Who We Are
Who We Are
Paul du Quenoy, Ph.D., President
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Robert Allen, Chairman
Robert Allen Law
Robert N. (“Bob”) Allen, Jr., is the senior partner and founder of Robert Allen Law, which focuses a significant part of its practice on the yacht industry. With offices in Miami, Palm Beach, and by appointment in New York City, its legal team represents buyers, sellers, manufacturers, dealers, brokerages, and banks, with respect to yachts and superyachts throughout the world.
Bob has over 30 years of experience counseling U.S. and multinational clients on legal matters involving both domestic and international issues. He also has extensive experience in the yachting industry, regularly advising yachts owners, buyers, sellers, brokers, lenders as well as leading yacht manufacturers on all aspects of their business, including corporate, tax, real estate, immigration and litigation matters. His firm is the principal legal advisor in the Americas for some of the leading yacht manufacturers in the world, as well as for one of the largest yacht brokerage firms in the U.S.
Bob serves as principal outside legal advisor to the International Yacht Brokers Association “IYBA,” and was the primary drafter of the IYBA Purchase and Sale and Listing Agreements, which have become the standard industry forms in the U.S. and are increasingly used in cross-border transactions. He is contributor to Compass, the IYBA’s periodical publication, and a regular speaker at the IYBA’s seminars on legal issues related to the purchase and sale of yachts.
Bob lives in Juno Beach, is married, has a son, attended New College in Sarasota and Notre Dame Law School. He has also lived outside the U.S. in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain and Guatemala. He was on the winning side in the Bush v. Gore litigation, ran for Congress, is listed as one of the top lawyers in South Florida by the South Florida Legal Guide, has been ranked by Chambers as one of the best yacht lawyers in the world, and enjoys spending time with his family in the Bahamas. For more information about Bob and Robert Allen Law, please visit www.robertallenlaw.com.
Patricia Flanagan, Vice President
Patricia Flanagan is a force, both in the courtroom and in the Palm Beach community. A recognized leader in the field of intellectual property law, she was named co-chair of Fox Rothschild’s national Trademarks Practice Group in 2021 while simultaneously winning a multimillion-dollar judgment for one of her clients. In 2022, Patricia was named to the “40 Under 40” list by South Florida Business Journal and to the “WTR 1000” list in Florida by World Trademark Review.
Patricia often serves as a strategic ally to emerging and industry-leading companies, managing the utilization of global trademark portfolios. Her legal prowess has helped notable clients develop business methods that have cultivated and protected their intellectual property assets. When litigation arises, Patricia leverages her depth of trial knowledge to protect and defend her clients’ businesses, brands, designs, images, and proprietary information. On the transactional side, she assists clients with a variety of contracts and commercial exchanges related to intellectual property. She helps formulate and negotiate a range of agreements, from development and intellectual property ownership contracts to licenses, manufacturing, and distribution deals.
Patricia strives to be more than just a lawyer. She maintains key memberships with the Florida Bar, the Federalist Society For Law and Public Policy Studies, the National Republican Lawyers Association, and the International Trademark Association. Patricia is also active in the Federal Bar Association, where she serves as an Officer and the Director of the Palm Beach County Chapter and as a member of its Civics, Service, and Outreach Committee. Patricia also supports a variety of local community groups and charities through contributions and participation, including the Benjamin School, a private school in Palm Beach, and Cancer Alliance of Help and Hope, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that helps cancer patients in Palm Beach County pay non-medical bills and otherwise provide support.
Patricia received her J.D. and M.B.A. from Stetson University and her B.S. from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
James Abely, Director
James Abely is an attorney in private practice. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and received his law degree from Boston College Law School and LL.M degree from Georgetown Law School.