The Writer’s Center presents a FREE virtual chat about the craft of advocacy! We’re joined by former Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi and author/attorney Mark A. Cymrot for a candid discussion of writing and speaking for a cause.
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- Read Pedro R. Pierluisi’s article “Quiet Power: Leadership Beyond the Podium” on LinkedIn »
- Learn more about Mark A. Cymrot and read his work at markcymrot.com »
Pedro R. Pierluisi served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2021 to 2025. He is an attorney from San Juan with close to 40 years of experience in the public and private sectors. After beginning his career as a corporate attorney and commercial litigator in two prominent Washington, D.C. law firms, Pierluisi returned to practice law in P.R. He served as Puerto Rico’s Attorney General (Secretary of Justice) from 1993 to 1996. In 2008 Pierluisi was elected to Congress and served as P.R.’s Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives for 8 years. At present, as the Managing Member of PRP Strategies, LLC, Pedro Pierluisi offers advice and assistance in connection with legal, commercial, and governmental challenges. Pierluisi, the father of four adult children and grandfather of six, is married to Fabiola Ansótegui-Blanc, Esq. He has a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
Mark A. Cymrot was the founder and leader of BakerHostetler’s International Arbitration and Litigation practice team. He is a member of the ICDR and AAA Commercial Panel of Arbitrators, and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. His two books – written after taking Writer’s Center workshops – are Squeezing Silver, The Trial of Nelson Bunker Hunt (2018) and The Case of the Welched Reward (2023). His photography exhibition will be on display at the Center in July 2025. He has chapters in three prominent legal books, Going First Makes A Difference: Decision-Making Dynamics in Arbitration (Wolters Kluwer, 2017), Enforcing Arbitral Awards against Foreign States (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and the upcoming Key Features of Arbitration and Litigation Involving Private Parties and Foreign States (Elgar, 2025). He has numerous articles in professional journals such as “Cross Examination in International Arbitration in Disputes Resolution Journal,” “Barricades at The IMF: Creating A Municipal Bankruptcy Code For Foreign States,” The International Lawyer, and “Welcome to the Jury System: Supreme Court Limits Sovereign Immunity for State-Owned Companies” in Business Law International. As a speaker on litigation, arbitration, and sovereign immunity issues, he has appeared at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and American Bar Association and International Bar Association conventions. He has represented foreign governments, major international companies, and businesspeople in litigation and arbitration nationally and internationally. He is ranked in Chambers Global and The Best Lawyers in America© and is listed in Who’s Who in America.
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