About NAAG
Guillermo Somoza-Colombani
Puerto Rico Attorney General
Appointed: December 2009
GPO Box 902192, San Juan, PR 00902-0192
(787) 721-2900
http://www.justicia.gobierno.pr/
Guillermo Somoza-Colombani was appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico, Honorable Luis G. Fortuño-Burset, as Acting Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on December 2009. Prior to this appointment, he has been working as Juvenile Prosecutor in the Department of Justice since 1997. As Juvenile Prosecutor, he represented the state in all adversarial proceedings, investigating and prosecuting juvenile offenders under the Puerto Rico Juvenile Law. In this capacity, he directed the only jurisdiction that has obtained a "witness and victim's technician" and worked actively in the development of relevant legislation related to child abuse.
Somoza-Colombani was in charge of the Humacao Judicial District from 2000 to 2001 and of the Bayamón Judicial District from 2006 to 2009, managing a staff of thirty individuals, including juvenile prosecutors, investigative officers, social workers, secretaries, victim's technicians, data entry clerks and clerical staff. He also collaborated in the development of relevant legislation related to child abuse and provided orientation to communities and schools on “Juvenile Law”. Several interviews were also provided by radio and television to complement the orientation programs.
Due to his performance as Juvenile Prosecutor In Charge, on January 2009, Somoza-Colombani was appointed as Director of Juvenile and Family Affairs of the Department of Justice. During this appointment he managed twenty seven juvenile and family affairs regional prosecutor offices, comprised of thirteen separate jurisdictions, including the central office. He actively participated on the development of several island-wide initiatives aimed at the prevention of crime and family violence, advised the Attorney General on Public Policy and Legislative issues concerning juvenile and family affairs, and served as liaison with other government agencies in the coordination of services and implementation of administrative rules and regulations.
Among the duties performed by Somoza-Colombani as Director of Juvenile and Family Affairs, was to promote public and private efforts to prevent and control crime and violent conduct. As part of this effort, he directed important programs related to prevention, such as “Justice at the Communities” and “Mobile Closed-Circuit Testimony for Children and Mentally Disabled Witnesses”. Also, he has been actively participating in the development of a juvenile drug court program for the courts of Puerto Rico. On September 2009, he coordinated the First Interdisciplinary Conference on Closed-Circuit Testimony for Children and Mentally Disabled Witnesses. The objective of this Conference was to instruct social workers, police officers, attorneys, prosecutors and judges on the use, importance and scope of this Program for the judicial system in Puerto Rico.
Somoza-Colombani began his legal career as Attorney at Law at the Child Protection Program Legal Assistance Clinic of the Inter American University School of Law. He litigated civil cases and represented youth before the Juvenile Court on matters related to child abuse and parental custody. While working in the Legal Assistance Clinic, he designed and directed an interdisciplinary family law program to provide free and appropriate assistance to parents who had been deprived of custody of their children under the child abuse laws.
Prior joining the public service, Somoza-Colombani worked for Martínez, Odell & Calabria Law Offices as Associate Attorney at Law. During his practice, he managed a portfolio of 165 cases of one of the largest commercial bank of Puerto Rico and for other clients in the areas of real estate, consumer loans and collection procedures with an active practice as notary public.
As Acting Attorney General, Somoza-Colombani chairs several boards and committees, such as: Special Board of Monopolistic Affairs, Board of Directors of the Institute of Forensic Science, Commission to Resolve Disputes on Payments and Debts between Government Agencies, Executive Board of the Information System of Criminal Justice and the Confiscation Board. He is also an active member of the Traffic Safety Committee, the Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Judicial Conference, among others.
He received his Juris Doctor from the Inter American University School of Law in Puerto Rico in 1992, and was admitted to the Puerto Rico Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico in 1989.
