Manny Medrano Speaker Biography
Former Supreme Court Correspondent for ABC News, Emmy Award-Winning Legal Analyst, Former Federal Prosecutor & Renowned Trial Attorney
Manny Medrano is one of America’s leading trial attorneys, legal analysts, and keynote speakers on leadership, ethics, crisis management, and decision-making under pressure. A former federal prosecutor, former Supreme Court and Legal Affairs Correspondent for ABC News, and Emmy Award-winning journalist, Medrano brings a rare combination of courtroom experience, media expertise, and executive insight. Having prosecuted and defended some of the nation’s most complex and high-profile cases, he equips audiences with practical lessons on leadership, integrity, communication, and navigating today’s increasingly complex legal and business environments.
Keynote Speaker Manny Medrano at a Glance
- Emmy Award-winning legal analyst, nationally recognized trial attorney, and former federal prosecutor with decades of courtroom and litigation experience.
- Former Supreme Court and Legal Affairs Correspondent for ABC News and trusted legal commentator for ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, and other major news organizations.
- Recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance and numerous federal law enforcement honors for prosecuting landmark criminal cases.
- Sought-after keynote speaker helping corporations, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and leadership conferences navigate ethics, leadership, crisis management, risk, compliance, and decision-making.
Distinguished Trial Attorney and White Collar Defense Expert
Manny Medrano is one of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers, representing corporations, senior executives, public officials, and private individuals in high-stakes criminal investigations, regulatory proceedings, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, financial litigation, corporate compliance, internal investigations, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Drawing upon decades of courtroom experience, Medrano advises organizations on managing legal risk, maintaining ethical leadership, and responding effectively during times of crisis. His practical understanding of both prosecution and defense provides audiences with valuable insights into leadership under pressure and sound decision-making.
Former Federal Prosecutor
Before entering private practice, Medrano served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he held leadership positions as Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Complaints Unit. He prosecuted complex cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, organized crime, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and RICO violations. Among his most notable prosecutions was the landmark investigation and trial involving the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena—a case later featured in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico and the Amazon Prime documentary The Last Narc. For his extraordinary work on the case, Medrano received the prestigious U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance. During his time as a federal prosecutor, Medrano tried 60 jury trials to verdict without ever losing a case, earning numerous commendations from the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS, and other federal investigative agencies.
Emmy Award-Winning Legal Analyst and Broadcaster
Medrano has built a distinguished career explaining complex legal issues to national audiences. As ABC News’ Supreme Court and Legal Affairs Correspondent in Washington, D.C., he covered many of the nation’s most important legal developments while serving as a member of the prestigious Supreme Court press corps. He later earned an Emmy Award for his work as a reporter and anchor with KTLA and KNBC in Los Angeles. Today, he remains one of the country’s most respected legal commentators, frequently appearing on ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, and other major news outlets to provide expert analysis of headline-making criminal trials, Supreme Court decisions, and legal issues. His commentary has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and numerous other national publications.
Educator, Lecturer, and Legal Thought Leader
Throughout his career, Medrano has been committed to developing the next generation of legal professionals. He has served as a lecturer and group leader for the U.S. Attorney General’s Trial Advocacy Program and has taught Evidence, Trial Advocacy, Ethics, and Negotiation as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Loyola Law School, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and Southwestern Law School. He has also served as visiting faculty at Harvard Law School’s nationally recognized Trial Advocacy Workshop and regularly delivers presentations for judges, attorneys, law enforcement agencies, and professional organizations on litigation strategy, ethics, leadership, media relations, and crisis communication.
Community Leadership and Service
In addition to his legal and media accomplishments, Manny Medrano is deeply committed to community service and philanthropy. He has supported numerous charitable organizations throughout his career and has received recognition from members of Congress, state legislators, nonprofit organizations, universities, corporations, and government agencies for his civic leadership and public service. His commitment to justice, ethics, and community engagement reflects the same values that define his legal career and keynote presentations.
Why Organizations Book Manny Medrano
Manny Medrano delivers compelling keynote presentations that blend real-world courtroom experience, media expertise, and leadership lessons from some of America’s most consequential legal cases. His engaging storytelling and practical insights help audiences better understand ethics, crisis management, communication, leadership under pressure, compliance, and effective decision-making in high-stakes situations. His presentations are ideal for corporate leadership meetings, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, legal conferences, universities, and professional associations seeking a dynamic speaker who translates complex legal concepts into actionable lessons for today’s leaders.
Manny Medrano Speaking Topics
Conquering the Tough Times Ahead
Manny’s most personal keynote speech is a powerful presentation that resonates with audiences because it touches on the themes of personal obstacles and the irrepressible human spirit. Born into an impoverished immigrant household, Manny pulled himself out of a crime-ridden barrio to go on to graduate with honors from Harvard College and then Harvard Law School, culminating in two immensely successful careers. With humor and unflinching passion, Manny challenges listeners to conquer fear and self-doubt during these difficult and uncertain times. He inspires audience members to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and empowerment as a means to reach their personal and professional goals.
The Collapse of Traditional Journalism, and the Rise of New Social Media
America’s financial and auto industries are not the only ones in crisis. There is also massive upheaval taking place in journalism. Evening newscasts have been replaced by 24/7 internet journalism. Foreign bureaus are closing. Newspapers are shuttering operations as advertising revenue plummets. In this hard-hitting and sobering presentation, Manny examines the democratization of American journalism, where consumers are abandoning traditional mainstream media outlets in favor of bloggers and citizen journalists. But at what cost? The demise of traditional journalism has translated into more independent, but less aggressive newsgathering. With journalism at a dangerous tipping point, Manny discusses the future of news coverage and its impact on our society, and offers insights on how listeners can adapt to the dramatic changes occurring in the delivery of important news and information.
The High Court: A Supreme Controversy
A former member of the prestigious U.S. Supreme Court press corps, Manny is the only member in its long history to actually try a case heard before the Court. He discusses its inner-workings, as well as landmark, controversial decisions of the highest court in the land. He offers unique insights into the political “chess game” unfolding daily as President Trump's Supreme Court nominees are thrown into the public arena, and examines their potential legal and political impact on the high court and our society for decades to come.
Trial by Sound Byte: Law in the New Millennium
An experienced, award-winning trial attorney and television broadcast journalist, Manny provides a behind-the-scenes look at current and headline-grabbing legal stories. From notorious cases involving celebrities, to high profile political cases, to the controversy over cameras in the courtroom, Manny cuts through the legal jargon and focuses on the people, players and issues behind the headlines.
Five Things I Wish I’d Learned at Harvard Law School
A must-hear presentation for attorneys, judges and even non-lawyers, Manny shares insights and lessons learned from almost 30 years in the trenches as an award-winning trial attorney and TV broadcast journalist. While torts, contracts and constitutional law were among the required courses at Harvard Law School, they could not prepare Manny for many of the tough issues he confronted in professional life. Just some of these issues include reacting when a contract was placed on his life, consoling families of murder victims, dealing with the media in high profile cases, learning how to business develop or “rainmake,” and connecting with jurors to accomplish a 60-0 win record. Manny discusses these and other poignant lessons learned in the practice of law and throughout his journalism career that he now applies to all facets of his personal and professional endeavors.
