About Manuel
Manuel Portela built a legal path that began in business classrooms and moved into courtrooms. He earned a B.S. in Business from Fordham University in 1982. Five years later he completed law school at American University Washington College of Law, finishing in 1987.
His early work mixed regulatory oversight and criminal practice. In 1986 he served as a Domestic Bank Examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That role placed him inside banking operations and regulatory review during a turbulent period for financial institutions. A few years later he joined the Kings County District Lawyer's Office as an Assistant District Lawyer in the Felony Trial Bureau in 1990. There he handled felony matters on behalf of the state and gained trial experience.
Portela's career has also included service outside of courtroom and examination roles. He served on the board of Lex Owner's Corp. from 2004 to 2007, a position that involved corporate governance and oversight responsibilities. From 2008 to 2009 he was vice president of the USA Latin Chamber of Commerce, where he engaged with business leaders and local commerce issues.
Those roles supply the through-line of his professional profile. The regulatory work at the Federal Reserve and the trial work in Kings County suggest an attorney comfortable with complex fact patterns, procedural detail, and institutional settings. His board and civic roles indicate experience with governance, stakeholder engagement, and community-based economic concerns.
Portela practices in New York and maintains an office in Northern Manhattan. He has navigated both public-sector and private-sector environments over the course of his career. The mix of bank examination, felony prosecution, corporate board service, and chamber leadership has given him a range of practical perspectives.
Today he is based in Northern Manhattan and handles matters that draw on his background in criminal litigation and banking-related regulatory issues. His work remains centered in New York practice and in applying courtroom experience and regulatory knowledge to current client matters.
