About Antonio
Antonio Valiente built his legal foundation in criminal justice and then law. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 2004. He went on to receive a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2009.
He began his legal career in public defense. In 2009 he joined the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender. That early period in the public defender’s office put him in court rooms across South Florida and exposed him to a steady docket of misdemeanor and felony matters. Those years shaped his approach to trial preparation and client advocacy.
In 2015 he took on a leadership role at his own firm, Valiente Law, P.A., where he serves as managing partner. At the firm he handles criminal cases at both the trial and appellate levels. He represents clients in state and federal courts and oversees litigation strategy, case intake and trial teams. The move to private practice expanded the range of matters he sees while keeping courtroom work central to his practice.
Valiente is admitted to practice in several jurisdictions. He holds admission in Florida and New York, and he is also admitted in the District of Columbia. On the federal side, he is admitted in the 11th Circuit and before the Federal Circuit. Those admissions allow him to pursue appeals and federal filings for clients whose matters cross state lines or raise federal questions.
He is a member of professional organizations that concentrate on criminal defense. He has belonged to the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2010 and to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2010. Those memberships connect him to colleagues who handle serious criminal matters and appellate work across the country.
Colleagues and clients describe his courtroom style as straightforward. He prepares evidence, examines witnesses and argues motions with an eye toward the factual record. In appellate settings he focuses on legal issues that can change the outcome of a case beyond a single trial.
Outside court he manages firm operations and mentors junior attorneys. He balances casework with the administrative duties the managing partner role requires. He continues to litigate in both state and federal venues and to accept cases that involve complex criminal law questions.
He currently concentrates his practice on criminal defense and related federal litigation.
