Welcome to Super Bowl 54! Welcome to my City! Welcome to Miami! On the eve of Super Bowl 54, I would like to welcome you to my City. Here are a few things you might not know about the Super Bowl in Miami. The stadium is about 15-20 miles from the actual City of Miami and famed South Beach. It is nowhere near the water. The nearest beach is about 30 minutes away. The stadium is in one of the most...
Domestic Violence Season 1, Episode 2: Behind the Yellow Tape - Domestic Violence I get a lot of questions about my career as a police officer. For those of you who do not know, I was a Miami-Dade Police Officer for many years before becoming a lawyer. In my police years, I worked in uniform patrol for a few years and spent the rest of my career as a homicide detective. In this episode of Law...
Law and Life Podcast: S1, E1 What is family law? This is my very first Podcast/Live recorded on January 15th, 2019. I was live on my Facebook Group "Ask a Florida Divorce Lawyer." I plan to do this weekly on one of the social media platforms. In this episode, I discuss What is Family Law and answer several questions from followers as well as answer live questions submitted. I also venture off...
I have a client who follows me on social media and who wants to argue with me about being too kind. If you know anything about me, it is that I am always preaching kindness. I have found that kindness gets me a lot further in life than being a jerk. I also know, that sometimes you have to be firm, but professional. Sometimes you may have to do things which are perceived as unkind, and then there...
Getting to court early has benefits. Often, I need to speak with a prosecutor before a court hearing. Prosecutors are notorious for not returning phone calls. Getting to the courthouse early allows me to get to the prosecutors first. Sometimes I can ever catch them walking over from their office to the courthouse. On Mondays, especially after a holiday weekend, parking can be impossible. When...
I'm always amazed that in the 21st Century, with all the technology available, that there are still lawyers that require their clients to make appointments days or weeks out and drive all the way downtown for an office meeting. Let's face it, we are all busy, you are busy, I am busy, everyone is busy. We know that. In the present fast-paced world, time is money. Your time is valuable. I always...
Ever get to where you are so worked up about something you can't sleep? Yeah, me too. Maybe once or twice a month, I get worked up about something that keeps me awake at night. Sometimes it is trial preparation, crafting opening or closing statements, a deadline, strategy, or a host of other problems. Nothing too serious. Nothing like the stress I was under as a police detective, but it does...
It is true! In Florida, you do not have to be driving to get arrested for DUI. Florida law allows for the prosecution of driving under the influence if you are in actual physical control of a vehicle. I have seen people arrested while sleeping in their car, while next to their car, and while sleeping in the back seat of their car. All of these people had the car keys in their pocket, in their...
The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution sets limits on the power of the Government to subject you to searches and seizures. The 4th Amendment protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures. Unless a specific exception applies, the police must have a warrant to conduct a lawful search. One such exception is when searching a vehicle. Because vehicles are pervasively regulated and there is...
Remember when you were in kindergarten and your mother told you to always keep your hands to yourself? We this is an example of what happens when you don't keep your hands to yourself. While this guy may have thought this was funny at the time, I bet he is seriously doubting his judgment now. In Florida, the battery statute is very broad. Battery is any unwanted TOUCHING. It does not have to...