As Founder and Managing Partner of the firm, Mr. Tapanes represents clients in state and federal matters throughout the United States. He has tried more than 80 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials, and has successfully handled numerous criminal and civil appeals.

His criminal practice encompasses high-profile cases involving international narcotics trafficking, public corruption, organized fraud, and money laundering. On the civil side, his experience spans commercial litigation, international business transactions, fraud, contract disputes, debt collection, and real estate.

Mr. Tapanes earned an Associate in Arts in Criminal Justice from Miami-Dade College in 1996 and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Political Science, from Florida International University in 1999. He received his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2002, followed by a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Intercultural Human Rights from the same institution in 2004 — an advanced degree that further strengthened the firm's international litigation capabilities.

From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Tapanes served as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, where he rose to Assistant Chief of the Career Criminal Robbery Unit and worked within the Gang Prosecution Unit, handling major crimes and proactive investigations.

Mr. Tapanes is admitted to practice before all state courts in Florida, the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He served as committee chairperson for the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for three years and currently serves as an Arbitrator for the Florida Bar Fee Dispute Program.