Rudyard W. Ceres
Partner
Phone: (646) 993-4467
Fax: (212) 218-8761
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Chandra Darsan
Call(646) 993-4445Email[email protected]
Diversity of background and experience, personally and professionally, provide the foundation for an innovative legal strategy. That foundation ensures positive results for my clients.
About
About
Rudyard W. Ceres is a Partner in Freeborn’s Corporate Practice Group, where he focuses his practice on domestic and international small and medium size enterprises and owner/operated businesses. He is a trusted business and legal advisor for his clients across all stages of a businesses’ life cycle from inception, development, capital raising, strategic partnering, joint venturing, all the way to an appropriate exit. Rudyard’s dual UK and US qualifications, coupled with his extensive experience over the past twenty-five (25) years, allows him to work closely with private equity, hedge funds, family offices and high-net-worth clients, to identify, manage and mitigate their legal and business risks globally.
Further, Rudyard has represented foreign governments in attracting foreign direct investments from a business first lens, with a focus on the Sub-Saharan Africa and Caribbean regions. Accordingly, he is adept at analyzing and assessing macro-economic and political issues as they might impact his client’s business interests in the international trade context. As such, Rudyard is adept at handling international trade issues, including import regulations, export controls, economic sanctions, international arbitration, anti-bribery, and regulatory compliance. He has also worked as a liaison for his clients in the United Nations.
Prior to joining Freeborn, Rudyard was a Partner at Dunnington Bartholow and Miller LLP, where he led the UK/Commonwealth desk and Africa desk practice areas; and, was responsible for maintaining and expanding the firm’s international relationships through the Cicero League of International Lawyers.
Outside of work, Rudyard enjoys traveling with his family and friends; and, playing and watching as much sports as his schedule will allow, but especially, his soccer team in England.
Representative Matters
Representative Matters
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Executing on corporate governance review and analysis of a large multi-jurisdictional record company with multiple entities including publishing, real estate and other assets.
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Working closely with U.S. and E.U. shipping concern in coordinating UK international arbitral matter and multiple litigation matters in Nigerian local and High Courts.
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Assisting U.S. and Middle-Eastern joint venture with their sub-$100 million Regulation D capital raise.
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Acting as outside General Counsel for U.K. maritime logistics company to set up U.S. subsidiary, including negotiating and finalizing employment agreement for first U.S. executive hire and other contracts as the business grows.
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Representing domestic real estate development concern in joint venture agreement with international partner, including due diligence of individual transactions ranging from $10 million to $25 million in deal size.
Professional Activities
Professional Activities
- Executive Board Member, Prince’s Trust USA
- President of the Board of Trustees for Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School
- General Counsel and Board Member, National Math Foundation, Syracuse, NY
- Board of Directors, NYC & Co
Speaking Engagements
- Moderator, Investing in Caribbean Growth Companies (November 2020).
- Panelist, Blacks on Wall Street Conference – New York, NY (February 2020).
- Panelist, “The Investment Giants: Can’t the Elephants Just Get Along,” Georgetown Africa Business Conference 2019, Washington DC (February 2019).
- Panelist, Constituency for Africa, 2018 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series, Roundtable on Trade and Investment, African Union Mission, Washington DC (September 2018).
- Panelist, “AGOA: The US-Africa Trade Program, Taking Full Advantage,” 2018 Africa Trade & Investment Global Summit, Washington DC (June 2018).
