Attorney Octavio M. Rivera Bujosa is the first to point out that the keys to his professional success stem from his origins and from the extraordinary trial lawyers life has given him the opportunity to meet and learn from.
Octavio was born in Zaragoza, Spain, and is originally from the mountains of Utuado, Puerto Rico, where he grew up listening to stories about the great criminal defense attorney of that era, Don Tomás Torres Cortés. Octavio is an American citizen, Spanish by birth, and Puerto Rican at heart. His grandmother, Blanca Ligia Casellas Blanco, owned the Teatro San Miguel in Utuado, Puerto Rico. It was in that theater, at the age of 12, while watching the movie …And Justice for All starring Al Pacino, that Octavio discovered the purpose of his fight: justice for all, equally.
In 1985, Octavio graduated from the American Military Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and began his studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance. By that time, his mother, Doña Tata Bujosa, had married the best criminal defense attorney Octavio has ever known: Carlos C. Coll Carpintero, better known as Charlie Coll.
Charlie Coll became Octavio’s first great mentor, whom he compares to the American attorney Melvin Belli for his incredible vision of courtroom litigation, the importance and presentation of demonstrative evidence, and his obsession with investigation, preparation, and visualization of what is to be proven at trial.
In 1993, while studying law at the Pontifical Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Octavio was blessed, as he says, with the opportunity to work as a law clerk for another great criminal defense attorney, José Ángel “Chiro” Cangiano. For Octavio, Chiro is the best strategist among all the criminal defense attorneys he has had the opportunity to learn from.
In 1996, Octavio was sworn in as an attorney and began working in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Legal Aid Society, representing individuals of limited means who could not afford legal representation in criminal proceedings. During this time, Octavio met and learned from another extraordinary attorney, Federico Rentas Rodríguez. Rentas dedicated much of his career to fighting against politicians in Puerto Rico to protect and guarantee access to proper and competent legal representation for people of limited resources.
In 1997, Octavio moved to Ponce, Puerto Rico, which he calls the cradle of great trial lawyers due to the large number of highly skilled attorneys litigating in its courts at that time. Among them, the best was José Enrique Ayoroa Santaliz. Ayoroa became one of Octavio’s main mentors—not only as a trial attorney but, more importantly, as an honest and ethical lawyer. For Octavio, Ayoroa represents the highest ethical standard and the most genuine commitment to the fundamental rights of individuals that any lawyer can achieve.
Another person who had a great influence on Octavio’s professional development was Maximino Rivera Laporte. Max, as Octavio calls him, was a highly skilled investigator with incredible instincts and unmatched professional pride. For Octavio, Max was a key element in the professional success he achieved during that time.
In 2000, Octavio was admitted to the Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico, where he had the privilege of meeting another great attorney, José R. Aguayo Caussade. Aguayo became Octavio’s primary mentor in federal practice. According to Octavio, it was Aguayo who helped him understand the difference between federal and state litigation—an understanding that made his transition from state practice to federal litigation much easier.
Attorney Octavio M. Rivera Bujosa handles only criminal and immigration cases. His practice covers all aspects of litigation, including criminal trials, appeals, extradition proceedings from Colombia, Saint Martin, and other parts of the world, as well as asset forfeiture cases involving money or property.
Due to his extensive and specialized practice, for the past 29 years, attorney Octavio M. Rivera Bujosa has represented clients in criminal cases in the following U.S. Federal District Courts: the Southern District of Texas, the Northern District of Texas, the District of Puerto Rico, the Middle District of Florida (Tampa), the Southern District of Florida (Miami), the Central District of California (Los Angeles), and the Western District of Arkansas (Hot Springs).
Over the past 9 years, attorney Octavio M. Rivera Bujosa has made it a priority of his firm to defend the Latino community against anti-immigrant political agendas. For this reason, he has dedicated a significant portion of his firm’s resources to defending the Hispanic community in deportation or removal proceedings before immigration courts, as well as in appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
Attorney Octavio M. Rivera Bujosa has handled all types of criminal litigation in state and federal courts across the United States, including cases where clients have been charged with first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, white-collar crimes, DWI, domestic assault, transporting undocumented individuals, conspiracy, drug offenses, money laundering, among others. He has also represented individuals in various states and in immigration courts to prevent their deportation.