Manuel handles complex, “bet-the-company” disputes. He has successfully tried multiple cases in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings and administrative forums. He also has successfully argued and briefed multiple cases before the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, and the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals.

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Manuel regularly lectures on the Federal Rules of Evidence, and 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. In 2014, he served as a faculty member for the Puerto Rico “Building Trial Skills” program of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA).

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Manuel is a former President and board member of the Federal Bar Association, Puerto Rico Chapter. He is a Fellow of the Federal Bar Association, and a Fellow of the American Bar Association.

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He is recognized by Best Lawyers®, The Legal 500®, and Chambers & Partners, both in its Latin America and Global ranking guides. Chambers & Partners’ Latin America Guide states that Manuel “has a unique commercial insight that takes the business into consideration.  He understands what we 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.”

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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.

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He has tried cases to verdict, arbitrated or mediated cases to final awards, or argued appeals involving general business and contract disputes, construction defects, dealer and franchise and trade disputes, First Amendment and other Constitutional issues, insurance, intellectual property, personal injury, trade secrets, wiretap laws, and zoning and land development regulations. 

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Manuel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.