Manuel Leo Batista

Manuel L. Batista, Esq. is a multi-jurisdictional attorney with offices in New York City, New Jersey, and South Florida. He is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and is admitted to both the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Attorney Batista brings an extraordinary combination of legal scholarship, law enforcement leadership, and international public service to his practice.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Batista served the New York City Police Department for over twenty-seven years, rising from Police Cadet to Deputy Inspector — a career defined by six promotions through the ranks. He commanded narcotics investigations, internal affairs units, school safety task forces, and transit operations across all five boroughs. He subsequently served as a Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney & 39's Office (Brooklyn) from 2015 to 2021, where he was promoted to Senior Prosecutor, led complex grand jury presentations, long-term narcotics conspiracy investigations, eavesdropping warrant applications, and served on the Law Enforcement Accountability Bureau & 39's Giglio compliance team.

From 2022 to 2025, Mr. Batista served as a Program Manager with the U.S. Department of State International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section (INL) at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where he managed a budget exceeding $10 million, oversaw institutional development programs for Guatemala & 39's National Civil Police, and supervised anti-corruption, trafficking in persons, and forensic science initiatives. He holds an Active Secret Security Clearance (current through December 2031).

Attorney Batista holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law-Newark, a Master of Arts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and completed the Columbia Business School Police Management Institute program at West Point. He is fluent in Spanish, enabling him to serve clients directly in both English and Spanish across all practice areas and all three offices. He now operates a full-service law firm with active client matters in criminal defense, estate planning, immigration, and matrimonial law.