Torres attended Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law at Barry University in Miami, where he was on the trial team and awarded "Advocate of the Year" honors. He was also Vice President and President of the Hispanic Attorneys Association and Vice President of the Student Bar Association.
After clerking at one of Orlando's busiest top entertainment firms for approximately one year, Torres began to work for Joel Fine, P.A., who eventually became his mentor and friend and influenced him to open his own firm. Although, attorney-wise, Torres was still wet behind the ears, he was a business-savvy young professional, which made him a tremendously valuable asset to Fine and his practice. Early on in his career at Fine's firm, Torres was instilled with the idea that law itself is ultimately a business just like any other.
Fine also taught Torres the humbling and wise principle that the law constantly changes, especially with time and new attorneys and perspectives, which means no one can really conquer it and know all the answers at one time. "For the most part, attorneys and judges alike, we're all trying to figure out the law. It is really a living and breathing thing. It changes as the cases change," he said.
Being partial to the business side of the industry, after excelling at Fine's firm, Torres began to realize that he "wanted to benefit from all of his work." He knew that there was only one step to take; he would open his own firm—Torres Benet, P.A.
|
Today, Torres' firm primarily covers real estate, family law, civil, and construction litigation. Although his passion lies with sports and entertainment cases, there is not much of a need for those types of work in Tampa.
Late last December, Rees issued an apology for the photos (which showed her exposing her breasts, kissing and licking other women, and simulating sexual acts) that reached the media. Rees responded to the photos, saying that they were captured during an "isolated incident." Torres never had any reservations about representing Rees. "She's an upstanding young adult," he said.
"We have not made a final decision as to if we're going to pursue Mr. Trump, NBC, and the Miss Universe organization," Torres said. While waiting on additional documentation that will strengthen the case, Torres continues to prepare for his battle against the photographer who took the pictures and the organizations that are barring Rees from the 2007 Miss USA Pageant.
Katie Rees was forced to renounce her title on December 21, 2006. Her replacement, first runner-up Helen Salas, is set to compete for the title of Miss USA on March 23, 2007, in Los Angeles.
Torres went on to say, "Do they understand how procedurally a case goes from A to Z? That's what I look for in an associate. Do they understand the law? Great, but I can have them read about the law in a book."
