Criminal charges in Miami‑Dade:
Questions people ask before finding a lawyer

An independent directory of criminal defense lawyers with offices in Miami-Dade, Broward and Collier counties. Each listing shows the lawyer's name, firm, office address, practice areas and a phone number that rings the lawyer's own office. The site is run by StellarDomains.com, a domain marketing agency in Miami Beach, not by a law firm.

No. A referral service takes your information and sends you to a lawyer it has chosen. This site does neither. You read the listings, you choose, you call. Nobody here speaks to you about your case, and no listing is a recommendation.

A basic listing is free, so the directory covers the whole market, not just firms with a marketing budget. Firms can pay for Featured placement, which puts them at the top of the directory, their city page and the practice-area pages they handle, with a larger card and a Featured label. Paying does not change a firm's reviews, ratings or the facts in its listing, and it is not an endorsement by this site. If you are a lawyer, see the Get listed page for Featured placement.

By the sort you pick: review count, rating or name. The order is never a ranking of legal ability, and the site does not rate or grade lawyers. Reviews and ratings shown on listings come from public business profiles and change over time.

Use the Get listed page. Send your name, firm, office address, phone and practice areas. Corrections and removals are handled the same way. Listings are limited to lawyers in private practice who handle criminal defense in the three counties; prosecutors, public defenders and government attorneys are not listed.

Look the lawyer up in The Florida Bar's member directory at floridabar.org. It shows whether the lawyer is eligible to practice, the year admitted, and any public discipline. Do this before hiring anyone, from this site or anywhere else.

The person is booked at a Miami-Dade Corrections facility, most often Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) in Doral. Within about 24 hours they go before a judge for a first appearance, usually by video from the jail. The judge reviews the arrest form, confirms there is probable cause, and sets, keeps or denies bond. Many people are released on bond within a day or two; some charges carry no standard bond and need a separate hearing.

Miami-Dade Corrections has a public inmate search online. Search by name or jail number. It shows the facility, the charges, the bond amount and the next court date. Broward and Collier sheriff's offices run their own searches for their jails.

First appearance happens within 24 hours of arrest, including weekends and holidays. That is the first chance to argue for a lower bond or release on recognizance, which is one reason people hire a lawyer the same day as the arrest.

Some charges in Florida, such as those punishable by life, carry no bond at first appearance. An Arthur hearing is a separate hearing where the state must show the proof is evident and the presumption great, and the court then decides whether to hold the person without bond or set conditions of release. A defense lawyer requests it; it does not happen on its own.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can apply for the Miami-Dade Public Defender at first appearance or at the clerk's office. Eligibility depends on income and assets, and there is an application fee that can be waived or added to court costs. The public defender handles only cases where jail time is possible.

You can say that you want to remain silent and that you want a lawyer. Say it plainly, then stop talking. You still have to give your name and basic identification, and you should not resist or argue. Anything said after an arrest, including in the patrol car and at the jail, can be used in court.

Misdemeanors carry up to one year in county jail: up to 60 days for a second-degree misdemeanor and up to one year for a first-degree misdemeanor. Felonies carry state prison time, from up to five years for a third-degree felony to life for the most serious. The degree also affects your record, your driver's license, your immigration status and whether the record can ever be sealed.

When a judge withholds adjudication, the case ends without a formal conviction being entered, even though the person may still serve probation or pay fines. It matters for job applications, licenses and record sealing. A withhold is not an acquittal, and some offenses cannot receive one.

For a first offense with no injuries, Florida law allows up to six months in jail, a fine between $500 and $1,000, a driver's license revocation of 180 days to one year, 50 hours of community service, probation of up to one year, and a 10-day vehicle impound. The fine and jail exposure go up if the blood alcohol level was .15 or higher or if a minor was in the car. DUI school and an ignition interlock may also be required.

Refusing a lawful breath, blood or urine test triggers an administrative license suspension by the Florida DHSMV: one year for a first refusal and 18 months for a second. Since October 1, 2025, the refusal itself is also a crime. A first refusal is a second-degree misdemeanor and a second refusal is a first-degree misdemeanor, charged on top of the DUI. The suspension is independent of the criminal case. You have 10 days from the arrest to request a formal review hearing or a hardship license.

The arrest paperwork usually acts as a temporary driving permit for 10 days. Within those 10 days you can ask the DHSMV for a hearing to challenge the suspension or apply for a hardship license. Miss the window and the suspension takes effect on its own.

No. A DUI conviction cannot be sealed or expunged in Florida, and a DUI charge that is reduced to reckless driving may or may not qualify depending on how the case ended. This is one of the main reasons DUI cases are fought rather than pleaded quickly.

A sealed record still exists but is hidden from the public and most employers; certain agencies can still see it. An expunged record is physically destroyed by the clerk and law enforcement, with only FDLE keeping a confidential copy. Expungement generally requires that the charge was dropped, dismissed or never filed. Sealing is available for some cases that ended in a withhold of adjudication.

Once in a lifetime for a court-ordered seal or expunge, with narrow exceptions such as a lawful self-defense expunction or an administrative expunction for a mistaken arrest. The process starts with a certificate of eligibility from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which has its own application fee, and then a petition in the court where the case was handled.

Plan on several months. The FDLE certificate alone can take months to issue, and the court petition follows. Some offenses, including most violent crimes, sex offenses and drug trafficking, can never be sealed or expunged.

Ask whether they handle your type of charge in your county, how often they are in that courthouse, who at the firm would actually work the case, what the fee covers and whether it changes if the case goes to trial, and what the next deadline is. A lawyer who cannot answer the deadline question is not ready for your case.

Often, yes. In Florida the State Attorney decides whether to file formal charges after an arrest, and a lawyer can present information to the prosecutor during that window. Cases are sometimes reduced or not filed at this stage. Waiting for the arraignment gives up that chance.

Not legally, but it helps. Criminal practice is local: judges, prosecutors, diversion programs and courthouse habits differ between Miami-Dade, Broward and Collier. The listings on this site are sorted by county and city for that reason.