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Biography

Mr. Solano, a well-known, highly regarded leader in the white collar defense space and federal practitioner in New Jersey, co-chairs the firm’s White Collar & Investigations Group, currently one of the firm’s most vibrant practices.

Mr. Solano represents companies and individuals in the healthcare, financial services, and other industries in both criminal and civil matters. These matters often concern allegations of securities fraud, healthcare fraud, bribery, False Claims Act, RICO, tax evasion, and money laundering.  They commonly involve federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as well as civil and regulatory proceedings. An experienced trial and appellate lawyer in white collar criminal and complex commercial matters, Mr. Solano has acted as lead counsel in several significant jury trials. He has also represented clients in a number of sensitive and high-profile investigations, and regularly conducts internal investigations for corporations and other institutions.  In addition, Mr. Solano has represented a number of attorneys as well as physicians and other medical professionals in disciplinary proceedings.

Before returning to Gibbons, Mr. Solano was most recently General Counsel for The Straus Group, a private investment family firm in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for CareOne, a nationwide healthcare continuum with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion that operates more than 60 post-acute nursing and assisted living facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, hospice providers, and a long-term care pharmacy company. Prior to joining CareOne, Mr. Solano was a partner in a well-regarded, boutique litigation firm in New York and New Jersey.

Mr. Solano is also a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, serving in both the Criminal and Appeals Divisions.  In 2008, Mr. Solano was appointed as New Jersey’s First Assistant Attorney General under then-Attorney General Anne Milgram, who is now Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. In that role, he oversaw the Divisions of Criminal Justice, Law, Consumer Affairs, and Gaming Enforcement, participating in case reviews, developing litigation strategy for criminal investigations, affirmative civil litigation, and civil defense matters, and handling various administrative and management responsibilities for the office.

Other Info About Ricardo

Experience

Legal Work Highlights

Among his many notable cases are:

  • The representation of the former Chief Financial Officer of a national law firm in parallel federal and state investigations related to the embezzlement of firm funds.
  • The representation of businessman in six-week federal jury trial against charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, all related to an alleged Ponzi Scheme.
  • The representation of a major financial services company in a five-month jury trial defending against claims of racketeering, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition totaling $1 billion loss, which resulted in dismissal of the plaintiffs’ racketeering claims after the close of evidence and a favorable settlement during deliberations.
  • The representation of businessman in ten-week federal jury trial against charges related to bribery involving a former United States Senator and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
  • The representation of a former executive of a major commercial bank in connection with parallel DOJ and state criminal investigations and related civil proceedings alleging violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering statutes, which resulted in no criminal charges.
  • The representation of the former general counsel of a publicly traded technology company in parallel DOJ and SEC investigations regarding alleged improper accounting and securities laws violations, which resulted in a favorable settlement with the SEC and no criminal charges.
  • The representation of the State of New Jersey and Governor Murphy in connection with litigation alleging defamation and retaliatory discharge by former assistant commissioner of a state department.
  • The representation of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in connection with a multi-year investigation conducted by a New Jersey Governor’s Task Force reviewing whether $11 billion in tax credits were improperly awarded to corporations doing business in New Jersey.
  • The representation of a senior executive of a major pharmaceutical company in connection with investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding alleged anti-kickback and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, which resulted in no criminal or administrative charges.
  • Conducted internal investigation on behalf of the board of directors of charter school related to allegations of employment misconduct, including misappropriation of school funds.
  • Conducted internal investigation on behalf of major financial services company related to whistleblower allegations of retaliatory conduct for non-compliance with securities laws and the supposed failure to enact adequate anti-money laundering policies and procedures.

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law|New York University

J.D., summa cum laude|B.A.

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Editor, Seton Hall Law Review|

Clerkships

Ricardo served as a clerk for the court(s) and judge(s) below:

Law clerk to the Honorable Maryanne Trump Barry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, September 1999 – August 2000

Law clerk to the Honorable Deborah T. Poritz, New Jersey Supreme Court, September 1998 – August 1999

Courts

Ricardo is admitted to practice before the following court(s):

State of New Jersey|State of New York|United States District Court for the District of New Jersey|United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York|United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit|Supreme Court of the United States

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Recognition

Local & National Recognition

Recognized by Best Lawyers®, 2026 Edition: Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Litigation – Health Care

Included on BINJE’s Best Hispanic Business Leaders 2025 List

Recipient, Essex County Bar Association Criminal Practice Award, 2024

Included on the New Jersey Super Lawyers list, Criminal Defense: White Collar

Included on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list, Criminal Defense

Included on the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business list, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations

2018 Exemplary Service Award, Seton Hall University School of Law

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, Supreme Court of New Jersey

Law360 New Jersey Editorial Advisory Board Member, 2025

President, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey

Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey

Seton Hall University School of Law Board of Visitors

Lawyers Advisory Committee for the District of New Jersey

Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee