Cristina M. Moreno - The Cicala Law Firm PLLC

Cristina Moreno is a veteran trial attorney with over fifteen years of experience. She focuses her practice on complex litigation matters. Cristina has tried over twenty cases to verdict and practiced in federal and state courts throughout the United States. She has also worked on several appellate matters and argued before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining the Cicala Law Firm, Cristina spent over a decade serving as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice and three years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas.

Most recently, Cristina’s practice has focused on civil litigation and representing clients in commercial disputes and employment litigation. As an AAG, Cristina represented state agencies in wide range of employment matters in state and federal courts throughout Texas. Cristina also advised state universities on Title IX regulations applicable to university conduct hearings and represented universities in Title IX litigation. Cristina has also represented plaintiffs in complex commercial litigation, including successfully representing a plaintiff in a shareholder dispute at trial in Washington state court.

During her tenure at DOJ, Cristina first served as a Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section in Washington D.C., where she conducted high-profile investigations involving financial fraud and violent crimes. She was involved in the nation’s largest and most comprehensive prosecution of Armenian-Russian organized crime, resulting in the indictment of over 90 defendants in the Central District of California for crimes including RICO, bank fraud, health care fraud, firearms trafficking, kidnapping and extortion. She also served as trial counsel in the successful conviction of multiple defendants for a multi-million-dollar bank fraud scheme and the violent kidnapping of an adult male. Her work on these cases earned her the Department of Justice’s prestigious Director’s Award for Superior Performance.

Cristina also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Miami for over five years. During this time, she prosecuted hundreds of federal crimes including tax fraud, identity theft, cybercrimes, international kidnappings, and firearms and narcotics trafficking. As an AUSA, Cristina took over a dozen cases to trial -- from complex fraud conspiracies to international drug trafficking. Cristina was a member of the Special Prosecutions section, which focused on cases involving victims of violent crimes including sex trafficking, child exploitation, and armed robberies. She also has broad experience working with federal and foreign law enforcement agencies.

Cristina is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School and Vanderbilt University. She is committed to helping law students and young lawyers develop trial skills having taught at Notre Dame Law School’s intensive trial advocacy program and frequently volunteering to judge moot court and mock trial competitions. Cristina is a member of the Federal Bar Association and legal organizations in Austin focusing on mentoring female and Hispanic lawyers. Cristina speaks fluent Spanish and is admitted to practice law in Texas and Florida.

Education

J.D., University of Notre Dame Law School, cum laude
B.A., Vanderbilt University, magna cum laude

Bar Admissions
Florida and Texas

Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas