Manny Medrano is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and experienced trial attorney. He represents and advises clients in a broad range of civil litigation and criminal investigations and trials.
Before founding Medrano & Carlton, Mr. Medrano was Of Counsel with the international firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, and an associate with Cox Castle & Nicholson, where he successfully conducted complex business litigation in state and federal courts, including government and commercial contracts, qui tam/whistleblower suits, employment law, construction defect and premises liability. He also focused on white collar defense and investigations, and is experienced in winning appeals in California state and federal appellate courts.
Mr. Medrano also served as a federal prosecutor for ten years in the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he was a trial attorney and supervisor of several sections. He served as Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section, and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Complaints Unit. He tried 60 cases to verdict, never losing a jury trial. As a lead prosecutor he tried numerous precedent-setting cases, including, with partner Mr. Carlton, the 1985 kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena in Mexico, for which he received the prestigious Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance. During Mr. Medrano’s decade as a federal prosecutor, he conducted lengthy grand jury investigations, and prosecuted cases involving complex financial crime and RICO, narcotics, government fraud and violent crime. He was recognized for his outstanding government service with numerous awards and commendations from federal investigative agencies, including the DEA, FBI, ATF, and IRS, among others.
A highly gifted and sought-after speaker, Mr. Medrano served as a Lecturer and Group Leader for the U.S. Attorney General’s Trial Advocacy Program. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Southern California Law School, Loyola Law School, Pepperdine University School of Law and Southwestern University School of Law, where he has taught Evidence, Trial Advocacy, Ethics and Negotiation. Mr. Medrano has lectured at numerous training sessions for state and federal law enforcement officials around the country. He is a featured keynoter and panelist at bar and judicial association conferences on a wide range of legal and media topics. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem in Los Angeles County.
Mr. Medrano is a cum laude graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He has distinguished himself as an Emmy and Golden Mike award-winning reporter/anchor for KTLA News and KNBC News in Los Angeles, and is a former member of the prestigious ranks of the U.S. Supreme Court press corps, where he served as a Supreme Court/Legal Affairs correspondent for ABC News in Washington, D.C. He appears regularly as a legal commentator on network and local television and radio programs, including ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, E! Entertainment and NPR. He is admitted to practice in federal and state courts throughout California, and the Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Mr. Medrano was named to Hispanic Business Magazine100 Influentials List 2005 and has been profiled and quoted in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily Journal.
Mr. Medrano is fluent in Spanish and active in numerous charities. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work benefiting the community from members of Congress and state legislators, as well as corporations, government agencies, non-profit entities and universities.
hat distinguishes Medrano & Carlton is that we have significant jury trial experience. We try cases. We know how to win. We have already tried and won more cases than most litigators will undertake in their entire careers. Moreover, we have an unusually broad range of experience, encompassing practice in both criminal and civil arenas, as well as media relations. Our firm provides a wide spectrum of services, individually tailored to the needs of each client.
We have broad experience in the criminal arena, including grand jury investigations, white collar crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, tax offenses, violent crimes and fraud schemes. We handle both felonies and misdemeanors.
In civil matters, we represent clients in many areas, including cases involving claims of product liability, trade secret violations, unfair business practices, breach of contract, fraud, personal injury, emotional distress, and civil rights violations. We also advise clients on employment matters, including wrongful discharge claims, sexual harassment, discrimination claims and wage and hour issues, among others.
