David is a hybrid specialist in both criminal trials and criminal appeals. He is one of eight lawyers who is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in criminal trial law and in criminal appellate law. David has also earned national board certification in criminal trial law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). David represents people of all backgrounds and ages at all phases: pre-charging investigations, bail hearings, pretrial discovery, trials, sentencing hearings, probation violations, direct appeals, postconviction appeals, and collateral appeals including Rule 3.850 motions. David has unique experience representing people who were convicted of first-degree and capital felonies committed when they were children. David works with experts in areas like child psychology, neuropsychology, trauma, and prison adjustment. David has secured new and reduced sentences for 18 people previously convicted of capital crimes and other serious felonies and who were sentenced to life without parole as children.
David's work has reunited families with loved ones wrongly sentenced to decades in prison and has given his clients a second chance at living a productive and meaningful life. David also represents people who were wrongfully convicted because of mistakes their trial lawyer made. David has won new trials for people serving life sentences without for capital or life felonies. David has called on experts in psychiatry, emergency medicine, orthopedics, firearms, and ballistics to prove his clients were wrongfully convicted. In his trial work, David has won acquittals in jury trial prosecutions for clients charged with Life, F1, F2, F3 felonies, and misdemeanors.
David is a leader in his community of dedicated criminal defense lawyers, serving as an elected Board Member for the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the statewide Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. David has broad and deep experience with many aspects of the criminal justice system, having spent half his legal career in government practice and half in private law practice.
David is known for meticulous preparation of his legal writing and case strategy, incorporating original legal research and creative strategies to best fit his clients’ needs. David’s goal in every case is to protect his client from further harm and to win by all available means within the bounds of the law and rules of professional conduct.
What is Board Certification?
Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice.
Established in 1982 by the Florida Supreme Court, board certification helps consumers identify specialists in various areas of law.
Board certified Florida Bar members are allowed to identify themselves as “Board Certified,” or to use the letters “B.C.S.” for Board Certified Specialist on business cards or letterhead, in legal directories or in is The Florida Bar’s highest level of evaluation of the competency and experience of attorneys in the 27 areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida.
Board Certified Lawyers are Evaluated for Professionalism, Tested for Expertise. By the numbers:
There are more than 91,000 lawyers eligible to practice in the State of Florida. Of those, only are 414 lawyers are Florida Bar Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law. And only 43 lawyers are Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law. David is one of just eight lawyers double Board Certified by The Florida Bar in both specialties.
David is also one of just 18 practicing defense lawyers in the State of Florida who is nationally Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. NBTA is an American Bar Association accredited lawyer certification program, and one of the few national organizations recognized by The Florida Bar to grant board certification in a specialty area of law. NBTA’s peer-reviewed standards for certification and admission are rigorous (link).
Learn more:
The Florida Bar. The Board Certification Advantage: https://youtu.be/fdxkLJScpnI
National Board Certification: Why Choose a Board Certified Attorney - National Board of Trial Advocacy
https://www.nbtalawyers.org/choose-a-board-certified-attorney/
