Alvarez, Hugo V.

Hugo V. Alvarez is one of the founders and Managing Partner of Alvarez & Barbara, LLP. He concentrates his practice on complex civil and commercial litigation including real estate related litigation, real estate transactions, and closings, as well as personal injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, insurance coverage, premises liability and negligence claims.

Mr. Alvarez was one of only 5% of all Florida attorneys recognized in the 2012 and 2011 edition of Florida's Super Lawyer Magazine and named to Florida's Super Lawyers. He was also recognized in Florida Trend's 2012, 2011 and 2010 Legal Elite edition honoring top attorneys throughout the State of Florida, and named as one of the top litigation attorneys in Florida. He has also been selected as a "Top Up and Coming Attorney" in the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 edition of Florida Trend's annual publication on top attorneys in the entire State of Florida. Mr. Alvarez was also honored by Business Leader Media with their 2009 Movers & Shakers Award. He was also recognized as one of South Florida's top litigation attorneys and honored as a finalist for the 2006 and 2007 Key Partners Award presented by the South Florida Business Journal. Mr. Alvarez was also named as one of South Florida's brightest "Up and Comers" by the South Florida Business Journal as part of its 2007 "Up and Comers" awards edition.

Mr. Alvarez is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, the Supreme Court of Florida and all local courts within the State of Florida. He has also been admitted Pro Hac Vice in New York. He is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator, and was also recently appointed to the Florida Bar's Grievance Committee.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Alvarez has worked on such high profile cases such as the 1995 American Airlines plane crash in Cali, Colombia that involved the unfortunate death of over 100 passengers, while also representing such high profile clients like the Miami Dolphins at trial. Before founding and opening Alvarez & Barbara, LLP, Mr. Alvarez worked at Cole, Scott & Kissane. While at Cole, Scott & Kissane, Mr. Alvarez supervised a team of attorneys on a wide range of cases, and was instrumental in the firm's growth from 20 attorneys to over 70 attorneys in less than five years. Mr. Alvarez has also conducted State of Florida accredited seminars discussing the implications of fraud in litigation and the recourse litigants have to combat fraud in litigation. Mr. Alvarez has also had numerous articles published in the CSK Litigation Quarterly discussing such topics as nursing home abuse, premises liability claims, and bad faith litigation. He has also had his opinions published in the USA Today.

Mr. Alvarez is a Miami native and a Christopher Columbus High School graduate. He received his law degree from the Tulane University School of Law. While attending law school he was a member of the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law and served as the Student Body Vice President. He was also a member of Tulane's National Hispanic Bar Association Appellate Moot Court Team and was named to "Who's Who: American Law Students." Mr. Alvarez was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for academic achievement in Financial Institutions, and a prize recipient from the Louisiana State Bar Association for an essay he prepared analyzing employment discrimination in the workplace. Mr. Alvarez received his B.A., with distinction, with a double major in Political Science and Public Management from the University of Maine. Mr. Alvarez attended the University of Maine on an athletic scholarship, was a two time recipient of the Scholar Athlete Award, recipient of the Frederick C. Mosher Award from the University's Public Management Department for outstanding academic achievement, elected to serve as a Student Senator by the student body, and a member of the University's football team. He is also a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society.

Mr. Alvarez is a former law clerk of the Hon. William H. Byrnes of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals of Louisiana. He also previously served as a law clerk and Appellate Case Manager for the Appellate Division of the Fifteenth Circuit in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he worked with current Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga.

Mr. Alvarez is a current member of the Florida Bar's Consumer Law Protection Committee. He is also a member of the Board of the Directors for the Builders Association of South Florida, and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Churchill Society of South Florida.

Mr. Alvarez is also a former board member of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida's Young Professional Division. As a former board member, Mr. Alvarez was charged with the responsibility of bringing awareness and promoting South Florida's unique history and culture. Among other projects, he was instrumental in ensuring that the last Flamingo Stakes horse race held at the historic Hialeah Racetrack was broadcast live on national TV by ABC, while also ensuring the success of the annual "Limo Rally." He is a current member of the Dade County Bar Association, Cuban American Bar Association, and Latin Builders Association.