Rudy Velez

Rudy Velez graduated from New York Law School in 1984 and immediately entered the public sector, joining the Bronx District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor. There, he built cases at the front lines of one of America's most demanding criminal jurisdictions — learning the system, its pressure points, and its failures from the inside. That insider knowledge has been the foundation of his advocacy ever since.

In 1989, Rudy left the DA's office to enter private practice, founding Guzman & Velez alongside partner Lauriano Guzman. The firm established itself as a formidable presence in Bronx criminal courts — representing clients in complex felony cases and building a reputation for aggressive, trial-ready defense. The partnership also deepened Rudy's commitment to the communities that the system too often fails: working-class families in the Bronx, largely Black and Latino, who needed a lawyer who understood their world and would stand in a courtroom and fight for them without hesitation.
In 2002, Rudy founded The Law Offices of Rudy Velez & Associates, expanding his practice to include federal criminal defense and a growing civil rights practice. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has tried cases in every borough of New York City and has taken over 20 homicide cases to verdict — one of the highest numbers of any criminal defense attorney in the Bronx. His federal practice spans both the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) and the Eastern District of New York (E.D.N.Y.), giving clients the full reach of federal court representation.

Parallel to his criminal defense work, Rudy has become one of the most effective civil rights litigators in the Bronx. He has filed numerous lawsuits against the City of New York for police misconduct, excessive force, and constitutional violations. Three of those cases have settled for over one million dollars each. He has also pursued wrongful death claims against the City, including two cases involving inmate deaths at Rikers Island. In one case, he successfully settled a claim arising from the death of a Rikers inmate due to excessive use of force by correction officers. In a separate case, he obtained a significant recovery for a family whose loved one died due to a corrections officer's negligent operation of a forklift.

Beyond the courtroom, Rudy has represented clients in landmark matters spanning aviation and transportation law, including claims arising from major airline incidents. His practice has never been limited to a single box — he follows the client's need and brings the full weight of his experience to bear wherever it is required.

Rudy Velez is the rare attorney who has stood on both sides of the divide — as a prosecutor who built cases against defendants, and as a defense attorney and civil rights lawyer who has spent decades undoing the harm that prosecutorial and police overreach causes to real people and their families. That perspective is not just biography. It is the foundation of every case strategy he builds.