Jorge J. Perez

Jorge J. Perez is chair of the National Receivership Practice Group at McDonald Hopkins. A respected former Circuit Court Judge who was appointed to the bench by Governor Jeb Bush, Jorge brings a wealth of knowledge to our clients. He specializes in receiverships, fiduciary appointments, mediation, arbitration and general commercial litigation matters.

Jorge has extensive litigation experience in state, federal and administrative courts on the trial and appellate levels. During his four years as Circuit Court Judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Jorge presided over nearly 100 Jury and Bench trials to verdict or ruling. Since leaving the Bench to return to private practice in 2007, he has received numerous court appointments as Receiver, Special Magistrate, Special Master, and Mediator. His broad expertise includes receiverships, special magistrate appointments and other fiduciary appointments, as well as arbitration, mediation, and commercial litigation.

Earlier, Jorge served as assistant district counsel at the Department of Homeland Security in Miami where he represented the U.S. government in all forms of federal immigration administrative and judicial proceedings. A recipient of the Miami District Office’s Superior Achievement Award in 2001, Jorge was the lead prosecutor in a successful high profile anti-terrorist case as well as dozens of high profile and complex immigration matters.

Experience as practicing attorney:

• Appointed Receiver over Five Star luxury hotel, resort and spa in Bal Harbour, Florida. Oversee operations of hotel and shared facilities, tasked with controlling and directing operations of hotel, resort and spa, supervising litigation related to enhancement of receivership estate and investigation of misuse of funds based on Court findings.
• Appointed Receiver over Five Star luxury hotel and condominium complex in Sunny Isles, Florida. Rescued hotel from immediate closing by retaining, after an extensive search and vetting process, a new major hotel operator while facilitating transition from prior operator. Negotiated and placed into effect new management agreement for hotel operations. Oversaw investigation and repair of numerous structural defects in building as well as litigation of claims such as initiating foreclosures and commercial litigation matters against unit owners and vendors owing sums to receivership estate.
• Appointed Interim Receiver in matter concerning local insurance company to oversee assets of the company and protect judgment creditors who obtained a default judgment against insurer. Investigated the matter and provided the Court a report outlining a procedure to review the validity of the judgment creditors’ interests while providing due process to the insurer.
• Appointed Receiver over large rental housing complex in Miami Springs, Florida. Conducted extensive investigation which uncovered the sale of the underlying property, a fact previously unknown to the Court. Continue to oversee litigation of matters critical to the receivership estate such as evictions and pre-receivership vendor claims.
• Appointed Receiver over 80,000 square foot Class A office building, brought professional management into the building, and oversaw marketing of the building while successfully uncovering numerous and questionable real estate conveyances connected with the building.
• Appointed Receiver over multi-million dollar family estate in which family members were engaged in contentious litigation threatening the assets of the estate. Successfully marshaled the assets, recovering assets of the estate spread throughout the nation. Managed the estate’s properties while providing a thorough accounting to the Court of the use and dissipation of assets. These efforts directly contributed to an amicable resolution of what was a bitter and contentious litigation, thus rescuing the bulk of the estate for the family.
• Appointed Receiver over local landmark business, revived the business from financial collapse, established profitable operating practices and allowed the lender the opportunity to receive regular disbursements from the business.
• Appointed Receiver of a multi-million dollar warehouse development complex. Receivership included the completion of an abandoned warehouse project and supervision of related litigation. Worked with various local, state and county agencies to remove legal obstacles to the completion of the project.
• Appointed lead counsel to Receiver in a federal prosecution of a “boiler room operation” involving the illegal sale of investment instruments. The action was initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
• Lead local counsel in $40 million dollar foreclosure action representing borrowers including counterclaims for RICO violations, among others.
• Litigated numerous adversary proceedings under bankruptcy code.
• Served as one of the lead counsel in representing Fortune 500 consumer products company in antitrust/patent infringement matter in federal district court in Miami.
• Served as co-lead counsel in representing major accounting firm in federal district court in Miami alleging securities fraud and shareholder derivative actions. Case settled before trial.
• Successfully represented major financial institution in state trial court in multimillion dollar breach of contract and foreclosure matter involving aircraft engines and components. Prevailed on summary judgment, affirmed on appeal.
• Served as co-lead counsel representing major insurance company in environmental insurance coverage lawsuit in a multi-defendant, complex insurance coverage matter in federal district court in Miami with insured/plaintiff seeking multi-million dollar damages against its general liability insurers. Prevailed on summary judgment, affirmed on appeal.
• Successfully represented local financial institution in state court action involving post foreclosure proceeding against a law firm that submitted fraudulent bids on behalf of client to delay sale of client’s property. In a case of first impression under Florida law, law firm was held liable for acts committed on behalf of client.
• One of trial counsels representing major airline in its labor disputes with various unions litigated in state trial court. Representation included preparation, filing and responding to numerous emergency injunction hearings.

Experience as Circuit Court Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami:

• Appointed in May of 2003 to the Bench by Governor Jeb Bush after competitive selection process with over 60 applicants. Elected without opposition in November of 2004 under Florida’s mixed appointment/election judicial retention system.
• Presided over nearly 100 Jury and Bench trials to verdict or ruling.
• Assigned to Criminal Division, presiding over major felony cases including, murder, sexual battery, organized crimes, money laundering and identity theft.
• Participated in nearly a dozen Circuit Court Appellate Panels hearing appeals from County Court verdicts, both civil and criminal, as well as municipal zoning decisions. Noteworthy written opinions include Town of Golden Beach v. City of Sunny Isle Beach, (Case No. 03-472 AP, 11th Jud. Circ., June 15, 2004), cert. dismissed, 920 So. 2d 632 (Fla. 3rd DCA 2005); Coral Gables Youth Center Homeowners Assoc. v. City of Coral Gables and 400 University, LLC, (Case No. 04-18 AP, 11th Jud. Cir. April 20, 2005), cert. dismissed, 901 So. 2d 246 (Fla. 3rd DCA 2005).
• From 2001 to 2002 presided over cases in the Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court Bench, presiding over dependency and termination of parental rights trials as well as evidentiary hearings affecting abused, abandoned or neglected children.
• Presided over civil trials under Florida’s Civil Commitment Statute for Sexual Predators conducted under the Rules of Civil Procedure.
• Consistently rated “qualified” or “exceptionally qualified” by overwhelming majorities in local Bar membership polls.

Judicial Honors and Community Service

• Presiding Judge in final trial for the ATLA National Student Trial Advocacy Competition championship round held in Miami, Florida in April of 2006.
• Participated on Moot Court Appellate Panel for St. Thomas Law School in March of 2005.
• Founding member in 2004 of the nationally recognized “It’s Your Life” Foster Child Transition Program.
• Moderator: Miami Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society Presentation; “Can We Enforce Immigration Laws after 9/11?” held in November of 2003.

Experience as Assistant District Counsel, Department of Homeland Security, Miami:

• Represented the U.S. government in all forms of federal immigration administrative and judicial proceedings.
• Lead prosecutor in successful anti-terrorist case of Al-Najjar v. Ashcroft, 257 F. 3d 1262 (11th Cir. 2001). Prosecution of this matter commenced in 1997 and concluded in 2001 with an affirmance of final order of deportation by the United State Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Entire litigation including appeals lasted five years. Case received extensive media coverage both nationally and internationally. Worked extensively with DOJ, FBI, INS, DEA, CIA, and Customs agents and official in Miami, Washington D.C. and Tampa throughout the prosecution. Prosecution of this case was a linchpin in the U.S. Government’s elimination of a Tampa based cell of the foreign terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Assigned as senior prosecutor in Special Case Litigation Unit of the Miami District Office. Handled dozens of high profile and complex immigration matters on behalf of U.S. Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service and its successor agency, the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• Additional extensive experience in employer sanctions and denaturalization matters.
• Recipient of Miami District Office Superior Achievement Award in June of 2001.

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

• The Florida Fiduciary Forum
• The Cuban American Bar Association
• The Dade County Bar Association
• The Miami-Dade Justice Association
• The Federal Bar Association
• The American Bar Association
• The Federalist Society, Miami Lawyer’s Chapter

• “McDonald Hopkins Taps Ex-Judge,” DBR Small Cap, December 2, 2011.
• “Reforming the Fiduciary Appointment Process: The Central Role of the Judiciary and the Need for Diversity,” The Daily Business Review, June 6, 2011.

• "Gun Control: A Transatlantic Comparison between Europe and the USA," Roundtable hosted by Florida International University, September 2012.
• “The Foreclosure/Housing Crisis: The State of the Economy and How We Got There,” September of 2010, hosted by Sabadell Bank and the CPA firm of Kaufman & Rossin & Co, P.A.
• “Successful Trial Techniques: What Judges Like and Do not Like To See,” hosted by the North Dade Bar Association, November 2009.
• Moot Court Appellate Panelist for St. Thomas Law School, March 2005.
• “Can We Enforce Immigration Law after 9/11?” Moderator, Miami Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society; November 2003.

• AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Circuit Court Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida (May 2003 – November 2007)
• Recipient, United States Department of Homeland Security, Miami District Office, Superior Achievement Award, June 2001

• Founding member in 2004 of the nationally recognized “It’s Your Life” Foster Child Transition Program.
• Presiding Judge in final trial for the ATLA National Student Trial Advocacy Competition championship held in Miami, April 2006.
• Board of Directors for the Kristi House, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to providing a healing environment for all child victims of sexual abuse and their families, regardless of income, through prevention, treatment and coordination of services with our community partners.