What is a Florida Criminal Law Specialist (expert)?

The legal terms "specialist" and "expert" are very precise in Florida. Unlike  pseudo-rating services that purport to give unbiased information about a criminal defense lawyer's qualifications and experience, Florida's Board Certification program is the only rating of a criminal law attorney that really matters. Here's why:

1) Actual trial experience involving serious and complex cases is required. Pseudo-rating services do not require actual courtroom experience.

2) Peer review has a second component under the Florida Board Certification program: people in your field who may not like you get a chance to give their input. This alone is a tough hurdle.

3) A lawyer cannot pay their way or game the lawyer rating system with Board Certification. Board Certification is real, not some marketing slogan.

4) The criminal law certification exam makes the Bar Exam look like kindergarten. It is extremely hard and one of the reasons so few Florida criminal defense lawyers are certified in criminal law.



People often ask me what I specialize in as a lawyer. The answer is very precise: I am a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in criminal trial law. If you or someone you love needs a criminal defense attorney, just ask "Are you certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in criminal law? The answer is either a "yes" or the story as to why they are not.