Diego Pestana joins the Suarez Law Firm after gaining extensive experience as a judicial law clerk at different levels of the federal judiciary—from the discovery phase at trial court to the appellate process. He clerked first for U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone at the Middle District of Florida. While clerking for Judge Sansone, Diego worked on a wide range of matters in civil and criminal cases, including discovery disputes, dispositive motions, jury trials, motions to suppress, Garcia hearings, and Social Security appeals. He then went on to clerk for Judge Michael P. Allen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, D.C. With Judge Allen, Diego gained insight into the appellate process, learned how to identify appealable issues, and worked extensively on matters dealing with statutory and regulatory interpretation. Diego then returned to the Middle District to be among the first law clerks to U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle. With Judge Mizelle, Diego helped with case management as well as matters in a wide variety of legal areas, including trade secrets, antitrust law, civil RICO, False Claims Act, and bankruptcy appeals. Diego also served briefly as an Assistant Public Defender at the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.
