Education
- B.A., Inter-American University, 1955
- LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center, 1960
- LL.B., University of Puerto Rico Law School, 1958
Bar Admissions
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- U.S. District Court District of Puerto Rico
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- U.S. Supreme Court
Memberships
- Puerto Rico Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Association of Labor Relations Practitioners
Héctor M. Laffitte
Judge Laffitte is a retired Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, where he served for 24 years.
Héctor M. Laffitte's main areas of practice are First Amendment law, Litigation, Mediation and Arbitration, Labor and Employment law, Government Enforcement and White Collar Defense and Government Affairs.
He was partner at Nachman, Feldstein, Laffitte & Smith from 1965 to 1970. From 1970 until 1983, he was Senior Partner of Laffitte, Dominguez & Totti. In July 1983, he was appointed U.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico by President Ronald Reagan. In March 1999, Judge Laffitte was elevated to Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Judge Laffitte has served as Advisor to the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands on Labor Practice and Procedures (1970); as member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments (1977-83, and reappointed in 2009); as member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Labor Policy (1977-83); in the Civil Rights Commission of Puerto Rico (1969-72); Institute of Judicial Administration; as member, Magistrate Judges Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference, appointed by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist (1992); as member, Judicial Conference of the U.S. from 2003 to 2006 under both chief Justice Rehnquist and Chief Justice Roberts; as Life Fellow Foundation Federal Bar Association and as Panel Member, National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM).
