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Rene A. Sotorrio specializes in criminal defense at the investigative, trial and appellate levels of state, federal and international criminal matters. He also represents physicians and other licensed professionals in misconduct and disciplinary procedures.

He engages in the defense of complex criminal matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States and represents individuals charged with crimes in Europe, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Education

Mr. Sotorrio received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, in 1973, where he graduated with distinction. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976 where he participated in the Civil Trial Clinic Advocacy Program as a student trial attorney in the District of Columbia Superior Court. While at the Georgetown Law Center, he interned with the late William “Snow” Frates, the distinguished criminal lawyer who defended John Ehrlichman. Mr. Ehrilchman was one of the lead defendants in the famed Watergate prosecution, which led to the impeachment and resignation of former President Richard Nixon.

Career

After acquiring valuable experience in business law and civil litigation in Florida and the New York City Metropolitan Area, he began his practice as a criminal defense lawyer at the Office of the State of New Jersey Public Defender, Hudson Region, Jersey City, New Jersey. There he initially headed the Juvenile Court Division and reduced the conviction and incarceration rate of juvenile offenders by more than 50 percent. He then served as a felony litigation attorney from 1980 to 1982.

In 1982, Mr. Sotorrio became a felony trial attorney at the Office of the Public Defender, Dade County, Florida. During his tenure there, he tried multiple serious felony cases procuring acquittals in all but two of his jury trials. In 1984, Mr. Sotorrio established the Law Offices of Rene A. Sotorrio, P.A. Since then, Mr. Sotorrio has prevailed in the vast majority of his jury trials and in significant appellate matters throughout the country. He has also organized and successfully led the defense of clients investigated and charged in serious international criminal matters, including prosecutions conducted by various nations.

Professional activities (past and present)

  • Instructor, National Institute of Trial Advocacy
  • Clerk, Dade County Circuit Court Attorney Advisory Committee (Member, Steering Committee; Chairman, Criminal Law Committee)
  • Lecturer and Recipient of Best Paper Award, XXX Conference of the Inter-American Bar Association, Santiago de Chile, Chile, Sovereign Act or Commercial Activity: The Contraction of Governmental Immunity Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
  • Submitter and scheduled lecturer, XXXI Conference of the Inter-American Bar Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. Inter-Company Pricing Requirements and the Latin American Exporter: Criminal and Civil Liabilities
  • Founder and first president of the Eugene P. Spellman American Inn of Court, University of Miami School of Law
  • Lecturer and instructor, Harvard University Law School Pilot Program, Guatemala City, Guatemala
  • Chosen as one of the six most prominent Spanish-speaking criminal lawyers by the program sub-directors of the Institute for Criminal Justice at the Harvard Law School

Disclaimer

By reviewing the information on this website, you acknowledge the following disclaimer:

  • The facts and circumstances of your case may differ from the matters in which results and testimonials have been provided.
  • All results of cases handled by The Law Offices of Rene A. Sotorrio, P.A. are not provided and not all clients have given testimonials.
  • The results and testimonials provided are not necessarily representative of results obtained by The Law Offices of Rene A. Sotorrio, P.A. or of the experience of all clients or others with The Law Offices of Rene A. Sotorrio, P.A. Every case is different, and each client’s case must be evaluated and handled on its own merits.
Admissions
    Mr. Sotorrio’s professional admissions, activities, publications and accomplishments are set forth below.
  • State of Florida Bar, 1977
  • State of New Jersey Bar, 1979
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, 1978
  • United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • United States District Court, District of New Jersey, 1979
  • United States District Court, Southern District of New York
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • United States District Court, Northern District of New York
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, 1988
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1986
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • Supreme Court of the United States
Pro hac vice admissions
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire
  • U. S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
  • Superior Court, Chicago, Illinois
  • Superior Court, Houston, Texas
Professional organizations (past and present)
  • The Florida Bar Association
  • The New Jersey Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Cuban-American Bar Association
  • New Jersey Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Florida Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • Inter-American Bar Association
  • International Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  • Texas Criminal Bar Defense Lawyers Association (Affiliate Member)
  • American Inns of Court