Litigation
As one of the oldest firms in Puerto Rico, Estella, LLC built its reputation by delivering thoughtful, comprehensive and cost-effective litigation strategies to some of Puerto Rico’s highest-profile companies. Our attorneys are results driven and diligent in preparing for trial, leaving no stone unturned. Our top priority in each lawsuit is ensuring that our clients’ long-term goals shape our litigation strategy so that our clients succeed and prosper.
NITA-Trained Lawyers
Estrella, LLC’s trial lawyers are trained through the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), a well-respected organization that offers intensive advocacy training. The skills gained during NITA training prepare our attorneys for the heavy demands of litigation. Our attorneys anticipate the challenges that arise during litigation and formulate creative and effective responses. Our clients can relax knowing that our attorneys will keep their best interests in mind. Throughout each lawsuit, our attorneys work diligently to attain the best possible outcome to match the client’s long-term goals.
We pride ourselves on being responsive to our clients and their litigation concerns. We file and defend cases in both state and federal court. Estrella, LLC handles litigation matters in the following practice areas:
- Commercial Litigation
- Retail Law
- Personal Injury Law
- Premises Liability Litigation
- Insurance Defense
- PMPA (Petroleum Marketing Practices Act) Litigation
- Oil & Energy Law
- Antitrust Litigation
- Federal Litigation
- Employment & Labor Litigation
- Bankruptcy, Reorganizations and Creditor’s Rights
- Higher Education Law
- Franchising & Distribution
- ADA & EEOC Practices
- Exempt Organizations
- Consumer Affairs Litigation
Results-Oriented, Client-Centered Representation
We are committed to keeping our clients informed and involved in every stage of their lawsuit. Often, clients are best served by pursuing settlement instead of going to trial. We communicate any settlement offers to our clients and discuss the available options, ensuring that our clients understand the consequences of any settlement decision. If taking a case to trial is the better option, we will advocate our client’s position vigorously through effective arguments and use of admissible evidence. Through our comprehensive preparation and experienced legal representation, our attorneys keep clients calm and confident throughout the litigation process.
Recognizing the value of our clients’ time and money, we do our best to resolve disputes in a speedy and cost-effective manner. Because we excel in a variety of practice areas, we can analyze a problem quickly and assess our clients’ interests. When issues are straightforward, it may be unnecessary to pursue costly litigation. However, when matters are complex or large amounts of money are at stake, our highly trained trial lawyers will litigate each issue with unmatched dedication, keeping our clients’ long-term success as the ultimate goal.
Premises Liability Expertise
Through our representation of some of the largest retailers in the Island, we have been exposed to the full spectrum of premises liability litigation. As a result thereof, we have developed an expertise in successfully handling these cases. As a firm, we boast an excellent track record in defending tort cases against business owners for criminal activity in their premises, as well as slip, trip and fall, falling object and false arrest cases in both state and federal court.
Moreover, since our clients have presence in all regions of the Island, we are one of the few firms that provides services Islandwide. Hence, our attorneys regularly appear before judges in all judicial regions, thus preventing the need of hiring local counsel for the defense of these cases. We also represent clients in federal court where we have successfully obtained defense verdicts in jury trials in premises liability cases despite the challenges of litigating in a pro-plaintiff jurisdiction.
Our expertise has been recognized by the courts as we acted as defense counsel in some of the leading cases that resulted in legal precedent by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in areas such as prescription of tort actions, the extent of Plaintiff’s burden of proof and case in chief in a premise liability case, as well as the apportionment of comparative negligence in trip and fall accidents involving stationary fixtures.
Our successful defense of these cases is not only based on the caliber of our attorneys, but is also the result of partnering with our clients in devising cost-effective, long term solutions in dealing with tort litigation.
Estrella, LLC has the largest judgment database and case assessment program in Puerto Rico. These resources give our attorneys important insight into the legal procedure on the Island. They also provide concrete information to guide clients confidently in making legal decisions that will benefit them the most.
Bankruptcy, Reorganization, and Creditor’s Rights
In order to better serve the needs of our clients, and in response to the ever-changing obstacles that are brought about in today’s modern economy, Estrella, LLC extends its expertise into the area of Bankruptcy, Reorganization, and Creditor’s Rights. What makes bankruptcy practice so interesting is its hybrid nature between litigation and transactional practice; excellent litigation, negotiation, and transactional skills are requirements in maximally protecting a party’s legal interests. At Estrella, LLC, we draw on the knowledge and experience we have acquired in other practice areas including complex commercial litigation, corporate law, commercial law, intellectual property (trademarks and copyrights) as needed to meet the needs of our insolvency clients. In this regard, we are able to leverage our considerable experience as top-shelf litigators in diverse legal areas, knowledge and understanding of complex jurisdictional issues, and familiarity with the venue, various designated Bankruptcy Trustees, and local Bankruptcy Bar to attain premium, cost-effective results in the Bankruptcy arena. Our Creditor’s Rights practice extends to the following areas of Chapter 11, 13, and 7 matters: debt workouts, cram-down litigation, litigation of a wide array of adversary proceedings including Automatic Stay violations, Petroleum Marketing Practices Act (“PMPA”) violations, collections, evictions, recovery of collateral, injunctions, Declaratory Judgments, and the representation of creditors and other interested parties such as stock holders, corporate officers, creditors’ committees, landlords, and tenants in bankruptcy matters including creditor discharge litigation, objections to proposed plans of reorganization, and bankruptcy preference defense.
Additionally, Estrella, LLC focuses its Bankruptcy and Reorganization practice on representing financially distressed companies and individuals in workouts and Chapter 11 reorganizations. Our bankruptcy attorneys have experience and expertise in representing entities and individuals alike in the complex process of reorganization so that they are able to grow, compete, and prosper. One of the keys to successfully guiding our clients through the complexities of Chapter 11 is thoughtful and careful preparation. The early stages of a Chapter 11 case can be chaotic as the parties-of-interest (lenders, landlords, vendors, customers, governmental units, and organized labor to name just a few) jockey for advantages in the process. Our attorneys have developed a keen understanding of how best to manage these various parties-in-interest so as to facilitate our clients’ objectives.
