Solano, a Leader in White-collar Defense, Rejoins Gibbons

On Jun 1, 2023

Gibbons P.C. has welcomed back Ricardo Solano Jr., a well-known, highly regarded leader in the white-collar defense space in New Jersey who previously served in both the United States Attorney’s Office and the New Jersey Office of Attorney General. Solano, who began his legal career as an associate in the criminal defense practice at Gibbons and later returned as a director in that practice, has returned to the firm once again – on this occasion to help launch, lead, and build its newly-standalone White Collar & Investigations Group.

“This is a real homecoming for me,” said Solano. “At various points over the past two decades, I have worked at Gibbons as a summer associate, associate, and director, and I have worked with Gibbons attorneys as colleagues, adversaries, and co-counsel. Taking on a co-chair role at the firm feels like a natural next step, and I look forward to helping direct the White Collar & Investigations Group and ensure its continued growth.”

Solano is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, serving from 2001-2006 in the Terrorism Unit, Special Prosecutions Division, and Appeals Division. There, he conducted grand jury investigations and prosecuted cases concerning federal anti-corruption and bribery statute offenses; accounting, financial, mail, and wire fraud; tax evasion; and FDA and export control violations. He also argued criminal appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In 2008, Solano was appointed as New Jersey’s First Assistant Attorney General under then-Attorney General Anne Milgram, who is now Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. In that role, he oversaw the Divisions of Criminal Justice, Law, Consumer Affairs, and Gaming Enforcement, participating in case reviews, developing litigation strategy for criminal investigations, affirmative civil litigation, and civil defense matters and handling various administrative and management responsibilities for the office.

“We’re thrilled to have Ricardo back as we restructure our litigation practices to reestablish the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations practice,” said Peter J. Torcicollo, the Gibbons’ managing director. “He will play a vital leadership role and further enhance the firm’s outstanding reputation in this area, positioning Gibbons to expand the practice’s scope, reach, and talent bench.”

Solano rejoins Gibbons at a crucial time in its history, when it seeks to formalize the distinction that its white collar criminal and investigations practice advances, as the singular, and particularly distinguished, practice group for which it has become known in New Jersey and beyond.

Solano will co-chair the practice with longtime Gibbons attorney Lawrence S. Lustberg, one of the most well-respected and senior criminal defense attorneys in New Jersey and beyond and a nationally recognized authority in constitutional and criminal law and procedure, who has been responsible for many seminal federal and state court decisions in a broad range of cases.

“I could not be more thrilled that Ricardo is returning to Gibbons, and there is no one I trust more, in combination with our other outstanding attorneys, to carry into the future the practice we have worked so hard to build. I look forward to working with Ricardo, and ultimately to entrusting this extraordinary group to his demonstrated skills, experience, and leadership,” Lustberg said.

Admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, Solano is currently President of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.

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