2021-2022 SECTION COMMITTEES

Awards
The Awards Committee seeks nominees for the Section’s highest award, given annually to a Florida Bar member for displaying the talents and compassion possessed by Selig Goldin.
  • Harvey Sepler—Chair
  • David Barksdale
  • Richard Greenberg
  • Jeff Harris
  • Benedict Keuhne
  • Abe Laeser
  • Sheryl Lowenthal
  • Michael Sinacore
Budget
Oversees the allocation of financial resources for the Section, coordinates the annual budgeting process with the Section Treasurer and  The Florida Bar Program Administrator, maintains rules and guidelines for the budgeting process.

Bylaws

Responsible for maintaining the Section’s bylaws, recommending edits and amendments based on substantive changes needed, overseeing proper notification for Section members and the public, and ensuring adherence to the amendments process for section bylaws in accordance with the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. 

  • Ryan Vescio—CHAIR
  • Nick Cox
  • Jude Faccidomo
  • Laura Lambert
  • Sheryl Lowenthal
  • Michael Sinacore
  • George Tragos
Capital Cases

This committee was created to keep the Executive Council aware of any changes to the status of capital litigation in Florida. It is intentionally constituted with members who give it a philosophical balance on the issues relating to capital crimes; so that parochial or ideological views do not sway the full committee.

The group concentrates on the changes in case law, legislative changes, and new Bar rules or procedures which might influence how capital cases, which are unique, would be prosecuted. For example, the question of requiring unanimous penalty phase verdicts is presently being addressed in the courts and by the legislature. If there are any modifications, this committee would advise the Executive Council; allowing it to respond as the voice of the Criminal Law practitioners in Florida.

Communications

The Communications Committee is charged with ensuring that section members and the community at large are aware of the goings-on with the Section, criminal justice law, and other issues that affect our practice. To that end, the Committee distributes regular newsletter communications to its members and publishes updates and informational articles to The Florida Bar News from time to time. For more information on the Committee, or to suggest a topic to be shared with our peers, contact the Committee Chair

  • Jason Mehta—Chair
  • Richard Hersch
  • Hon. Jeffrey Levenson
  • Richard Polin
  • Neal Sonnett
  • Monique Worrell
  • Lisa Tipton
Continuing Legal Education

Reflecting the unique and diverse nature of the Criminal Law Section’s membership, the CLE Committee is responsible for organizing and presenting quality continuing legal education programs of interest to all criminal law practitioners. For more information on the Committee, or to suggest topics and speakers, please contact the Committee Chair.

Federal Practice

The Federal Practice Committee focuses on unique aspects of federal criminal practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Florida’s three federal district courts. The Committee works to provide members benefits such as federally focused CLE opportunities, updates and information essential to federal practice, and opportunities to engage with federal criminal practitioners, the judiciary and other federal stakeholders. The Committee also serves to address the needs of federal criminal practitioners and the courts related to the Florida Bar, and elsewhere as appropriate.

Legislative
The Legislative Committee is tasked with tracking all of the bills filed before the Florida Legislature each year that may impact issues important to our membership. On an ad hoc basis, the Committee meets by telephone, discusses pertinent legislation and recommends to the Executive Council any formal position that they believe the section should take with respect to particular legislation. Additionally, the Committee is assigned by the Executive Council Chair to address correspondence from other sections requesting that the Criminal Law Section take a particular position with regard to filed or proposed legislation. Finally, the Committee drafts a memorandum annually for distribution to all members of the Executive Council that summarizes any new laws passed during the term that impact issues relating to the Criminal Law Section. Any member of the Criminal Law Section may request an appointment to the Committee by contacting the current Chair of the Executive Council.
  • Richard Greenberg—Chair
  • Richard Hersch
  • Cynthia Imperato
  • Benedict Kuehne
  • Marty McDonnell
  • Hon. Jessica Yeary
  • Michael Ufferman
  • Aaron Wayt
Long-Range Planning

The Long-Range Planning Committee is led by the Section’s Chair-Elect and is comprised of experienced Executive Council members. The Committee’s purpose is to consider the Criminal Law Section’s future in all areas, including CLE, membership, legislative priorities, and interaction with the Bar as a whole.

Membership

The Membership Committee is responsible for attracting new members and retaining current members. We do that by educating prospective members and reminding current members of the benefits of membership.

What makes the Criminal Law Section unique—and the reason you should be a member—is that it is the only organization whose members are judges, law professors, and criminal lawyers (state and federal, prosecution and defense, public and private). As members, we share information, ideas, and philosophies in collegial and meaningful dialogues and we improve our individual skills and effectiveness. As a section of The Florida Bar, we have credibility. This enables us to work effectively to improve the quality of justice for those affected by our criminal justice systems. We advise the courts, including the Supreme Court, the legislature, and the Bar on issues ranging from processes and procedures to substantive law. If you are not a member, you should be. Learn more about the benefits of membership.

  • Antonya Johnson—Chair
  • Hon. Lisa Campbell
  • Mark Dobson
  • Richard Greenberg
  • Donnie Murrell
  • Harold Pryor
  • Harry Wallace

Young Lawyers Subcommittee:  Elisabeth Rodriguez—Chair

Nominating 

According to the Bylaws of the Criminal Law Section, “The chair will appoint 5 members to the nominating committee for the purpose of presenting to the membership in attendance at the annual section meeting the names of not less than 10 nominees for the vacancies to be filled by the membership.”
  • Warren Lindsey—Chair
  • David Barksdale
  • Richard Greenberg
  • Jeff Harris
  • Joel Silvershein
  • Joe Spataro
  • Ryan Vesico
P/PD Trial Advocacy Program
The P/PD Committee oversees the administration of the CLS/UF Law Gerald T. Bennett Public Defender Prosecutor Trial Training Program. This program is now over the 40-year mark and trains young prosecutors and public defenders to strengthen and develop more sophisticated trial skills. The Committee coordinates lodging, food, room scheduling, and other logistics. Committee members are responsible for faculty invitations/appointments and recruit expert speakers for ethics and forensic science lectures. P/PD faculty are selected from the prosecution, the defense, and the judiciary, and represent different demographics and geographical areas of the state. Each year, a Queen’s Counsel from the United Kingdom is among the faculty members and four junior barristers are among the students. Because of the great emphasis placed on courtroom advocacy in the British system, the barristers bring a fresh perspective to the program. The P/PD Program emphasizes courtesy, professionalism, and empathy between the two sides of criminal practice.

Section Liaisons

Liaison to Appellate Court Rules Committee

  • Michael Ufferman
Liaison to Code & Rules of Evidence Committee
  • Jeff Harris
Liaison to Continuing Legal Education Committee
  • H. Scott Fingerhut

Liaison to Criminal Procedure Rules Committee

  • Brian Tannenbaum
Liaison to Juvenile Court Rules Committee
  • Joel Silvershein
Liaison to Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Jude Faccidomo

Liaison to Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association

  • Harold Pryor
Liaison to Florida Public Defender Association
  • Jessica Yeary

Liaison to Professional Ethics Committee

  • H. Scott Fingerhut

Liaison to The Florida Bar Criminal Law Summit

  • Nick Cox
Liaison to Young Lawyers Division
  • Elizabeth Rodriguez