Overview
National and international firms regularly need experienced counsel on the ground in Miami: lawyers admitted in Florida and before the Southern District of Florida who know the judges, the local rules, and the courthouse, and who can carry real substantive weight rather than simply signing pleadings. Fridman Fels & Soto serves that role for AmLaw firms and international firms with white-collar, securities, and complex civil matters in South Florida.
The firm's partners are former federal prosecutors and senior DOJ officials who have tried cases to verdict in this district and others. Alejandro Soto has tried more than thirty federal cases and teaches trial advocacy at the University of Miami. That means a referring firm gets more than a local mailbox. It gets co-counsel who can handle a hearing, take a deposition, argue a motion, or try part of a case, while staying coordinated with the lead team.
The firm already works alongside leading national firms as co-counsel, and has taken matters on referral from major law firms. The firm's boutique structure avoids the conflicts and rate pressure that often complicate a large-firm engagement, and its cross-border and Spanish- and Portuguese-language capability is an asset when a national firm's matter has a Latin America dimension.
Our Approach
We tailor the engagement to what the lead firm actually needs, from limited local-counsel coverage on local rules and filings, to active second-chairing, to handling discrete hearings, depositions, or trial segments. We are clear about scope at the outset so there is no ambiguity about who owns what.
We protect the relationship between the referring firm and its client. The lead firm keeps the client relationship; we support it. That discipline, combined with the firm's boutique conflicts profile, is why national firms are comfortable bringing us in on sensitive matters.
