Carbonell Named Chair of National Chamber Litigation Center

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Chamber Litigation Center (NCLC), the public policy law firm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has elected Cingular Wireless Executive Vice President and General Counsel Joaquin Carbonell as chair of the board of directors. Carbonell has served on the NCLC board since 2003; he succeeds William Barr, executive vice president and general counsel of Verizon Communications.

"Carbonell is one of the nation's top lawyers whose stellar experience includes senior leadership in both the business and legal fields," said Suzanne Clark, Chamber executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Carbonell's leadership skills and passion will help advance our pro-business litigation agenda in the courts and in the regulatory agencies."

As Cingular Wireless' general counsel, Carbonell oversees all regulatory and legal matters for Cingular, including federal and state legislative activity. He led the regulatory and legal teams that successfully completed the merger of Cingular Wireless with AT&T Wireless in 2004 in record time.

"NCLC is the nation's premiere organization in supporting and promoting business interests in the courts," said Carbonell. "I intend to advance the business community's agenda on the key legal issues in which we are involved, including punitive damages, class actions, arbitration, and federal preemption."

Carbonell is a native of Camaguey, Cuba. He attended Boston College, where he graduated summa cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He also holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University. In 1989, he was named an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow at Stanford University, where he received a Masters Degree in Management.

NCLC is a membership organization that files lawsuits and amicus curiae briefs advocating the fair treatment of business in the courts and regulatory agencies. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and regions.

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