Overview

Wifredo A. "Willy" Ferrer, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is the chair of Holland & Knight's Global Compliance and Investigations Team and the executive partner of the firm's Miami office. Mr. Ferrer focuses his practice primarily on internal corporate investigations, corporate compliance and training, and white collar criminal defense.

Mr. Ferrer counsels and defends corporations and individuals in a wide range of criminal and regulatory matters, including allegations involving bribery and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), complex fraud, financial improprieties, securities law violations, healthcare fraud, false claims, cybercrime and government contract fraud.

Mr. Ferrer also regularly counsels corporations and individuals in compliance and due diligence matters. He conducts anti-corruption and FCPA training for companies, develops anti-corruption and FCPA policies and compliance programs, and develops corporate due diligence protocols.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Ferrer served for nearly seven years as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He was nominated by President Barack Obama and received unanimous U.S. Senate confirmation in April 2010.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer supervised some of the most complex and noteworthy prosecutions handled by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney's Office brought more than 11,000 cases and charged more than 18,000 defendants for their alleged roles in criminal schemes. His office prosecuted a wide range of financial fraud, including investment fraud, securities fraud, fraud against the U.S. government and Medicare fraud. He also supervised cases involving international and domestic terrorism, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, violent crime, identity theft, tax fraud and human trafficking.

To proactively fight crime, Mr. Ferrer created several task forces, strengthening the connection between his office and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. He also has traveled abroad to build partnerships, most recently participating in a Colombia summit on bilateral efforts to combat organized transnational crime.

Mr. Ferrer also supervised civil investigations and settlements under the False Claims Act. He oversaw the office's Asset Forfeiture and Civil Divisions to obtain restitution for crime victims and the government. His office routinely was among the nation's leaders in forfeiture collections and restitution obtained for victims during his tenure.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer testified before the U.S. Senate. In 2010, he testified on mortgage fraud before the U.S. Senate Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. In 2012, he testified on healthcare fraud before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

Prior to becoming the U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer served as chief of the Federal Litigation Section for the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office from 2006 to 2010 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 2000 to 2006. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer worked in the following sections: Public Integrity and National Security, Economic and Environmental Crimes, Major Crimes and Appellate. In these roles, he prosecuted and tried many high-profile cases alleging international money laundering, healthcare fraud, narcotics trafficking, international human rights abuses, immigration violations and firearms offenses.

Before becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Ferrer served in various roles with the federal government. He gained experience as a White House Fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and later as deputy chief of staff and counsel to the late Attorney General Janet Reno.

Early in his career, Mr. Ferrer worked as an attorney at a Miami law firm. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Stanley Marcus in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Credentials

Education
  • University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • University of Miami, A.B., Economics, summa cum laude
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • All State Courts in Florida
Memberships
  • Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel
  • Chapman Partnership, Board of Trustees
  • Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., Board of Directors
  • National Association of Former United States Attorneys, Lifetime Member, Board Member, 2021-2024
  • Federal Bar Association, South Florida Chapter
  • Lawyers Advisory Committee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., Campaign Committee
  • Hispanic National Bar Association
  • Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys, 2014-2016
  • The Florida Bar
  • Cuban American Bar Association
  • Dade County Bar Association
  • University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Editor
Honors & Awards
  • Power Leaders in Law, South Florida Business Journal, 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Miami Corporate Compliance Law Lawyer of the Year, 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2019-2024; Corporate Compliance Law, 2021, 2023, 2024
  • Lawyer of the Americas, University of Miami School of Law, 2022
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
  • Who's Who Legal Global Leader, Investigations, 2022
  • Who's Who Legal Global Leader, Business Crime Defense - Corporates, 2021
  • Anti-Defamation League Jurisprudence Award, 2019
  • The Business Journals' 2019 Influencers, Law
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2019-2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Miami Corporate Compliance Law Lawyer of the Year, 2021
  • President's Award, League of Prosecutors, 2017
  • Power Leaders in Law - Newsmakers, South Florida Business Journal, 2017
  • Distinguished Leaders in Law Honoree, Daily Business Review, 2017
  • Equal Justice Leadership Award, Legal Services of Greater Miami, 2017
  • Latino Lawyer of the Year, Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), 2015
  • Florida Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine, 2014, 2015, 2021
  • Alumni Award of Merit, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2014
  • U.S. Attorney General's Medal, 2000
Spoken Languages
  • English
  • Spanish

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News