Peter Prieto received a Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from St. Thomas University, and his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. While in law school, he served as a member of the Moot Court Board and as an articles and comments editor for the Law Review. Peter is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
For more than twenty-five years, Peter has focused his practice on complex commercial litigation, including class actions, and white collar criminal defense. He has represented clients—both plaintiffs and defendants—in a wide array of civil litigation, including business disputes, healthcare, antitrust, products liability, RICO, defamation, legal and accounting malpractice, and class action litigation.
Over the last several years, Peter has focused his defense practice on defending law and accounting firms from claims of professional malpractice. Peter has also represented clients in criminal investigations and prosecutions involving public corruption, business, banking and healthcare fraud, aviation, environmental violations, antitrust and money laundering.
Peter has served on the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal and Florida’s Commission on Ethics. He represented the Eleventh Circuit on the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, assessing federal judicial nominees. Peter also serves on the Dean’s Council of the University of Miami School of Law and the Alumni Advisory Board of the University of Miami Law Review. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of St. Thomas University.
Lead counsel in obtaining settlements exceeding $1.5 billion for millions of vehicle owners in Takata Airbag litigation.
Successfully represented former executives asserting securities fraud claims following a major pharmaceutical merger.
Obtained dismissal of legal malpractice claims, malicious prosecution, and defamation claims for national law firms and media companies.
Represented clients in high-profile criminal investigations involving FCPA violations, falsified maintenance records, and price-fixing allegations.
During his career, including his several years as a federal prosecutor, Peter has obtained substantial trial and appellate experience. He has tried 30 criminal and civil cases and has argued over a dozen appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. For his litigation skills, he has been recognized as one of the “Top Lawyers in South Florida,” according to the South Florida Legal Guide, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Florida’s Legal Elite, and Chambers USA, which for several years has ranked Peter in Band 1, and has praised him as a “superb, well-rounded lawyer” who is “capable of handling the most sophisticated and complex commercial litigation matters’ and who is “extremely strategic and thoughtful”, as well as “highly skilled, practical, timely and terrific in court.” In 2018, Peter was recognized as one of three “Attorney of the Year” finalists by the Daily Business Review.
In 2025, Peter was awarded the Judge Learned Hand award by the American Jewish Committee, an award given each year to a lawyer “whose achievements and career bespeak the high principles and noble tradition associated with Judge Learned Hand.”
Peter is admitted to the Florida Bar, and is also a member of various other Bars, including the Supreme Court of the United States, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Trial Bar, the Dade County Bar, the American Bar Association and the Cuban-American Bar Association.
Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Compliance Law, and Criminal Defense (2025)
Florida Trend Magazine, “500 Most Influential Business Leaders” (2023-2024)
Best Lawyers in America, “Lawyer of the Year: Corporate Compliance Law” (2017, 2019, 2022, 2024)
LawDragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2024–2025)
Chambers USA, Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs (2007–2024)
Thomson Reuters Florida Super Lawyer (2006–2024)
Florida Trend Magazine, Florida’s Legal Elite (2007–2017)
South Florida Legal Guide, Top Lawyer (2007–2015)
Chambers & Partners, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2007–2012)
Moot Court Board Member & Law Review Articles and Comments Editor
