Skip to content
Manuel G. Berrelez
Manuel G. Berrelez
Partner — Commercial & Business Litigation
Partner — Commercial & Business Litigation

Manuel G. Berrelez

Manuel G. Berrelez
Dallas

Trammell Crow Center
2001 Ross Avenue
Suite 3900
Dallas, Texas 75201

start quote symbolTo provide first-rate service to clients facing civil litigation or a government investigation, you first have to understand their business and industry. That is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job: working alongside the excellent lawyers at V&E and directly with our clients to learn everything we can about their business and help solve the complex legal issues they are facing.end quote symbol
Manuel G. Berrelez

Experience Highlights

  • (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury Dept.) — First-chair trial attorney securing a complete dismissal of charges in a federal enforcement action brought by the OCC against the founder and CEO of a Dallas-based bank alleging claims of unsafe and unsound banking practices, breach of fiduciary duty, and violations of federal banking regulations

  • (Tex. Dept. of Banking) — Lead lawyer defending Board chairman of Texas-based federally chartered bank in removal proceedings alleging breach of fiduciary duty and unsafe and unsound banking practices (pending)

  • (E.D. Tex.) — Lead lawyer defending Board chairman of Texas-based bank in lawsuit alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary duty relating to commercial real estate loans (pending)

  • (Office of Financial Institution Adjudication, U.S. Treasury Dept.) — First-chair trial attorney defending former President and CEO of Texas-based federally chartered bank in two-week trial of removal proceedings and civil money penalties brought by FDIC alleging breach of fiduciary duties and unsafe and unsound banking practices (post-trial matters ongoing)

  • (Tex. Dist. − Harris Cnty.) — Lead lawyer representing an oilfield services company in a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a trucking accident outside Midland (resolved)

  • (Tex. Dist. – Midland County) — Lead lawyer representing an oilfield services company in a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a well-site accident outside Midland (pending)

  • (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Dept. of Treasury) — Defended former President and CEO of a south Texas bank in an OCC regulatory investigation; after responding to numerous subpoenas and defending the client’s deposition, the OCC decided not to initiate an enforcement action or assess a civil money penalty

  • (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) — Lead lawyer representing a North Texas bank in various regulatory and compliance matters

  • (Tex. Dist. − Hidalgo Cnty.) — Lead lawyer representing the former bank directors and officers of a south Texas bank in securities litigation brought by bank shareholders under the Texas Securities Act

  • (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) — Lead lawyer representing defendants, the former bank directors and officers of a federally chartered bank in south Texas, in a dispute with the FDIC alleging breach of fiduciary duties, negligence, and unsafe and unsound banking practices (resolved)

  • (S.D. Tex.) — Defended two investment banking and financial advisory firms in a federal securities lawsuit (resolved)

  • (Tex. Dept. of Banking)  — Lead lawyer representing Texas-based federally-chartered bank in ongoing regulatory investigation (pending)

  • (N.D. Tex.) — Obtained partial defense verdict for a major software company after a two-week jury trial in a trade-secret misappropriation case

  • (Tex. Dist. – Dallas Cnty.) — Represented a global real estate services company in a lawsuit in Dallas County, Texas, arising out of a failed master-planned resort development outside Las Vegas, Nevada; our client was accused of producing a faulty appraisal in connection with a $540 million debt refinancing associated with this development; the case involved claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and conspiracy; and plaintiff, a lender in the development, sought over $200 million in damages; after more than a year of discovery, including more than 25 depositions, the case resulted in a favorable settlement for the company two months before trial

  • (N.D. Tex.) — Represented one of the country’s largest bulk transportation companies in a breach of contract case against one of its distributors; the case resolved favorably for our client after successfully moving to strike the plaintiff’s expert (resolved)

  • (W.D. Wa.) — Represented one of the nation’s largest property and casualty insurers in a breach of contract and indemnification action against various health services companies relating to medical-charge databases used to process medical bills

  • (Tex. Dist. − Dallas Cnty.) — Second-chair trial attorney securing a favorable settlement for a national restaurant joint venture in litigation involving claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty

  • (Tex. Dist. − Hidalgo Cnty.); (Fl. Dist. − Escambia Cnty.) — Lead lawyer representing a national life insurance company in cases brought in Texas and Florida alleging claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy with regard to the sale of premium-financed life insurance

  • Represented one of the nation’s largest property and casualty insurers in a series of putative class actions alleging claims for underpayment of medical expenses and other benefits under personal auto policies; representative matters include: (1) Washington state court class action in which V&E team secured an order striking the plaintiff’s class allegations; (2) New Mexico federal court class action in which V&E team defeated class certification in a published opinion; (3) South Carolina state court class action in which V&E team obtained a favorable settlement, while a decision on plaintiff’s motion for class certification was pending

  • (Tex. Dist. − Dallas Cnty.) — Lead lawyer for Texas’ largest electric transmission and distribution utility, securing a dismissal of a consumer class action relating to the implementation of advanced meters

  • (N.J. Sup. Ct. − Sussex Cnty.) — Represented one of the nation’s largest video retailers in a consumer class action that resulted in a favorable settlement for the client

Credentials

  • Yale Law School, J.D., 2005
  • Yale College, B.A., History cum laude, 2000 (John Addison Porter Prize in American History, Howard R. Lamar Writing Prize for best senior thesis in American Southwest History)
  • Law Clerk to the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2005–2006
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Commercial Litigation (Dallas), 2023
  • D Magazine, “The Best Lawyers in Dallas,” 2020−2022
  • Latino Leaders Magazine, Top Latino Lawyer, 2018 and 2021
  • Selected to the Texas Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2013−2017
  • Selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2022 and 2023
  • Selected as the feature cover story in Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) for 2017 Texas Rising Stars
  • Recognized to the Extraordinary Minorities in Texas list, Texas Lawyer, 2015
  • Member: American Bar Association; Dallas Bar Association; Dallas Hispanic Bar Association; Hispanic National Bar Association; Texas Bar Foundation; Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee
  • Board Member: AVANCE, Inc. (2019–present); Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation (2015–present); The Dallas Winds (2014–present); Educate Dallas (2013–present); Texas Defender Service (2021–present); Texas General Counsel Forum (2017–present)
  • Member: MALDEF Law School Scholarship Committee (2012–present); Yale Club of Dallas (2006–present); Yale Law School Association Executive Committee (2015–2018); Yale Latino Alumni Association (2009–present);  Business Council for the Arts–Leadership Arts Class (2010–2011); The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court (Associate) (2007–2008)
  • Texas
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
  • “Trends in Agency Actions Against Individuals,” American Bar Association Business Law Section Annual Meeting, September 14, 2018 (panelist)
  • “43rd Annual Southwest Association of Bank Counsel Convention,” September 27, 2019 (speaker)