Manuel Perez-Leiva

AS AN ATTORNEY...

Persuasive Advocacy & Litigation Skills: General Civil/Torts, Breach of Contract, Probate, Wrongful Termination/Whistleblower, Landlord/Tenant Disputes, and Foreclosure Litigation, including appeals (presented oral argument to U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on a case of first impression in Immigration Law; not a specialty area of practice). Some transactional work in Labor & Employment Law, Contracts, and Estate Planning, including Wills and Trusts. Excellent written and oral communication skills are brought to bear on persuasive argument and zealously advocating my client's rights and claims.

Effective Depositions, Motions, and Litigation & Trial Strategies: Extremely adept at preparing and conducting aggressive and effective depositions of opposing parties, often eliciting incriminatory or contradictory responses, or revealing weaknesses in the opponent’s case. Evidentiary advantages thus gained result in a quicker resolution of the dispute. Prepare and argue persuasive motions that successfully advance the case. Result-driven, outside-the-box litigation and trial strategies.

Cost-Effective Time & Case Management: High level of proficiency in organizing and preparing for trial and conducting discovery. Providing innovative and cost-effective solutions to legal and business problems, including efficient case management.

Certified International Business Acumen & Award-Winning Business Development Experience: Extensive International Business Development experience prior to becoming an Attorney and Mediator. Persuasive written, verbal, and presentation skills that create quality legal and business results. Strong multicultural human relations, management, and negotiation skills are dynamically applied to successful advocacy, litigation, and dispute resolution, whether domestic or international.

Dual Law Degrees & International Law: I am a Common Law and Civil Law Attorney. I have a Juris Doctor with an International Law Concentration and Civil Law Certification, as well as a Licentiate of Laws, a Spanish Law Degree, specializing in European Union Law. I am thus capable of practice in Spain, as well as pro hac vice in the E.U. and Latin American countries where Civil Law is the norm. A multi-disciplinary/-jurisdictional approach, for example, saved a Spanish client thousands of dollars by defeating a breach of contract case brought by a major U.S. bank.

AS A MEDIATOR...

Successful Mediation & Negotiation Skills: I have mediated a multitude of successful mediation conferences and facilitated settlement negotiations for clients with win-win results. Effective negotiations that produce major time and monetary savings for clients, avoiding protracted litigation or excessive settlement amounts.

Effective Mediation of Civil Disputes: Impartial, professional mediation of civil litigation in Florida Circuit and County Courts, bringing over 15 years of corporate business experience, as well as my litigation experience, to bear on resolving the dispute with win-win solutions and cost-effective settlements. Extremely experienced with Breach of Contract and Residential Mortgage Foreclosure cases.

Certified International Business Acumen & Award-Winning Business Development: Certified by the Michigan State University Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, the business skills and experience outlined above are brought to bear in my mediations as well. Strong multicultural human relations and negotiation skills are dynamically and impartially applied to successful dispute resolution.