About The Firm

Carlos practices criminal defense with the perspective of someone who has stood on both sides of the courtroom. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he competed on the Broun National Trial Team, early proof of the trial instincts that would come to define his career. He is admitted to practice in the State of Florida and before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
 

Before founding Zapata Defense, Carlos served as a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. It was there, in a fast paced environment carrying the most serious responsibility a prosecutor can hold, seeking justice, that he tried cases with both compassion and fierce advocacy.

That experience gave him a clear understanding of the emotional weight criminal charges carry for the people facing them, and it's a big part of why he fights as relentlessly as he does for his clients today. Working daily alongside judges, jurors, defense attorneys, and court staff, Carlos built the kind of trial-tested experience that only comes from being in the courtroom, case after case. After leaving the State Attorney's Office, Carlos went on to practice criminal defense at his own law firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a natural next step for an attorney who understood exactly how the other side builds its case, and exactly how to take it apart.
 

His work has been recognized well beyond the courtroom. Carlos has been named one of Florida's Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers, selected as a 2026 Super Lawyers Rising Star, and honored as a Lawyer of Distinction, recognition of both his courtroom advocacy and his commitment to client-focused legal strategy.