Steven Wisotsky | Coral Gables Criminal Defense Lawyer

Mr Steven J Wisotsky

Mr Steven J Wisotsky

The Reyes Law Firm, P.A., provides ethical and personalized representation to its clients.

Experience: 55 years
Language(s): English | Spanish

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About Steven

Steven Wisotsky is Of Counsel to the Reyes Law Firm. His practice concentrates on appeals in state and federal courts in both civil and criminal cases. His expertise in appellate matters was recognized by his fellow attorneys, who selected him for four consecutive years as a Florida SuperLawyer in Appellate Practice. Over the years, he has briefed and argued numerous cases on a wide variety of legal issues, including health care law, commercial law, condominium law, civil rights class actions, constitutional law, personal injury, and federal and state criminal law cases. He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum, a group of trial attorneys who have won million-dollar-plus verdicts and/or settlements for their clients.
 
In addition to the Florida Supreme Court, where he has briefed and argued cases since the 1990s, he is admitted to practice in the Bars of the Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, where he has filed both petitions for certiorari and briefs on the merits.
 
Until 2014 he was a tenured professor of law at Nova Law Center, where for many years he taught white collar crimes, criminal procedure and civil appellate practice, continued litigating civil and criminal cases, and wrote a treatise on appellate practice, Professional Judgment On Appeal (2d ed. 2009), which was praised by the ABA Appellate Practice Journal as “authoritative, erudite and often sparkling.”
He was co-chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Appellate and Habeas Committee, as well as co-chair of its White Collar Crimes Subcommittee on Money Laundering. He has been active in The Florida Bar and has served on its Appellate Court Rules Committee and its Standing Committee on Professionalism. He has lectured on appellate practice to the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Bar, and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (now the Florida Justice Institute), where he chaired the Appellate Practice Section.
 
He has also written numerous books and articles on legal practice including Speaking With Power and Style (NITA 2013); Sounds and Images of Persuasion: A Primer, 84 Fla. Bar J. 40 (Feb. 2010); Speak with Style and Authority, 37 No. 1 Litigation 16 (Fall 2010); How to Interpret Statutes—or Not: Plain Meaning and Other Phantoms, 10 J. App. Prac. & Process 321 (2009); Extraordinary Writs: “Appeal” by Other Means, 26 Am. J. Tr. Advoc. 577 (2003); Miscarriages of Justice: Their Causes and Cures, 9 St. Thomas L. Rev. 547 (1997).

Call today to learn more about my fee structure.

Experience

Of Counsel

Reyes Law Firm

2014 - Present

Professor of Law

NSU Law Center

1975 - 2014

Admission

Verified Florida

1970

Verified U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Verified U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Verified U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Verified U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

Verified U.S. Supreme Court

Education

University of Pennsylvania

Bachelor's Degree (Political Science & Government)

N/A

University of Miami School of Law

J.D. (Litigation)

1970

Recognitions & Achievements

Associations
  • Rosemary Barkett Appellate American Inn of Court Member
    2011 - Present
  • Florida Bar | Member
  • American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Appellate Co-chair
    2010 - 2012
  • Alabama State Bar White Collar Crimes Committee
    2009 - 2010
  • American Bar Association Anti-Money Laundering Conference Planning Committee Committee Member
    2009 - 2009
  • Florida Trial Lawyers, Appellate Practice Section Chair
    1998 - 1999
  • Federal Appellate Practice Committee Chair
    1995 - 1996
  • Criminal Law Section Committee on Narcotics Practice Vice Chair
    1987 - 1989
  • Criminal Law Section Committee on Narcotics Practice Member
    1987 - 1989
Honors / Awards
  • Super Lawyer Super Lawyers
    2009
  • Super Lawyer Super Lawyers
    2008
  • Super Lawyer Super Lawyers
    2007
  • Super Lawyer Super Lawyers
    2006
  • Member Million Dollar Advocates Forum
    1999

Notable Work

Publications

National Institute for Trial Advocacy SPEAKING WITH POWER AND STYLE: A GUIDE FOR LAWYERS AND LAW STUDENTS

2013


Florida Bar Journal 40 Sounds and Images of Persuasion: A Primer

2010


Dade County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section Appellate Practice 101

2010


Appellate Practice Journal (ABA) Professional Judgment On Appeal

2009


The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process Vol. 10, No. 2 How To Interpret Statutes Or Not: Plain Meaning And Other Phantoms

2009


Criminal Law Bulletin | Can the Federal Courts Create Crimes?        


Florida Bar Postconviction Practice

2008


APS Law Section Let My People Go-Or Not

2007


Appellate Practice Seminar Winning and Losing in the Eleventh Circuit

1997

Questions & Answers

Please describe a case in the last year or two where you made a big difference.

I won a $4,000,000 insurance coverage claim in OLD DOMINION INSURANCE COMPANY v. STELLAR CONCEPTS & DESIGN, INC., reported at 189 So.3d 293 (Fla. 4th DCA 2016). This was a class action victory.

How did you build a successful practice?

I built my practice based mostly on a solid professional reputation. Many of my cases came from referrals from other attorneys who knew me or knew of me.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?

Clients should look for a lawyer who is a good listener, knowledgeable in his fields of practice, and not too busy to take their phone calls.

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?

Local knowledge is important.

What information can you provide in a free phone consultation?

In a free phone consultation, the attorney can decide if the client's problem fits within his field of knowledge and whether the two should meet in person in the office.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?

The facts underlying the client's claims or problems are the key to a good consultation.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?

I am more experienced than most.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Helping clients to solve their problems or further their goals.

What are your other interests in addition to law?

I enjoy fishing and listening to music.

The Reyes Law Firm, P.A. Highlights

Immigration, Criminal, Legal Malpractice, Personal Injury, Trade Associations, State and Local, Federal Trial Practice, State Trial Practice, Arbitration, Litigation

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