A Litigation Boutique
Relentless in trial.
Measured in counsel.
The Bear Firm represents individuals and businesses in criminal, commercial, tax, and entertainment matters, with decades of trial work behind every decision and a negotiator's discipline at every table.
Most firms manage disputes.
We end them.
The Bear Firm was built on a single conviction: the best outcomes, in a courtroom or across a conference table, belong to the side that is genuinely prepared to try the case. Every matter we accept is prepared that way from the first day.
From offices in New York, Washington, Miami, and Philadelphia, the firm defends criminal prosecutions, tries business and construction disputes, resolves tax controversies, and protects artists and producers in entertainment matters. Some situations call for quiet diplomacy. Others call for the bear. Knowing the difference is the work of a career.
The attorneys behind the firm“A lawyer with good bedside manner who will go at your opponent like an unstoppable bear.”Client Review — 2024
Managing Partner
Albert J. Santoro
Trial attorney and negotiator — for three decades his clients’ strategist, forensic accountant, business advisor, and crisis manager. Today admitted in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, and before ten federal districts, ten federal circuits, and the United States Tax Court.
View Profile →
Partner — Miami
Caroline M. Santoro
Resident partner in the firm’s Brickell Avenue office. Admitted to The Florida Bar, and known for her rule: the client is owed an answer the same day.
View Profile →Criminal Defense
Federal and state trials, white-collar investigations, and pre-charge counsel. More than a thousand criminal matters as a prosecutor and hundreds for the defense, from street-level charges to complex cases.
Commercial & Civil Litigation
Business, construction, and contract disputes in state and federal court, and high-conflict matrimonial litigation where the stakes are personal.
Income Tax Matters — Civil and Criminal Representation
Criminal tax defense and civil proceedings before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Tax Court — handled by a lawyer trained first as an accountant.
Entertainment
Contracts, negotiations, and litigation for recording artists, film producers, and talent, protecting the work and the people behind it.
Appellate Matters
State and federal appeals, criminal and civil — briefed and argued by the firm that understands trial records because it makes them. Judgments attacked, and judgments defended.
The Bear U.S. Launch Program
Entering the United States is easy. Operating here legally is not.
The firm serves as U.S. outside general counsel and market-entry counsel for international companies establishing, operating, and expanding a presence in the United States — entity, tax, banking, offices, workforce, immigration, licensing, and ongoing compliance.
One law firm. One point of responsibility. One coordinated U.S. strategy.
Explore the Program →People v. Pratt
A client falsely accused and facing a mandatory minimum prison sentence. Tried to verdict. Acquitted on all counts.
All charges dismissed
A two-year defense of felony charges that ended the way it should have: with a full dismissal and a client's life returned to him.
Client outcomes, not volume
Criminal, commercial, tax, and entertainment matters tried, negotiated, or resolved across state and federal courts — every one handled as if it were the firm’s only case.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
When Albert stepped into that courtroom for trial, the confidence, intensity, and focus on his face were reassuring — and in the end I was acquitted of all charges.Client — Criminal Defense
Sharp, responsive, and knowledgeable. From start to finish he made me feel like I had someone truly fighting for me.Client — 2026
He never once sugar-coated anything or made promises he couldn’t keep… I watched him put in countless hours on my case and treat me like I was his own family.Client — Acquitted on all counts
When everything is at stake,
preparation is everything.
Initial consultations are confidential and conducted by the attorney who will handle your matter, in English, French, Russian, or Spanish. Attorneys are available for consultation at the client’s convenience at the New York, Washington, D.C., Miami, or Philadelphia offices.
Request a Consultation