Chandler R. Finley

Chandler Finley is a U.S. citizen born in Miami Beach, Florida, and is also an Italian citizen, holding dual citizenship. Mr. Finley has been member of the Florida Bar practicing law in the fields of Immigration, International Business, Real Estate, Corporate, Entertainment, Sports, Equestrian Law since 1988.

Mr. Finley served as Legal Counsel for 15 years to the County Administrative entity managing federal and state funding for Palm Beach County’s regional workforce board, known as the Workforce Alliance, Palm Beach County Workforce Development Board and earlier as the Palm Beach County Private Industry Council.  Served as Legal Counsel to the International Studies Charter High School in Miami. For more than 28 years, Mr. Finley has handled Commercial and Residential Real Estate transactions, representing Buyers, Sellers and Developers.

Mr. Finley has been a lecturer in Immigration at Palm Beach County Bar Association seminars and for the Italy America Chamber of Commerce and in Entertainment Law at a Florida Bar Association seminar. He has been a guest speaker on International Law and Federal Administrative Law at Palm Beach Community College. He has authored several articles on Entertainment Law for the Florida Motion Picture Television Association, Palm Beach Chapter. In 1998, Mr. Finley was Legal Counsel to the Regional Workforce Board for Palm Beach County, at which time the Florida State Ethics Commission adopted his Legal Memorandum in a published decision on “Actual Conflict of Interest Standards for Board Members Contracting with the Federally Mandated /Florida Regional Workforce Board.”

Mr. Finley was an Aide to President Jimmy Carter in 1985 and assisted with International Law Conferences sponsored by President Carter after his presidency at the Carter Center of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1986, he served a Clerkship at the Postal Rate Commission in Washington, D.C., under Commissioner Bonnie Guiton, where he submitted a White Paper on “Comparison of USPS Express Mail to FedEx, DHL, Airborne, & UPS.” He studied International and European Law at Detroit College of Law, London Law Program at Regents College in London, England.  European Community Law at the European Law Institute of the Free University in Brussels, Belgium. International Business Transactions at the Institute for European Studies in Vienna, Austria, and an International Law internship at The United Nations Complex, UN City, Vienna, Austria. Practical Legal Training in 1987 in London, England, U.K., and in Brussels, Belgium, working with two International Law Firms in Europe that concentrate in International and European Law and Commercial Trade arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, after which he began his International Practice in Palm Beach County.

AREA OF FOCUS

Immigration

Chandler Finley heads a team focused on handling Immigration matters for Individuals and Corporations entering the U.S. business environment from South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The Team provides a broad range of services related to Immigration, including EB-5, L and E visas, among others for Investors, Businesses, Entertainers, Institutions, Professionals, Family and Asylum Seekers.  He handles Labor Certifications for Permanent Residence “Green Cards.” International Business, assisting Foreign Entities in establishing U.S. Offices and Businesses and Corporations.  In the Entertainment field, he represents the Music, Art and Film Industries.

Real Estate

Mr. Finley handles Commercial and Residential Real Estate transactions, representing Buyers, Sellers and Developers, throughout Florida and the United States. Since 2005, he has been a Member & Title Agent of Attorney’s Title Insurance Fund (The Fund) – now nationally Old Republic Title Insurance Company. From 1991–1994 he was Title Agent for Chicago Title Insurance Company and for American Title Insurance Company and an associated Closing Attorney for Citibank, Great Southern Bank, Fidelity Federal, Citibank Mortgage and Mortgage Refinance Division, Associates National Bank’s National Relocation Mortgages Department, Relocations, handling all Title Matters and Real Estate Legal Matters, averaging five closings per week. Chandler comes from a family background of Real Estate Developers in Florida and Nationwide and of Residential and Commercial Real Estate Brokers.

International

Board Certified by the Florida Bar as an International Lawyer, Mr. Finley specializes in advising Clients in International Business transactions, International Agreements for agency representation and distribution for Imports and Exports, International Corporate transactions, Trade and International customs matters.

Commercial Contracts & Agreements

Corporate Governance & Compliance

Mr. Finley is highly experienced having handled numerous contracts and agreements.  Having had the opportunity to work in Government and in the Private Sector both in the U.S. and Internationally gives Mr. Finley’s Clients unique benefits from his vast experience.

Entertainment & the Arts

Chandler has experience with all types of legal agreements in the Arts and Entertainment industry, including contracts for Musicians, Singers, Bands, Record Labels and Recording Artists, Actors, Dancers, Production, Art, Theater, Galleries, TV Film and Dance. He has been a Member of the Palm Beach County Council of the Arts and the SunFest Music & Arts Festival, Florida’s largest Music, Art and Waterfront Festival. An accomplished musician in his own right, Mr. Finley has served as Legal Counsel for the Florida Motion Picture Television Association, Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Motion Picture Television Association, Guild for International Piano Competitions and Baroque Strings Orchestra, and has served as Palm Beach Board Member of the Florida Philharmonic Board of Directors.

The Founder of Finley Music and Entertainment, Mr. Finley represents Artists, Musicians, Actors and the Film Industry. He served for five years on the Board of Directors of the Italy America Chamber of Commerce, in Miami, and played the violin as the concertmaster (First violin) of the Alhambra Orchestra in Miami and with the Alhambra String Quartet. He currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Film Festival, which promotes Cinema Italy Miami’s distribution and sharing of films throughout the United States and Internationally.

Equestrian Specialization Mr. Finley founded the International Polo & Equestrian Sports Agency (IPESA) representing more than 100 of the World’s leading Polo and Olympic Equestrian Sports Athletes, and is a Member of the U.S. Polo Association and a Member of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.

GLOBAL REACH

Our Clients are from Europe, Germany, United Kingdom, Asia, Latin America, Canada. Now through our Global Alliance with Diaz Reus International Law Firm & Alliance of which we are Of Counsel, we span the world. Diaz Reus has offices in Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia, Middle East & Asia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Africa, South Africa and Nigeria.

ADMISSIONS

Florida Bar – Board Certified.  U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.  U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Florida Bar Supreme Court of the State of Florida.

 MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

• United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
• Florida Bar Association, Board Certified
• Florida Bar Supreme Court of the State of Florida
• International Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
• Sports & Entertainment & Sports Law Section of the Florida Bar Association
• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Title Agent & Member Old Republic Title Insurance Company
• Craig S. Barnard Chapter, American Inn of Court LIV
• Italy-America Chamber of Commerce
• United States Polo Association
• Palm Beach County Sports Commission
• Miami Dade Beacon Council
• Chi Phi (XФ) Fraternity, Gamma Chapter in Atlanta, GA.
• The Carter Center, Atlantic, GA
• Finley Music & Entertainment, Founder
• Italian Film Festival, Board Director
• International Polo & Equestrian Sports Agency (IPESA) Founder
• Cultural Council of the Palm Beaches
• South Florida Musicians Association
• National Italian American Foundation

PRIOR MEMBERSHIP

International Bar Association

 AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS

Awarded Board Certification as a Specialist in International Law by the Florida Bar, 2005−present

 EDUCATION

Emory University School of Law, J.D., 1988 Emory University, B.A., 1985

 CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

• Detroit College of Law, London Law Program on International and European Law, London, England, 1987.
• Free University Brussels, European Law Institute on European Community Law, Brussels, Belgium, 1987.
• Institute for European Studies, International Business Transactions, Vienna, Austria, 1983.
• Wilson Elser – Align – Master – Legal Project Manager, 2020

LANGUAGES

English, Italian and Spanish spoken in office. Access to multiple languages