Bruce Claugus and His Law Firm, Claugus & Mitchell LLP, Have Received AV® Ratings From Martindale-Hubbell®, Its Preeminent Rating.

Bruce Claugus http://www.c-mlaw.com/attorneys/bruce-claugus and his law firm, Claugus & Mitchell LLP, http://www.c-mlaw.com have received the prestigious AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, its preeminent rating.

New York, New York (LexisNexis) May 2, 2011 – New York attorney Bruce Claugus of Claugus & Mitchell LLP, has received the prestigious AV® Preeminent Rating(SM) from Martindale-Hubbell®.  The AV® Preeminent(SM) rating is the highest such peer review rating available to any individual lawyer.

Bruce Claugus http://www.c-mlaw.com/attorneys/bruce-claugus has thirty-five years of experience and was admitted to practice in New York in 1977 and in Illinois in 1983.

Upon learning of the AV® Preeminent (SM) rating awarded to him http://www.c-mlaw.com/attorneys/bruce-claugus and Claugus & Mitchell http://www.c-mlaw.com/our-values, Mr. Claugus remarked, “I have spent a lifetime developing my abilities and my ethical standards to the highest levels possible.  I am deeply gratified that Martindale-Hubbell and my peers have seen fit to honor me as they have.  I suppose it is unpopular or even unwise to mention that I am a man of deep religious belief; however, I will not shrink from saying so.  I am proud of this belief.  It has guided me throughout my life and caused me to strive to be the most useful and honest man I can be.  My belief is responsible for the honor Martindale-Hubbell and my peers have bestowed on me.  I hope and pray that, through my striving and consistent with the honor I now enjoy, I will, in some small way, justify the space I occupy on this earth.”

An AV® rating is granted only to the top three percent of lawyers and recognizes their legal expertise and overall professional excellence.  The AV® Preeminent(TM) rating is a significant accomplishment for Mr. Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell and is a testament to the fact that peers of Mr. Claugus rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.  A widely respected mark of achievement, his AV® Preeminent(TM) rating differentiates Mr. Claugus from most other lawyers. 

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary.  Martindale-Hubbbell representatives conduct personal interviews to discuss lawyers under review with other members of the Bar.  A compilation of these opinions from various sources is necessary to form a consensus and lawyers under review are sometimes asked to provide professional references to assist with the process.  In addition, confidential questionnaires are sent to lawyers and judges in the same geographic location and area of practice as the lawyer being rated.  Members of the Bar are instructed to assess the legal ability and ethical standards of their colleague.

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system reflects the anonymous opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary.  Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings http://www.martindale.com/Products_and_Services/Peer_Review_Ratings.aspx fall into two categories: Legal Ability and General Ethical Standards.  The Legal Ability Rating indicates professional ability in a specific area of practice and is based on five key areas: legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability, and legal experience.  The General Ethical Standards Rating denotes adherence to the highest professional standards of practice and the honesty, reliability, diligence, and other criteria relevant to the discharge of the ethical responsibilities of a lawyer functioning at the highest level of the profession.[1]  Mr. Claugus has embeded these standards in the culture of Claugus & Mitchell through the values he has established for the Firm and its entire staff.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/our-values

Bruce Claugus was born in 1948 and has practiced law since 1976. He is the founder of the firm and practices primarily in the areas of banking, finance, and commercial and intellectual property litigation. Mr. Claugus is responsible for all of the areas of practice of the Firm. He pioneered the use of pre-export facilities to finance the privatization of natural resource properties in Latin America and is renowned for his forceful and innovative presence and tactics in corporate transactions and litigation.

Mr. Claugus earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Mechanics from Ohio State University in 1972 and a Juris Doctorem from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976. He was trained in the practice of law at the firm of Shearman & Sterling.

In 1984, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Chicago where he studied under Nobel Laureate Merton Miller, Victor Zarnowitz, and Dean Jack Gould.

Mr. Claugus has been a lecturer at numerous capital markets workshops in New York and Mexico conducted by such entities as El Financiero, The Lubin Center for International Business, and the Harvard Club. He has published with and at the request of Institutional Investor and has been quoted frequently by El Financiero, Latin Finance, and Crain's New York Business.

Professional Memberships

• New York State Bar Association                                
• Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary
• Phi Delta Phi Law Honorary
• Down Town Association
• India House Club
• The Down Town-Lower Manhattan Association

Admitted to Practice

• New York
• Illinois

Reported Decisions and Articles

• Bank of Cyprus - Decision
• Chevy Chase Bank - Decision
• Chere Amie - Decision
• Moyna - Decision
• Pace - Decision
• El Financiero
• Harvard Club Address
• Latin Finance - Shaping Up
• Latin Finance/El Financiero - Uncertainties, Value, and the Participation of U.S. Institutions
• Unblocking the East
• Pace University
• Infocast - 1 Negotiating & Documenting the Multi-lender Credit
• Infocast - 2 Documenting the Commercial Loan
• Infocast - 3 Opportunities in the US Market

Claugus & Mitchell LLP was founded on January 1, 1992, to provide incisive representation in the practice of law.

The Firm focuses its practice in the areas of commercial transactions, intellectual property, litigation, and transactions with individuals and businesses based throughout North America and the emerging markets. The services rendered by the Firm are direct and decisive and, within these disciplines, it guides its clients through the entirety of their needs.

Claugus & Mitchell is an integrated team of attorneys who have extensive training and decades of experience. Their cross-disciplinary practice enables them to deliver innovation, leadership, and efficiency to each matter they undertake. Their transactional and litigation practices inform one another resulting in excellence in the practice of law.

Claugus & Mitchell is small and small by choice. Mr. Claugus believes the practice of law requires creativity, speed, agility, and close attention to detail in order to achieve results of high quality. These requirements are best satisfied through a closely interactive relationship between the lawyer and the client, making the practice of law a very personal undertaking. Large enterprises are not well equipped to establish such a relationship or to meet these requirements. Claugus & Mitchell can and does. The advantage this gives the Firm has given rise to an established record of success against much larger adversaries.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/overview

Mr. Claugus also wants to apply the capabilities and values of Claugus & Mitchell in economies that will enjoy high rates of growth.  As a major part of this strategy, Claugus & Mitchell, as managed by Bruce Claugus, has just joined, as a founding member, the partnership of DeForest Partners, http://deforest.com.mx a law firm of thirty-seven lawyers with offices in New York, New York, and Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, and Querétaro of the United Mexican States. The Mexican law firms also participating as founding partners from the four cities in Mexico are Salas Piza, Lobo & Graham, Garcia Heres y Garduño, and Rodríguez, Ruíz y Zapeda, respectively. DeForest Partners also maintains formal, professional alliances with Casa Hierro in Lima, Perú, Estudio Trevisan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Garcia Parot y Cia. in Santiago, Chile, and Kosmas y Kosmas in Panamá, Panamá.

Within Mexico, DeForest Partners practices administrative, environmental, international, family, franchise, labor, real estate, maritime, sports, and criminal law; international commerce and customs; media, entertainment, and the arts; immigration and naturalization; and health, social security, and human services. Throughout North America, DeForest Partners practices in the areas of banking, finance, and commercial litigation; bankruptcy; antitrust; corporations; estate planning; mergers and acquisitions; privatizations; alternative dispute resolution; foreign investment, and intellectual property.  Services in the United States will be provided by Bruce Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell LLP.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/overview  Within this practice, Mr. Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell will concentrate their efforts in the areas of commercial transactions, intellectual property, litigation, and corporate transactions with individuals and businesses.  http://deforest.com.mx

*  Most important to Mr. Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell are their shared values.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/our-values

*  Mr. Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell maintain a robust litigation practice.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/aop/new-york-litigation

*  As a firm, Claugus & Mitchell has more than eighty years of corporate experience.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/aop/new-york-corporate

*  Mr. Claugus is a pioneer in financings in the emerging markets.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/aop/new-york-latin-america

*  The clients of Mr. Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell derive powerful advantages from the litigation and intellectual property practices he and the Firm conduct.  http://www.c-mlaw.com/aop/new-york-intellectual-property/

When asked to comment on the rating awarded to Bruce Claugus and Claugus & Mitchell and the practice maintained, his clients and colleagues made a number of telling comments.

“It was my distinct pleasure to work closely with Mr. Bruce Claugus on a litigation involving allegations of fraud.  The outcome was very favorable, and in my opinion, a direct result of the considerable skills Mr. Claugus brought to bear.”  Mark G. Enderle, CPA, Partner, Stivers & Associates, PSC.

“Bruce Claugus is an attorney of preeminent legal ability and outstanding character.  As important, he is a gentleman and a man of his word.”  James J. DeLuca, Partner, Partner, Okin, Hollander & DeLuca, LLP.

“Bruce Claugus is an outstanding legal tactician and litigator, whose thoughtful strategies and careful execution has helped me through many difficult situations.  He has the unique ability to combine his acute knowledge of the law with practical solutions to real world situations.  He is a good and effective communicator, not only with the opposing side, but he also keeps his clients well informed.  I am thankful that I am able to call on him when difficult legal situations arise.”  John E. Oden, Author, Private Financier, and Amateur Boxer.

“It is a sad fact of life that many boxers leave the sport without the resources they need to live in the circumstances they deserve considering their dedication to their sport and the enjoyment they gave their fans.  I have known many of these men and have referred them to Bruce Claugus and his Firm.  Bruce did not have to help them, but he did.  He represented these men for free in the finest spirit of human decency.  I am and they are grateful to him.”  Gerry Cooney, 1982 Number One Contender for the Heavy Weight Championship of the World.

“I have worked closely on a number of matters with Bruce Claugus, and, in addition to our professional relationship, I have come to know him socially.  In addition to being an excellent lawyer, Mr. Claugus enjoys a reputation for reliability, honesty, and adherence to the highest ethical standards.”  Mark D. Geraghty, Partner, Davidoff Malito & Hutcher LLP.

For more information about the firm please go to http://www.c-mlaw.com or call 212-425-2200, EXT. 11.

For information from Bruce Claugus, visit http://bruceclauguss.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-york-international-law-firm-of_10.html; http://bruceclauguss.blogspot.com/2011/04/creative-solutions-to-intractable.html; http://bruceclauguss.blogspot.com/2011/04/choke-points-to-die-for.html; http://bruceclauguss.blogspot.com/2011/04/business-of-new-york-is-business.html; and http://bruceclauguss.blogspot.com/2011/03/bruce-claugus_4871.html .