José R. González-Irizarry

E-mail address: jrgi@mcvpr.com
Phone number: (787) 250-5636
Fax number: (787) 759-2787
Cellular number: (787) 565-9786

José R. González-Irizarry is a Capital Member in the Litigation Practice Group. He is the Chairman of the firm's Bankruptcy Practice Area. Mr. González- Irizarry joined McConnell Valdés in 1976.

Practice Areas

Mr. González-Irizarry's practice is 75% litigation, including general civil and commercial litigation, and consulting, mostly in the areas of lender liability, insurance, real estate, secured transactions, contested foreclosures, bankruptcy, business reorganizations, petroleum marketing practices laws and regulations, construction and health care matters before state, federal, administrative and arbitration fora.

Education

He obtained a B.B.A., magna cum laude in 1973, from the University of Puerto Rico, where he concentrated in finance and political sciences, and obtained his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, in 1976 where he concentrated in commercial law from the University of Puerto Rico.

Admissions

Mr. González-Irizarry is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Memberships

He is a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, Asociación de Notarios de Puerto Rico, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy Advocates Association. He is certified as mediator by the Lex Mundi College of Mediators and as neutral evaluator by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico's Bureau of Alternate Dispute Resolution.

Representative Cases

• Arzuaga-Collazo v Oriental Federal Savings Bank, 913 F.2d 5 (lst Cir. 1990) - Mr. González-Irizarrry was lead counsel for Oriental Federal Savings Bank in a $615,000,000 RICO complaint filed against it.
• Garca Curbelo v. American Defender Life Insurance Co., 127 D.P.R. 747 (1991) - In connection with life, health and disability insurance, he represented American Defender Life Insurance Company in a precedent setting case where the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico settled issues regarding incontestability and coverage issues.
• Oriental Financial Group v. Federal Insurance Company, 309 F. Supp. 2d 216 (D.P.R. 2004) - Mr. González-Irizarry and his partner Mr. Antonio J. Ramírez, successfully defeated defendant's motion for summary judgment on procedural and substantive issues pertaining to fidelity coverage under a Financial Institution Bond insurance policy. This allowed plaintiff's $25 million claim to go forward to trial.

Publications

Mr. González-Irizarry has written articles and dictated conferences and seminars about bankruptcy and mediation, served as part-time lecturer for the courses of Legal Research and Bankruptcy, University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1986-1996; and is currently contributor of the Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, published by West Bankruptcy Series, as it pertains to Puerto Rico law.