Manuel A Pietrantoni

Practice Areas

Manuel handles complex, sophisticated and “bet-the-company” disputes. He has tried multiple cases in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings and administrative forums. He also has argued and briefed multiple cases before the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, and the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals. His trial and appellate experience includes general business and contract disputes, construction defects, dealer and franchise and other trade disputes, First Amendment and other Constitutional issues, insurance, intellectual property, personal injury, trade secrets, wiretap laws, and zoning and land development regulations. He is also an Arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association.

Manuel is recognized by Chambers & Partners, both in its Global Guide and Latin America Guide, Best Lawyers®, and The Legal 500®. Chambers & Partners ranks Manuel as “Band 1” in Dispute Resolution, a distinction held only by two other lawyers in Puerto Rico. Chambers states that Manuel is a “highly competent and knowledgeable lawyer… an exemplary litigator.” He “has a unique commercial insight that takes the business into consideration. He understands what [clients] have to go through when dealing with complex litigation matters.” Chambers further notes that Manuel “bolsters the litigation practice,” “receives strong praise from sources for his ‘excellent strategic thinking and professional ethics,’” and is “an excellent professional” and “very recognized” “litigating at the federal level.” It also describes him as “a dedicated, hard-working lawyer with great talent,” adding that “the legal strategies he defines are great, but most of all, he can adapt during the progress of a trial.” Best Lawyers® has named him “Lawyer of the Year” in Competition / Antitrust Law, and also recognizes him in Litigation, Appellate Practice, Arbitration and Mediation, and International Arbitration.

Manuel is a former President and board member of the Federal Bar Association, Puerto Rico Chapter, a Fellow of the Federal Bar Association, and a Fellow of the American Bar Association. In 2017, Manuel was appointed by the U.S. District court for the District of Puerto Rico to serve on the Merit Selection Panel to recommend candidates to the court for nomination to serve as U.S. Magistrate Judge, and was appointed by the Hon. Aida Delgado, Chief Judge of the U.S. District court for the District of Puerto Rico to serve as a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Committee. In 2016, he was appointed to the Intellectual Property Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association.

Manuel has written multiple articles on evidence, and on the Puerto Rico Dealer and Franchise statute that have been published by the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Federal Bar Association, and the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. He also has taught Evidence and Trial Skills.

Career

Founding Member, Marini Pietrantoni Muñiz LLC, 2018-Present

Capital Member and Member, O’Neill & Borges, LLC, 2013-2018

Shareholder and Junior Partner, Casellas Alcover & Burgos, P.S.C., 2007-2013

Senior Associate and Associate, Fiddler González & Rodríguez, P.S.C., 2001-2007

Professional Memberships

Arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association

Former President of the Federal Bar Association, PR Chapter

Fellow of the Federal Bar Association

Fellow of the American Bar Association

Publications

ABA Franchise Deskbook, Third Edition, Volume II, Puerto Rico Chapter (2019 Edition, Co-Editor)

The Franchise Lawyer, Vol. 17, No. 3 (ABA Summer 2014), “Lessons to be learned from Puerto Rico’s Law 75”

Franchise Law Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3 (ABA Winter 2012), “Fraud, Intent of the Parties, Ambiguity, and Other Exceptions to the Parol Evidence Rule”

Franchise Law Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1 (ABA Summer 2010) (Co-Author), “Puerto Rico’s Dealer and Franchise Statute Adapts to the Latest Developments in Law, Commerce, and Technology”

The Business Suit, DRI Newsletter (July 2008), “Forum Selection Clauses under the Puerto Rico Dealer Statute: Is the Statute’s Provision invalidating such Clauses still Enforceable?”

From the Bar, FBA Newsletter, Issue 40 (Spring 2008) (Co-Author), “When a substantive norm of Puerto Rico Law for the Issuance of Preliminary Injunctions in dealer contract cases clashes with a federal procedural rule, is there a doubt to which one should apply?”

P.R. Chamber of Commerce (February 2008), “Internet sales that affect Exclusivity Rights of Puerto Rico Dealers and Sales Representatives”

The Business Suit, DRI, Newsletter (June 2007), “Unbranded or Generic products sold to distributors in Puerto Rico: are distributors reselling such products protected by the Puerto Rico Dealer’s Act?”

Education