Manuel L. Crespo Jr.

Partner

Manuel L. Crespo is a partner in our Coral Gables office, where he focuses his practice in the areas of real property transactions and civil litigation concentrating on real property disputes, including contract and title disputes, construction litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosure cases and other real estate matters.

Prior to becoming a member of Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo, Gomez & Machado LLP, Mr. Crespo practiced in partnership with his late father, the Hon. Manuel A. Crespo, as Crespo & Crespo, P.A. During that period, Mr. Crespo also practiced in the areas of criminal defense and personal injury litigation. When his father and law partner became a member of the judiciary, Mr. Crespo continued a successful solo practice for ten years until deciding to join SMGQ as a partner, with the objective of expanding the scope of professional services and practice areas available for the benefit of his clients.

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Notable Client Work

  • Representation of several local developers in all aspects of their real estate ventures ranging from creation of venture documentation, counsel on ownership structure and creation of related entities, land acquisition and assembly, supervision of re-zoning and platting, drafting and recording of declarations of condominium, and seller representation through closing inclusive of title and
    escrow services.
  • Providing counsel to builders and contractors on protection of interests and collection of contract fees, including the placement of liens and initiation of foreclosure proceedings.
  • Representation of several Miami-based private equity lenders with legal services ranging from creation of loan documents and security agreements, title and escrow services, and phased disbursement services, to litigation of disputes with borrowers, including foreclosure proceedings.
  • Representation of buyers in the acquisition of a specialized industrial painting business providing large scale painting services for national manufacturers and pre-finished construction supply companies, including on-site painting services for major industrial clients, including national airlines and cruise ship companies. The work ranged from the negotiation of institutional financing and cross-collateralization of real and personal property, long-term lease negotiation and assignment of sensitive environmental licenses, and permits for both federal and state agencies.
  • Representation of buyers in the acquisition of a farm, including both the real property and business, on the Florida/Georgia state boundary. Retained Georgia counsel on behalf of client and provided joint legal counsel for the negotiation of financing and title services for the real property located across state lines.

Professional/Civic Activities

  • The Florida Bar, Member
  • Cuban American Bar Association, Vice President and Director
  • Dade County Bar Association, Member
  • Coral Gables Bar Association, Member
  • Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., Director
  • Attorney’s Title Insurance Fund, Inc., Member Agent

Bar Admissions

  • Florida

Education

  • J.D., Boston College Law School (1991)
  • B.A., Duquesne University (1988, Cum Laude), Majors in Psychology and Spanish
  • Literature with Minor in Political Science

Foreign Languages

  • Fluent in Spanish
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