Kennedys welcomes partner Blaise Chow and special counsel Andres Avila and Martin West to its New York office

New York, NY (May 8, 2023) – Blaise Chow, Martin R West II, and Andres Avila have joined Kennedys in its New York office. They previously were with Ropers Majeski, PC. 

Blaise Chow, a partner, focuses his practice on professional liability and commercial litigation, including and employment law matters on behalf of entrepreneurs, as well as mid-size and larger corporations within the insurance, reinsurance, banking and finance, and retail sectors.  He handles such employment disputes as equity, non-solicitation, non-compete, and confidentiality provisions, disputed terminations, fee disputes, and severance agreements, as well as a range of complex insurance issues arising from securities litigation, cyber risk, and intellectual property claims against both public and private entities. In addition, he defends directors and officers in cases alleging breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and civil fraud.

Blaise is a member of the board of directors at Apex For Youth, an organization dedicated to assisting low income youth from immigrant families be well-rounded, productive members of society. He also served on the board of a non-profit running group, the Dashing Whippets Running Team, which promotes diversity and health through running.  He has been recognized by Super Lawyers (2019-2023) and serves on the Board of PLUS (Professional Liability Underwriting Society) Eastern Chapter.

Admitted to practice in New York and the US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, he earned a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a BA from University of Rochester.

“Blaise has broad experience in professional liability, employment issues and intellectual property and brings a unique business-oriented approach in counseling both individuals and corporations by looking at each client’s objectives on a personal case-by-case basis. He has a special talent for listening to his clients and presenting strategic options in order to best meet their goals,” noted Christopher Carroll, senior US partner.

On joining Kennedys, Blaise said, “It’s just the right time to be part of a firm that fosters innovation and values the importance of diverse perspectives in local and global issues of the law. I am excited to be part of a team that delivers impactful results and supports its clients beyond the law.”

Avila and West Join as Special Counsel

As Special Counsel, Andres Avila advises major domestic and international carriers on matters involving directors and officers, professional, cyber, employment practices, environmental and fiduciary/ERISA liability, as well as financial institutions, commercial crime, trade credit & political risk and insurance bad faith. Fluent in Spanish, Andres also advises clients on Latin American insurance and reinsurance coverage matters. Andres began his legal career in 2010 in the Miami and London offices of Kennedys, focusing his practice on Latin American insurance and reinsurance coverage matters.

He is admitted to practice in Connecticut; Massachusetts; New York; Vermont; the US District Court, Connecticut; the US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the Republic of Colombia. Andres earned an LLM, with honors, from University of Connecticut School of Law, and a JD from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia.

Martin West joined Kennedys as Special Counsel and focuses his practice on complex litigation matters on behalf of multinational and domestic clients on a wide range of commercial, marine, financial, intellectual property, and employment matters.  He also advises on US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions as well as other marine regulatory issues.  Martin has extensive experience representing clients in federal courts, including several successful trial verdicts and summary dispositions.  He is admitted to practice in New York; New Jersey; the US District Court, Eastern and Southern District of New York, and the US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Martin earned a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a BA from Emory University.

Meg Catalano, Kennedys US managing partner, said: “As we look to the future, Blaise, Andre and Martin’s extensive experience counseling domestic and foreign clients in insurance matters and litigating insurance claims aligns with the foundation of our practice. Attracting this kind of top talent helps us meet the demands of our ever-expanding client base here, as well as the growth of our overseas clients.”