From our attorneys
Driving on a suspended license in Florida can be a traffic ticket or a criminal charge, depending on whether you knew. How the penalty tiers work, what the State must prove, and how to get reinstated.
Refusing a breath, blood, or urine test after a Florida DUI arrest carries a 1-year license suspension (18 months for a repeat refusal) and can be used as evidence. How implied consent works, which tests it covers, and what to do within 10 days.
A Florida firearm conviction can make a noncitizen deportable, even without a prison sentence. How the federal firearms ground works, which Florida gun offenses raise the issue, and why the exact statute and plea record matter.
After a Florida arrest, two early hearings shape the whole case: first appearance, where release conditions are set, and arraignment, where you enter a plea. What each hearing does, what the judge asks, and the mistakes to avoid.
An ICE detainer asks a Florida jail to hold a noncitizen for federal immigration custody, and Florida law generally requires jails to cooperate. How detainers, 287(g) agreements and criminal bonds interact, and what to do when one is lodged.
Florida pretrial intervention can end a first-offense charge in a dismissal after you complete a program. Who is eligible under § 948.08, who must consent, what it costs you, and what it does and does not protect.
Florida law treats sealing and expunction differently, and most people can only use one of them, once. How the two differ, who is eligible, why the FDLE certificate comes first, and what happens to the record afterward.
Shoplifting in Florida is charged as petit theft or retail theft, and it can become a felony with prior theft convictions or repeated incidents. How the charge is graded, what a store civil demand letter means, and what to do after you are stopped.
Florida law can justify force, including deadly force, when a person reasonably believes it is necessary, with no duty to retreat in many places. How Chapter 776 works, what the State must prove, and how a pretrial immunity hearing can end a case.
A U visa can give immigration status to a noncitizen who was the victim of a serious crime and helps law enforcement. Who qualifies, how Florida certification works, and what a criminal record means for the application.