Patrick AFB Criminal Lawyers

Attorney David Stevens is a third-generation resident of Okaloosa County. A proud Seminole, David graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University before earning his Juris Doctorate from the Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, VA. He currently resides in Niceville, FL with his wife and three-year-old daughter.

David was sworn in to practice law in Florida in 2010, and soon joined a civil litigation law firm in Santa Rosa Beach as an associate attorney. He went on to become a prosecutor with the State Attorney's Office in Shalimar, FL, and served in that capacity for...

My name is Brandy Merrifield. I am a criminal defense attorney and partner at Flaherty & Merrifield Criminal Defense. We serve Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Destin, and all of Northwest Florida. I devote 100% of my practice to criminal defense. With my background in psychology, I bring a unique perspective to the resolution of criminal cases. My objective in all of my cases is aggressive defense coupled with compassion and understanding. No matter what you are accused of, Flaherty & Merrifield will not judge you. We will defend you. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help...

Handle civil and criminal cases throughout Northwest Florida. My firm focuses on personal injury, criminal defense, bankruptcy, real estate closings, and general civil litigation.

After graduating from Florida State University College of Law in the year 2000, Attorney Rusty Shepard became the Assistant State Attorney in Chipley for four years. As a former prosecutor, Mr. Shepard is well-versed in the legal system, judicial processes and how to best anticipate choices on the part of the prosecution in his current cases. Coming up with aggressive and intuitive defense tactics, Attorney Shepard is devoted to obtaining the best possible verdict for his clients, doing everything in his power to have their charges reduced or dismissed altogether. He is the President of the Bay County Chapter at...

Grant Dwyer is a Notre Dame-trained Miami criminal defense attorney. He is a fighter and he knows how to beat your case. If you need to get your loved one out of a Miami jail, call Grant Dwyer Law. He is in court every day and he knows the judges and prosecutors. He knows how to handle your case from the arrest all the way through clearing your name. He is undefeated in front of juries. If you need a Miami criminal lawyer, call for a free consultation. Se habla Español.

Licensed to practice law in Florida since 1995. Former Assistant State Attorney. Extensive criminal law experience. Handling all criminal defense cases in state and federal court.

Dealing with a divorce, an arrest or a serious injury can be incredibly stressful. You may be overwhelmed and unsure what to do. These are the times when you need an experienced lawyer who can protect your interests and guide you forward.

As a Key West criminal lawyer, I fully understand that being charged with a crime is a stressful event that can have a lasting impact on your life. I am totally dedicated to providing the highest quality legal representation to each and every client. I believe that a lawyer’s reputation is his or her most valuable asset. My goal is to earn and maintain the respect of not only my clients, but also that of judges, attorneys and other members of the public.

As a South Floridian, Victor has defended members of the community in criminal and criminal traffic cases in the Florida Keys. After serving as supervising attorney in the Middle Keys Division for the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, Victor’s experience is now brought to benefit his clients and their families as they navigate their options in the criminal justice system. Working to reach a resolution that has the least impact on the lives, careers, and future earning potential of his clients is the goal.

Luke Newman is an experienced Tallahassee criminal defense attorney who began his practice in 2004 as part of a small law firm handling only criminal matters, from civil traffic infractions to murder appeals. In 2009, Luke opened his own law practice dedicated to criminal trial advocacy and criminal appeals. He is one of fewer than 70 Florida attorneys board certified by the Florida Bar in criminal appeals. He has been appointed by the Florida Bar to chair the committee which tests and evaluates other attorneys (including prosecutors and judges) seeking criminal law board certification. He has been elected by his...

Jude M. Faccidomo is a founding partner and managing partner at Ratzan & Faccidomo, a Miami law firm providing misdemeanor and felony defense of Florida and federal criminal charges as well as representation of lawyers and other professionals in administrative license revocation and disciplinary hearings. As a former Assistant Public Defender in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s office, Mr. Faccidomo gained extensive, invaluable experience handling jury trials involving a wide range of criminal matters. Mr. Faccidomo completed his undergraduate degree at Bard College in New York and earned his Juris Doctor law degree from Saint Thomas University School of Law in Miami....

Criminal Defense, Family Law, Business Litigation DUI/DWI Defense/ Divorce / Domestic Violence Injunctions / Contract Litigation

Dear Friends: I have been practicing in the complex and interesting legal fields of family, criminal and personal injury law for over 25 years. In that time, I have learned what it takes to provide competent, aggressive representation to my clients, and at affordable rates. I believe that dedication, preparation and hard work are the cornerstones of a successful attorney and law firm. Our office has handled hundreds of complex cases over the years and we are willing to take on the challenging legal matters! If you, or someone you know needs help, call or email...

Ryan M. Cardoso is the founder and principal attorney at Cardoso Law, PLLC, in Pensacola, Florida. He serves clients in a wide variety of practice areas, including criminal defense, personal injury, and civil litigation. Ryan is an experienced attorney who has helped countless clients seek justice and defend their rights. Ryan M. Cardoso is a graduate of the University of South Florida and obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Florida College of Law in 2002 where he graduated with honors. He has been a member of The Florida Bar since 2003 and is admitted to practice before the...

Melissa Sherman earned her Juris Doctor from the Barry University School of Law in Orlando, where she graduated magna cum laude, and when she’s not defending clients, she’s volunteering in the Fort Myers community. She opened the Sherman Defense Law Firm in May 2021. Defense attorney Melissa Sherman has successfully represented misdemeanor and felony defendants in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and throughout central and south Florida. As an Assistant Public Defender, Melissa Sherman has represented defendants charged with crimes that include robbery, arson, aggravated battery, drug crimes, sex crimes, theft, burglary, and driving under the influence (DUI).

I have been practicing law since 1992 when I began as a Assistant State Attorney in the Tampabay area, In 1996 I entered private practice in an effort to share my experience with clients seeking legal help. My background includes 10 years of law enforcement experience as a patrolmen, K-9 officer and organized crime detective. I was trained by the DEA in narcotics investigations and worked on local and Federal task force. My experience includes investigating fatal traffic crashes, K-9 handler, covert investigations, state prosecution and extensive criminal defense including traffic and serious felony trials. I have represented injured families...

As a preeminent West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer at Perlet & Shiner, P.A., Marc Shiner has a reputation as a top-notch, tough, respected attorney with 28 years of experience and hundreds of trials, many of them high-profile which received national media attention. Over the course of his career, Mr. Shiner has achieved notable success. As a former major crimes prosecutor for the State Attorney’s Office, he has had 250 jury and non-jury trials, including many high-profile sex crimes and murder cases. Mr. Shiner handles all criminal cases, including all white collar crimes, drug offenses, conspiracy, murder, DUI manslaughter, fraud, robbery,...

Susan Winston has been practicing law since October 2004 when she was admitted to the Florida Bar. She came to Florida from Virginia after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the College of William and Mary in 2001. Susan then went to the University of Miami School of Law and received her Juris Doctor in 2004. Susan began her legal career at the Office of the Public Defender for the 15th Judicial Circuit in 2004. In over six years at the Office of the Public Defender, Susan represented the indigent accused in...

Michael Mirer is a seasoned criminal defense lawyer in Miami-Dade, Florida. His firm, the Law Office of Michael Mirer, P.A., handles all types of misdemeanor, felony, and federal charges. Michael earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and was licensed by the Florida State Bar in 1997. Michael served as a Miami-Dade County Assistant State Attorney before entering into private practice. His experience on both sides of the courtroom helps him build comprehensive defenses and seek the best possible results for each client. Michael has defended a number of high profile cases...

Mr. Shafran has dedicated his legal career to zealously advocating for victims and seeking justice for others. Mr. Shafran grew up in Parkland, Florida until he attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology. In 2012, he received his Juris Doctor in law at Nova Southeastern University College of Law.

Upon graduating law school, Mr. Shafran worked as an Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County, prosecuting those accused of committing crimes and representing victims of crimes. As a prosecutor, Mr. Shafran handled thousands of cases ranging from minor offenses like misdemeanors, all the way...

We are a law firm based in the heart of Tampa with expertise in Family Law, Discrimination and Business Litigation. Our lawyers have collective experience of over 35 years handling cases just like yours. We are a boutique law firm focused on your rights and making sure that those rights are taken care of.

Our attorneys are able to provide the skills and expertise that may be found at larger firms without the overhead expenses many of these larger law firms typically pass on to its clients. We are passionate about helping to build our community and its businesses and work...

Alyssa C. Shorstein is a partner at The Law Offices of Shorstein and Lee, LLC, located in St. Augustine, Florida. Alyssa graduated from St. Augustine High School (High School Diploma) in 2002, Flagler College (B.A.) in 2005 and University of Florida Levin College of Law (J.D.) in 2009. She has been in private practice serving clients in Criminal Defense, Estate Planning & Probate law since 2009. Alyssa previously served on the St. Johns County Bar Association Board and served two terms on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee 7B. She is currently a Board Member of...

Daniel J. Fernandez defends individuals charged with misdemeanor and felony criminal offenses throughout the Tampa Bay area and the State of Florida. With more than 30 years experience as a criminal defense attorney and hundreds of jury trials, Daniel earned tremendous accolades from judges, other lawyers, defendants and even jurors. Daniel started his legal career as a state prosecutor and became the chief of the Narcotics division before opening his own law practice in 1985. Daniel and members of his staff are fluent in Spanish and are available to answer questions you may have regarding a recent injury or...

Jeff Thomas is a Tampa criminal defense lawyer at Thomas & Paulk, P.A. He is a Florida native and graduate of Stetson College of Law. Throughout his career, he has handled more than 3,500 criminal cases. He is experienced with non-jury cases, jury trials, and traffic cases.

Paul A. Meissner was born in New York and moved to Florida with his family as a child. He is a graduate of Clearwater High School. He co-founded the Carlson & Meissner law firm with Edward Carlson in 1971. Paul and his wife Jayne have five children & thirteen grandchildren. They enjoy boating and traveling. In the past, Paul and Jayne have traveled extensively by motorcycle.

Amy Ruiz received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing and International Economics from the University of Florida in 2000. She received her Juris Doctorate from the Florida State College of Law in 2004. While at Florida State, Ms. Ruiz was a member of the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy. She also participated in the Institute on World Legal Problems where she studied Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Innsbruck, in Austria, with Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Antonin Scalia.

Upon graduating law school, Ms. Ruiz, a Tampa native, returned to Tampa and commenced...

Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney, Ben Stechschulte, is a board-certified expert in criminal trial law. He has been practicing in the Tampa Bay area for nearly 15 years and has tried over 60 cases to verdict.  His experience is both varied and comprehensive, which makes him uniquely qualified to aggressively and effectively defend his clients who are facing criminal charges or have been injured in an accident. Ben attended Stetson University College of Law, which is recognized as one of the top law schools in the country for trial advocacy.  After graduating in 2005, Ben served as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County.  Ben...

Michael C. Minardi is the Senior Partner at Minardi Law. For over 16 years, Michael has dedicated his practice to fighting for clients charged with cannabis crimes and advocating for cannabis law reform. His passion has driven him to learning and understanding medical cannabis laws in the State of Florida and throughout the country.

Michael’s practice represents clients in corporate cannabis consulting, application preparation, lobbying, forfeiture matters, and criminal matters. He has won many medical cannabis cases, including several landmark high-profile cases in Florida. He won the first and second jury trials in Florida presenting the medical necessity...

Lee Pearlman was born and raised in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, a small town just outside of Harrisburg.

He attended college at the University of Maryland, College Park where he received two bachelor of arts degrees and two minors. While in college he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and served two years in the Military Police.

After college Lee moved to St. Petersburg where he attended Stetson University College of Law. While there Lee was a member of Stetson's top nationally-ranked Trial Team and Alternative Dispute Resolution Board. He was the recipient of the Ralph Harris Ferrel...

Born and raised in Tampa, Drew attended Tampa Preparatory High School and then graduated from New College of Florida, The State’s Honors College, in Sarasota. During Law School at the University of Florida, Drew interned as a student law clerk for both State and Federal Judges in Tampa and worked as a certified legal intern at the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.

At the State, Drew was able to conduct voir dire (jury selection) and prosecute criminal jury trials before he graduated from law school. It was during this later experience that he came to understand the invaluable...

Attorney Jackson Hilliard has lived in St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area for the past ten years. Mr. Hilliard received his Bachelor’s degree in 1988 from the University of Central Florida. He earned his law degree in 2006 from Stetson College of Law. He is a member of multiple associations, including the Florida Bar, Clearwater Bar, St. Petersburg Bar, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer. Mr. Hilliard is the leading attorney at his Clearwater law firm, Hilliard Law, P.L. At the firm, he provides Florida residents with criminal and DUI...

Edward Kone has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Lafayette College, 1984, and a J.D. Degree from University of Miami Law School, 1987. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in November of 1987. He has conducted numerous Jury Trials and is in Court in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties on almost a daily basis. In over twenty-five years of practice, he has handled over a thousand criminal cases, over 500 personal injury cases, and close to 10,000 traffic tickets.

I represent clients charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses throughout the Tampa Bay area. I am a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL), and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). I graduated with Honors from the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, Florida, in 1999, and served as Vice Chair on the Executive Board for the UF Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. I completed internships at the State Attorney's Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit prosecuting cases in the felony division, and the United States Attorney's...

Attorney Pichardo-Riestra is the Owner and Managing Attorney of Pichardo-Riestra Law. She is a former psychologist who has worked with children, juveniles, and adults. As a Psychologist Specialist working for the Department of Corrections, Mrs. Pichardo-Riestra provided Mental Health services to incarcerated females housed in General Population, Closed Management, and Death Row.

After years in psychology, Mrs. Pichardo-Riestra decided to pursue a career in Law. She attended Florida A&M University where she concentrated on Criminal Defense while participating at the FAMU Criminal Defense Clinic. Mrs. Pichardo-Riestra also interned with the Public Defender's Office for the Fifth Circuit in...

Omar Abdelghany is a criminal defense attorney practicing in Tampa Bay, Florida and the surrounding area. He graduated cum laude from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. He is licensed with the Florida Bar and is also licensed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Omar's experience includes having completed a judicial externship with Justice Terry O'Rourke at the California Fourth District Court of Appeals and his having worked as a trial attorney at the Palm Beach Public Defender's Office....

If you find yourself arrested or under investigation for a crime in Florida, it's crucial to act swiftly. I am here to help you preserve evidence and formulate a strategic plan. Delaying action can be detrimental, but together, we can present a detailed and comprehensive case to the state, rather than passively accepting minimal offerings. While my usual practice area encompasses the Tampa Bay Area, I am fully prepared to defend clients across any jurisdiction in Florida. My practice regularly manages various types of criminal cases in both Clearwater and Pasco areas. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me; I am...

Thomas M. Prestia began his legal career serving as a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. During his tenure as a prosecutor, Mr. Prestia gained the knowledge and experience necessary to manage and litigate cases from the government’s perspective. This knowledge and experience has been critical in defending individuals facing criminal charges, as well as in his general trial practice. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Mr. Prestia further developed his trial practice by working at a leading medical malpractice firm. There he gained valuable insight into the operation of medical practices, experience in evaluating and litigating serious...