Hanlon Law is a Tampa criminal defense practice led by attorney Will Hanlon. He has represented defendants in state and federal courts for over two decades. The firm handles only criminal law and injunctions.
Cases include sex crimes, drug charges, domestic violence, theft, gun offenses, and white collar allegations. The team also defends college students facing campus and off-campus arrests.
Attorney Hanlon pays close attention to what a conviction does after the sentence ends. Jobs, degrees, and firearm rights all sit at risk. The downtown office takes calls 24/7 and serves Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties.
David C. Hardy holds board certification in criminal trial law from both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Fewer than 20 of Florida's roughly 98,000 attorneys hold both.
He spent more than five years as a Tampa state prosecutor before opening this firm in 2010. That work covered DUI, battery, theft, drug trafficking, firearms, and probation violations.
Hardy speaks Spanish and talks with Spanish-speaking clients directly rather than through staff. His article on a landmark Florida confession case ran on the cover of the Florida Bar Journal in 2019. Offices in Ybor City and Westchase serve anyone looking for a criminal defense lawyer in Tampa.
More than 120 jury trials as an assistant state attorney sit behind the defense work at Greater Tampa Law. That courtroom record shapes how the firm reads a prosecutor's file.
Attorney Jason Bard handles criminal charges, DUI, and traffic cases, with recent Hillsborough and Pinellas dismissals posted on the firm's results page. The practice also covers divorce, custody, employment disputes, and injury claims.
The Franklin Street office sits blocks from the Hillsborough courthouse, with a second location in Pinellas County. Anyone comparing a Tampa criminal defense attorney will find the firm quick to explain the 10-day window to fight a DUI license suspension.
Born and raised in Clearwater, Christopher Hersem studied at the University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law. He worked as an assistant public defender in the 6th Judicial Circuit before opening his own office.
Hersem Law covers criminal charges, DUI, traffic tickets, expungements, and injury claims across Tampa Bay. Speeding and license cases get the same attention as felonies, which is unusual among defense firms this size.
Hersem carries a 10.0 Avvo rating and was ranked the top DUI attorney in Tampa Bay by Tampa Magazine. Clients can meet him in Tampa or at the Clearwater office. A good fit for drivers who want a serious lawyer on a small case.
Latest Blog Posts
Few Tampa firms know the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse the way this one does. Brett Metcalf has spent years in front of its judges, first as a state prosecutor and now on the defense side.
The firm defends DUI, domestic violence, drug charges, violent crimes, sex offenses, weapons counts, theft, and probation violations. Case results include a not guilty verdict on a fourth DUI and armed robbery charges the state declined to file.
Metcalf pushes hard at the pre-file stage, before the State Attorney's Office decides whether to charge. Pretrial diversion is another route the firm pursues when a client qualifies. Phones are answered day and night.
O'Brien Hatfield is a federal criminal defense firm with offices in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Boston, Billings, and Missoula. The practice takes federal cases nationwide and state cases across Florida, Massachusetts, and Montana.
Mark J. O'Brien, a former Miami prosecutor, has been praised on the record by federal judges in Tampa, Jacksonville, and Georgia. Victoria Hatfield chairs the criminal division and has won trial acquittals and suppression motions.
The firm employs former DEA and IRS special agents, a former U.S. probation officer, and an ex-Tampa police detective. Work covers white collar charges, drug cases, sex offenses, appeals, and extradition.
Six attorneys at Sammis Law Firm work on criminal cases only, from a downtown office a few blocks from the courthouse. Combined, they bring over 50 years of experience.
The firm files pre-trial motions aggressively, including motions to suppress and to dismiss. Recent verdicts include a not guilty on a first degree felony punishable by life in Dade City.
Asset forfeiture is a second focus, covering airport cash seizures, vehicles, and cryptocurrency. Additional offices sit in Clearwater and New Port Richey.
Latest Blog Posts
Michael P. Maddux has been named a Florida Super Lawyer every year since 2010, placing him in the state's top five percent for 16 straight years. He has held Florida Bar board certification in criminal trial law since 1999.
In 2025 the Hillsborough County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers gave him the Barry A. Cohen Award for Excellence in Criminal Defense.
The firm's three practice areas are criminal defense, civil rights, and personal injury, backed by over 55 years of combined legal experience. Cases run from state felonies to federal charges and police misconduct claims.
The Law Office of Jessenia Rosales splits its work between criminal charges and family law matters. Attorney Rosales is a first-generation lawyer who studied criminology at USF before earning her law degree with honors.
Her results include a not guilty on attempted first degree murder and dismissals on home invasion robbery and aggravated assault charges. Family cases cover divorce, custody, and protective orders.
The National Trial Lawyers Association named her a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer in 2020. The office speaks Spanish and serves Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, and Orange counties.
Serious representation since 1991 gives Mike G Law one of the longer track records on this list. Attorney Mike G is a former assistant state attorney who has handled thousands of cases from both sides.
Martindale-Hubbell rates him AV Preeminent, its highest mark for legal ability and ethics. Judges and peers supply those ratings.
Recent work centers on sex crime charges, online sting cases, pre-file investigations, and domestic violence defense. Payment plans are available.
Latest Blog Posts
Joel Elsea spent more than a decade as a felony prosecutor, watching thousands of cases move from investigation through trial and sentencing. He now uses that view to defend them.
The firm takes homicide, felony murder, robbery, drug trafficking, weapons charges, sex offenses, and DUI manslaughter. It also carves out a niche defending college students on hazing and fake ID charges.
Juvenile cases get particular care, with attention paid to keeping parents informed. Initial consultations cost nothing.
Over 100 years of combined experience and more than 10,000 cases handled stand behind Bauer Crider Kindel & Parry. Criminal defense is the only thing the Clearwater firm does.
Two of its attorneys are board certified criminal trial lawyers and two are former prosecutors. A full-time staff investigator works alongside them.
Case results include not guilty verdicts on two counts of first degree murder and dismissals on child pornography and drug trafficking charges. A second office serves Pasco County from Port Richey.
Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group has represented Floridians facing charges for over 40 years. Bjorn Brunvand is a nationally board certified criminal trial lawyer.
Jervis Wise won a federal drug trial acquittal in Tampa and a first degree murder acquittal in Polk County. Another federal case involved two tons of cocaine and ended in a not guilty verdict.
Clients range from professionals facing white collar counts to families dealing with a teenager's DUI. The team speaks Spanish and works from Clearwater and Tampa offices.
Marc A. Joseph has practiced criminal law in Florida for more than 26 years, with a focus on felony cases tried in Hillsborough County. His office sits in downtown Tampa.
Charges handled include assault, battery, domestic violence, drug crimes, theft, weapons counts, sex crimes, manslaughter, and murder. DUI and boating under the influence round out the list.
Joseph works cases at every stage, from bond hearings and pretrial motions through trial and sentencing. The office answers calls at any hour and quotes flat fees.
Latest Blog Posts
Working out of Clearwater and New Port Richey, King Law Group covers Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties. Founder Cameron King is a Tampa Bay native and a former state prosecutor who studied criminal law at Florida State.
The firm takes criminal matters only, from bond hearings through trial, plus sealing and expungement. Personal injury claims are the one exception.
The Law Offices of Jeff Paulk handles criminal and DUI cases in Hillsborough County and nothing else. Paulk prosecuted before he began defending, and has since taken on thousands of cases.
Published results lean heavily on DUI outcomes, including charges dropped after a hospital blood draw and several reductions to reckless driving. The office takes calls at any hour.
Federal charges make up a large share of the Mayberry Law Firm's docket. Sex offenses, fraud, and drug indictments dominate, and sentencing guidelines often drive the outcome. State cases run alongside them.
Founder Jason Mayberry is a former prosecutor rated Superb by Avvo. Reporters at thestreet.com and Tampa Bay Online have called on him for comment on DUI and traffic law.
Brian Palacios worked as lead trial attorney for the State Attorney's Office in Florida's 13th Judicial Circuit before opening his own firm. He has over 15 years in practice and a 10.0 Avvo rating.
DUI defense is the core of the work, covering first offenses through felony and drug-impaired cases, plus DMV hearings on the 10-day license clock. Domestic violence, theft, and auto accident claims fill out the practice.
Latest Blog Posts
The Law Office of W.F. "Casey" Ebsary Jr. is built around a Florida Bar board certified criminal trial lawyer with over two decades of practice and a background as a prosecutor.
Ebsary holds an AV Preeminent rating and Super Lawyers recognition. Much of his defense work turns on challenging how evidence was gathered, including recent writing on Flock license plate cameras in Hillsborough and Pinellas.
Chris Beardslee has been defending Tampa Bay clients since 2016. A former U.S. Navy petty officer, he takes veterans treatment court cases alongside DUI, drug, assault, and theft charges.
Risk protection orders and video voyeurism are two areas he covers that many firms skip. Consultations are free.
Pallegar Law caps how many cases it accepts so each one gets real attention. Ajay Pallegar prosecuted in Pinellas County before starting the firm and has practiced in Florida for over ten years.
Many clients are first-time offenders, and a good share of the work happens before charges are ever filed. A second office serves Sarasota and Manatee counties.