Edward Soto is the senior trial partner and head of the Litigation department in the Miami office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Mr. Soto concentrates his practice on the trial and supervision of complex commercial civil litigation, and has substantial civil litigation experience in cases involving: antitrust, business torts, class actions, contracts, employment, fraud, insurance coverage, lender liability, products liability, professional liability, and securities litigation. He has also handled numerous internal investigations in these areas.
During more than 30 years of trial practice, Mr. Soto has established a consistent record of successful results in major complex cases in both state and federal courts and before arbitration panels. He has achieved successful outcomes for his clients at every phase of the litigation process – through case dispositive motions, trials, appeals, and settlements. During the past few years, he has achieved significant victories on behalf of American Airlines, Inc., Citicorp Services, Inc., ESPN, Inc., ExxonMobil, Fiserv, Inc., General Electric Company, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and UnitedHealth Group.
Mr. Soto’s practice focuses on high stakes litigation. He recently led a team of trial lawyers to victory on behalf of Fiserv/Texas Data Control in a litigation brought by the Justice Department in a matter that was selected by the National Law Journal as the “Top Defense Victory of the Year.” Mr. Soto was also lead counsel for UnitedHealth Group in the successful defense of multi-billion dollar RICO and related conspiracy claims brought by a nationwide class of 700,000 doctors. He successfully represented ExxonMobil in a putative nationwide class action brought by dealers alleging violations of the UCC and breach of contract with respect to gasoline pricing. Mr. Soto also secured summary judgment for ESPN, Inc. in a litigation with boxing promoter Don King in connection with a documentary television program for which Mr. King sought $2.5 billion in damages.
Mr. Soto has received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 2012 and 2013, Chambers USA named him a Band 1 Leading Lawyer for Commercial Litigation in Florida, noting that clients praised Mr. Soto’s “unlimited capacity for absorbing details” and “creative approach to legal issues,” and described him as a “gifted advocate.” He has also been named a “Litigation Star” for General Commercial Litigation and a “local star” in the State of Florida by Benchmark Litigation, as well as a “Best Lawyer” for Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America. Since 2006, Mr. Soto has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer, most recently in the areas of Securities Litigation and Civil Defense Litigation.
He also serves in leadership roles of various public service organizations. He is on the Executive Committee of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Board of Directors of the Human Services Coalition, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Catalyst Miami. Mr. Soto has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ransom Everglades School, a member of the Board of Directors of Child Hope, Inc., and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Florida.
Mr. Soto is currently a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee, Recruiting Committee, National Litigation Steering Committee, Computer Litigation Committee, National Associates Training Committee and E-Discovery Task Force.
Mr. Soto received a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1978, and a B.A. from Florida State University in 1974. He is a member of the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the New York Bar. He is also admitted to practice before numerous federal courts.