Rafael Angel Castro III

Rafael is a versatile attorney with a unique international background and sixteen (16) years of legal experience. He possesses a wide-range of corporate, M&A, commercial, infrastructure development, project finance, and private equity experience in cross-border transactions.  He usually acts (i) for project sponsors and developers in connection with the development, financing, and implementation of international oil and gas and power projects, and (ii) for multi-national companies in connection with international corporate work (e.g., M&A and international share or asset acquisitions) in the energy and telecom industries. He has lived and worked abroad in Europe (London, Barcelona, Paris), Latin America (Sao Paulo), and the Middle East (Abu Dhabi), and has a diverse cultural and multi-lingual background, which includes being fluent in Spanish (native), Portuguese and French.

Rafael also possesses a substantial amount of state and federal pre-trial and appellate litigation experience, including having won a landmark (US) federal appeal in a complex international case. See SME Racks v. Sistemas Mecanicos Para Electronica, 382 F.3d 1097 (11th Cir. 2004) (changed law in respect of forum non conveniens dismissals involving American plaintiffs)

 foreign languages

•Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French; Conversant in Italian; Learning Arabic.

• Drafted contracts and negotiated project agreements in Spanish, French and Portuguese. 

Handling of Current Appellate Litigation Matters:-

    â—           Federal Court (US) – Appellate Litigation (11th Cir.) – Acting as lead attorney in Baksh v. U.S., Case Number 11-16084, a criminal appeal of a “within guidelines” sentencing order to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

 â—          State Court – Appellate Litigation (Florida, Fourth DCA) – Acted as lead attorney in Castro v. Hidalgo (In re Estate of Castro-Aballi), Case No. 4D11-4251, an appeal to the (Florida) Fourth District Court of Appeal involving a probate court order denying a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and, after appellee filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, successfully defended jurisdiction of the appeal filed pursuant to Rule 9.100(a)(2), Fla. R. App. P.

●          State Court – Pre-Trial and Appellate Litigation (Florida, Third DCA) – Acting as lead attorney in Perez v. State, an appeal to the Florida Third District Court of Appeal for a writ of certiorari to review a pre-trial motion to suppress evidence of field sobriety exercises. Case involves constitutional law (Fourth and Fifth Amendment) issues of great public importance in Florida for DUI defendants: namely, a Defendant’s right to be informed of the non-mandatory nature of field sobriety exercises, and law enforcement’s duty to give Miranda warnings prior to asking a DUI suspect whether she has imbibed alcohol during a roadside DUI investigation.

●          State Court – Pre-Trial and Appellate Litigation (Florida, Fourth DCA) – Acting as lead attorney in Castro v. Hidalgo (In re Estate of Castro-Aballi), Case No. 4D11-4251, an appeal to the (Florida) Fourth District Court of Appeal of a probate order that “finally determined” a motion for judgment on the pleadings seeking the partition and distribution of life insurance proceeds to beneficiaries pursuant to Florida’s laws of intestacy.  Case contains an issue of first impression in Florida: whether the “or otherwise” language in a recent amendment to Section (1), Fla. Stat., forecloses distribution of life insurance proceeds by partial intestacy when testator failed to designate a beneficiary in the insurance policy.