Hager is Senior Partner in the Quito, Ecuador office
Conrad & Scherer, Trial Lawyers today announced the promotion of Eric J. Hager to senior partner in the firm’s Quito, Ecuador office. Hager brings extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, human rights litigation, appellate litigation, land use disputes, and trust litigation.
Hager played a pivotal role on Conrad & Scherer’s legal team representing the current trustee and several beneficiaries of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Minors’ Per Capita Payment Trust that recently secured a historic $832 million jury verdict in Broward County against Wells Fargo Bank. This was the largest jury award in Broward County history.
Less than a year earlier, Hager was instrumental in another landmark case in which a federal jury found Chiquita Brands International liable for deaths arising out of its financing of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a violent paramilitary group. The jury awarded $38 million to 16 plaintiffs whose loved ones were murdered by the AUC, with each award exceeding $2 million.
“Eric is very deserving of this promotion,” said William R. Scherer, Jr., founder and managing partner of Conrad & Scherer. “His background in international law enables him to offer valuable guidance to our clients navigating legal systems in the U.S. and Latin America. He regularly leads multinational teams on complex e-discovery projects and represents a diverse client base, including U.S. and international businesses, nonprofits, local governments and corporate executives.”
Expertise in Complex and International Litigation
Hager has collaborated with foreign legal experts from Ecuador, Colombia and Peru to provide U.S. courts with expert declarations of foreign law. He has successfully represented clients in discovery matters related to foreign legal proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, a statute that allows litigants to seek discovery in the U.S. for use in foreign proceedings. Additionally, he assists clients with requests for international judicial assistance, known as letters rogatory, and assists Latin American clients navigate cross-border legal matters.
Extensive Appellate and Commercial Litigation Experience
Hager is highly experienced in appellate briefing and complex motion practice, including matters involving breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference, statutory construction and conflicts of law between U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. He regularly argues motions in both state and federal courts on complex issues, including those on the admissibility of evidence.
Human Rights and Multinational Litigation Background
Hager has litigated human rights cases for over fifteen years, representing victims of multinational corporate abuses. Early in his career, he led discovery efforts and fieldwork in remote areas of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. He continues to work on the Chiquita multi-district litigation, and was part of the trial team that secured a historic verdict in the first bellwether trial in that litigation.
Fluent in Spanish, Hager resides in Quito and has traveled extensively throughout South America’s Andean region, gaining deep regional legal and cultural insights.