Silvino E. Diaz represents individuals and businesses – from startups to midsize – who employ creativity and innovation as either core services or valuable assets. In this realm, he has counseled clients on issues such as accredited investor financing, co-founder disputes, data privacy and others. As a litigator, he has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in civil actions such as breach of contract, evictions, debt collections, cancellation of promissory notes and others.
As a practitioner in Puerto Rico, Silvino earned a reputation as one of the island’s foremost advocates for independent musicians and artists; frequently consulted by both up-and-coming as well as prominent artists regarding Management, Representation and Booking matters, as well as Royalty and Rights issues. As a result of his sustained commitment to creative industries, he was named Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Atlantic University College (Guaynabo, PR) – the Caribbean’s leading digital arts institution – where he spearheaded the “Introduction to IP” course for both the graduate and undergraduate programs, and was appointed by the Office of the President to develop an Intellectual Property graduate curriculum.
In Florida – as a candidate for the February 2019 Bar Exam – Silvino served as a Federal Maritime Litigation clerk for a busy personal injury firm; where he became the only clerk designated to assist the firm’s appellate division in preparing and filing Petitions for Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as Briefs to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He coordinated all discovery, calendaring as well as client / witness outreach efforts for successful outcomes in over 25 federal cases, including six-figure settlements. In addition, he was specially appointed by the firm’s managing partner to handle all caseload and exhibit preparation in fact-intensive federal trial which rendered six-figure jury verdict for individual plaintiff.
As a law student, Silvino was a member of the University of Puerto Rico’s Intellectual Property and New Media Law Clinic, where he hosted seminars on hot-button issues such as Creative Commons, Digital Right to Privacy and others. As an undergraduate, Silvino has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Villanova University, ranked the nation’s #1 undergraduate business program by Bloomberg Business in 2016. He graduated with a Marketing and International Business co-major, alongside a minor in Humanities, having been named to Villanova School of Business Dean’s List scholar on 4 occasions.
Bar Admissions
- Florida (2019): Admitted in Good Standing; License #1015534
- Puerto Rico (2014) – Admitted in Good Standing; License #19674
- U.S. District Court for the Federal District of Puerto Rico (2014): Approved examination
Representative Matters
- Counseled and oversaw acquisition of Series A Round seed funding of $150,000.00 for tech startup client.
- Counseled and oversaw negotiation of Master Rights and Publishing Agreements, securing over $117,000.00 in Advance Payments for music industry clients.
- Defended and successfully obtained involuntary dismissal of breach of contract lawsuit alleging $500,000.00 in damages against business client.
- Advocated and successfully obtained judgment award of $57,000.00 including legal fees, in breach of contract lawsuit on behalf of entertainment company client.
Schools
- Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola – San Juan, PR (2006)
- Villanova University School of Business – Villanova, PA ( (2010)
- University of Puerto Rico – San Juan, PR (2013)
Speaking Engagements
- “Intellectual Property in Higher Education” (Atlantic University College, Guaynabo, PR, 2017) – Hosted seminar regarding intellectual property issues in higher education such: as plagiarism, patents, copyrights, fair use and IP Policies for university faculty and staff.
- “Legal Aspects of Negotiation” (San Juan, PR, 2017) – Hosted seminar for entrepreneurs regarding principles of negotiation and legal considerations of business transactions.
- H3 Tech Conference (San Juan, PR, 2015) – Distinguished speaker at leading Innovation and Technology Conference in Puerto Rico; lecture titled “Face it, your brand ain’t yours”
- “Entrepreneurship in the Arts ” (PR House of Representatives, 2015) – Moderator for celebrity panel on entrepreneurship in the arts. Panel guests included distinguished artist from fields of film, music, and art
- “Music and the Law” (University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 2015) – Panel guest alongside Lcdo. Rafael Silva Almeyda at conference held during the University of Puerto Rico School of Law’s Intellectual Property Week.
- “Copyright Myths” (Boom Design Fair, 2015) – Distinguished speaker at Design and Innovation Fair. Conference titled “Copyrights Myths”.
Prior Associations
- Martinez Ramos Law (San Juan, PR)
- Fiddler, Gonzalez & Rodriguez (San Juan, PR)
- Aronfeld Trial Lawyers (Miami, FL)
