau, Bahamas.

Pinder, a Bahamian native admitted to the Florida Bar in 2000, holds Juris Doctor and Master of Tax Law degrees from the University of Miami where he also earned BBA and MBA degrees in Business and Finance. Recently named a Board Certified expert in Tax Law by the Florida Bar, Pinder also serves as the editor of “Tax Alert,” the firm’s newsletter on tax issues.

Ryan Pinder

Pinder will be available to provide U.S. counsel to companies and individuals doing business in the Bahamas as well as to Bahamians seeking U.S. legal advice. Specifically, he will advise U.S. based service providers and contractors who are looking at opportunities related to the wide-scale investment boom in various infrastructure, hospitality and other projects approved by the Bahamas Government.

Pinder will be supported in the firm’s Ft. Lauderdale office by Yolanda Cash Jackson, a firm shareholder and experienced Government Law attorney with family ties to the Bahamas, who represents South Florida cities as well as higher education institutions and health care providers.

“Becker & Poliakoff is very pleased to name Ryan Pinder to head our new office in the Bahamas,” said Alan Becker, Managing Partner, Becker & Poliakoff. “With the growing number of foreign investors, banks and trust companies with business in the region, there is a substantial market for U.S. legal counsel. Ryan’s extensive experience in U.S. corporate and tax law in addition to his family background and educational experience in the Bahamas makes him the perfect person to launch this office and take advantage of the natural ties between the Florida and Bahamian economies.”

“I’m excited at this opportunity to return to Nassau to help contribute to the growth of industry and business interests in the Bahamas and positively impact the Bahamian community,” said Ryan Pinder, Becker & Poliakoff. “The Bahamian government has approved more than $40 billion of direct foreign investment over the last six years and with much of that tied to the United States in some capacity, our services will satisfy the growing need for legal counsel felt by Bahamian individuals and companies, their U.S.-based partners and investors in the Bahamas.”

Becker & Poliakoff’s entrance into the Bahamian legal marketplace does not mean the firm will compete with local law firms, Pinder said, but instead will look to provide assistance with legal and taxation matters related to the US.

Founded in South Florida in 1973, Becker & Poliakoff opened its first foreign office in Prague in 1993. The firm provides its clients with a full range of legal services in areas such as homeowner and community association law; civil and complex commercial litigation; construction law; real estate law; bankruptcy and financial restructuring; international business, customs and trade law; entertainment, sports and gaming law; government law and lobbying; land use, planning and zoning; immigration law; technology and telecommunications law; intellectual property; corporate, tax and securities law; offshore asset protection and estate planning; collections and foreclosure; and more.