Draft:Ricky Patel

Ricky K. Patel (born May 04, 1982) is an American entrepreneur, lawyer, inventor, author, and philanthropist. He is an attorney at law serving as Of Counsel with Akerman LLC in Florida and has also authored children’s books with his daughter. Patel is the youngest person appointed to Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee. He also served as an ambassador for the Clinton Global Initiative.

Early Life and Education

Patel was born on May 04, 1982. He attended Florida State University in 2003, receiving a BA degree in international affairs and political science in 2006. He subsequently went to St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree in 2009.

Career

After graduating, Patel joined the Farrell & Patel law firm as a senior partner. He handled several class-action litigations and crisis management for both celebrities and athletes. In 2010’s deep water horizon spill disaster case, Patel and his firm represented over 3,500 individuals and businesses, including government municipalities.  

In 2015, Patel represented American football player Dalvin Cook in a high-profile criminal case. Dalvin Cook was wrongfully arrested and suspended from Florida State University for allegedly attacking a woman.  Patel took the case to trial and received a unanimous jury verdict of not guilty against my client.  In addition, Patel was able to show with overwhelming testimony that my client never touched the victim.

Patel also represented Hall of Fame NFL football player Warren Sapp, accused by Plaintiff Paula Trickey of blackmailing and extortion on January 30, 2015, at the ESPN Super Bowl Party. She said an intoxicated Sapp was asked to leave by security, and as he ran through a crowded room, he struck her with his body, causing her to hit the floor and causing “severe bodily injuries.” On the contrary, Sapp said that he was scheduled to introduce Pitbull. He further said that it is impossible to be in two places at one time. Sapp later provided Plaintiff’s counsel with an affidavit, photographs of himself at the JBL Super Bowl Party, and other proof. In September 2020, the lawsuit was resolved in the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, Florida, in favor of former NFL player Warren Sapp. The Court made the findings of fact that Paula Trickey testified she did not know who hit her and never saw Warren Sapp at the ESPN Super Bowl Party.  Patel was quoted after winning the case “We don’t believe in just winning a case, but believe in sending a message to those who wish to act improperly. We will not just beat the opposition, we will annihilate them!”

In 2017, Patel represented Baylor University students and coach involved in one of the largest sexual assault cases in America. Several female students were raped and sexually assaulted by the players in the Baylor Bears Football team. Patel vehemently fought on behalf of the victims, but Baylor delayed the trials, resulting in a settlement. Patel and LaPrise Harris-Williams, the former head coach of Baylor’s acrobatic and tumbling program were interviewed by 60 minutes on CBS which aired live in 2016.  

Patel  and his firm in 2016 were retained to represent the entire country of India against the top 13 banks in the world. Patel’s job was to work with the local banks to determine the damages caused to them. Patel did significant investigation on the case. He went to India and met with the then finance minister, Arun Jaitley, and with the CEOs of top banks of India, including the State Bank of India and the Bank of Baroda.  The case is still ongoing.          

In 2014, the National Trial Lawyers Association named Patel among the Top 40 Trial Lawyers nationally. He received the Asian American Hotel Owners’ Association (AAHOA) Chairman’s Award for leadership and ongoing services in recognition of his representation of more than 3,500 hotels in multiple class action lawsuits.

In 2017, after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Patel was tasked with representing the government against insurance companies who refused to pay for property damage.  Patel realized there were no bad faith or statutory fee laws in Puerto Rico so he established them for the first time.  Ricky Patel was able to successfully establish bill 1645 which eventually became the law of the land in 2018 without the use of lobbyists or experts in the field.  This law provided protection to the people of Puerto Rico against insurance companies who acted in bad faith.  

Since 2017, Patel has been recognized nationally for his ability to handle extortion and sensitive matter cases for celebrities, athletes and ultra high networth individuals.   He has been featured on almost every major news network relating to these matters.  

In 2023, Patel was interviewed by Good Morning America for his work on the key west parasailing wrongful death case which left two children without a mother.  

Patel has co-authored a couple of children’s books. The first book, The Beautiful Caterpillar, which he co-authored with his daughter, was developed as an educational tool for children to learn about sexual predators, bullying, body shaming, and discrimination awareness. The second book, Believe, was an inspirational story for children, which he co-authored with Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro.

Patel has also received a US patent for his creation of an intelligent smoke detector, Fort. Fort is a device consolidating a smoke detector, Wi-Fi extender, alarm motion sensor, and music speakers all into one device that uses Amazon Alexa. As of 2023, Patel owns various businesses, including hotels, restaurants, bars, apartment complexes, warehouses, and a consulting firm.  

Philanthropy

Patel founded the ITS4THEKIDS foundation to benefit children in need both nationally and internationally.  The foundation has teams in Florida, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Puerto Rico.

As of 2023, ITS4THEKIDS has delivered over 450,000 servings of food to children in need. The foundation started several projects, including Bags of Hope, Bridge the Gap, Pitch Perfect, Drums of Hope, and Hope Child. Patel continues to provide over 10,000 duffle bags a year to children entering the foster care system.

In 2021, Patel was awarded the auspicious Martin Luther King Award by his Alma mater for the work he continues to do in under served communities.

Patel and his firm helped with several hurricane relief efforts, including Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 and Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019. Patel and his partner Wes Farrell personally contributed over $100,000, shut down their law firm to provide the people of Puerto Rico with resources following Hurricane Maria.

Patel received an award of excellence from UPS for providing over 100,000 lbs of supplies for the Bahama relief effort.

In 2020, Patel launched the Pay It Forward Scholarship, which provides $20,000 yearly to law students who have established a social program that helps those in need.

Patel supports various other charitable organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, VA WA (Violence Against Women’s Act), Haitian Orphanage, American Red Cross, and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees. In 2012, Patel and his firm organized a charity event where they raised over $1.2 million in funds for the hospital. In 2016, Patel helped to establish Gracious Hands Orphanage, which cares for 42 boys and girls aged 2 to 16 years old in Gressier, Haiti. Patel initially raised over $200,000 in supplies and cash to provide the orphans with housing, schooling, staff, and other necessities.  Since 2016, Patel has taken his team frequently to provide direct care and assistance to the children.

Awards

In 2012, Patel received the AAHOA Chairman’s Award for strong leadership within the hospitality industry. In February 2021, Patel received the inaugural Martin Luther King Award for helping the African-American community through his foundation, Its4thekids. Some other significant awards include:

• Brioni & Neiman Marcus Man of the Year
• South Florida Business Journal 40 Under 40 (2013)
• The National Trial  Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers (2014)
• Philanthropist of the Year by Little Lighthouse Foundation (2018)

Honors and Distinctions

• STU Law School, Martin Luther King Award, 2021
• Little Lighthouse Foundation, “Philanthropist of the Year,”  2018
• Super Lawyers Magazine, Listed as a “Super Lawyer” in Florida for Class Action & Mass Torts, 2016-2017
• U.S. Patent Recipient, Creation of Intelligent Smoke Detector System, 2017
• The National Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, 2014
• South Florida Business Journal, Recognized as “40 Under 40,” 2013
• Brioni & Neiman Marcus Man of the Year, 2013
• AAHOA Chairman’s Award for Leadership and Ongoing Services, Recipient, 2012
• Honors Thesis on Genocide Prevention, 2006

References

1. https://fansided.com/2015/07/14/dalvin-cook-attorney-false-allegations/
2. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2520067-dalvin-cook-under-investigation-for-battery-latest-details-and-reaction
3. https://wsvn.com/sports/miami-dolphins-its4thekids-team-up-to-distribute-over-1000-meals/
4. https://communitynewspapers.com/south-miami-featured/its4thekids-hosts-drums-of-hope-to-provide-140000-servings-of-nourishing-foods-to-childrens-orphanage-in-haiti/
5. https://socialmiami.com/the-edit-by-brett-graff-19/
6. https://socialmiami.com/6th-annual-fashion-gives-back/
7. https://www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com/Publications/Black-Meetings-Tourism/2012/November-December-2011/Rough-Sledding-Continues-For-BP-Disaster-Victims.aspx

External Links

https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/patel-honored-with-st-thomas-black-law-student-associations-mlk-award/