Michael Ufferman Law Firm, P.A.

Headquarters: Tallahassee, Florida

1 The Best Lawyers in America^® award

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The Michael Ufferman Law Firm is committed to assisting clients in need of representation in the legal system. The firm's number one goal is protecting the client's rights in a time of need. The firm offers experience and dedication, with particular attention paid to the personal interests of the client. The firm concentrates on state and federal criminal appeals and state and federal postconviction motions. Mr. Ufferman is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, and all state and appellate courts in the State of Florida. Mr. Ufferman has handled hundreds of state and federal appellate and postconviction motions. Mr. Ufferman has drafted state and federal direct appellate briefs, postconviction appellate briefs, federal 2254 and 2255 motions, and state 3.800 and 3.850 motions. Mr. Ufferman has appeared at oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Supreme Court of Florida, and the First, Second, and Fifth District Courts of Appeal. In 2009, Mr. Ufferman was elected to the board of directors of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL). He also serves as the Chair of FACDL's Amicus Curiae Committee. In 2010, Mr. Ufferman received the FACDL President's Appreciation Award, and in 2009, he received the FACDL President's Extra Mile Award. Mr. Ufferman also serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project of Florida. Mr. Ufferman is a frequent lecturer, having spoken at statewide and local seminars (including FACDL's annual meeting and FACDL's "Showcase on Sentencing"). Mr. Ufferman is also currently serving on The Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee. Mr. Ufferman earned his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1994, graduating Cum Laude and majoring in both Political Science & History. Mr. Ufferman earned his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law in1997, graduating with high honors. After graduating from law school, Mr. Ufferman clerked for Justice Major B. Harding at the Supreme Court of Florida from 1997 to 2002. In 2002, Mr. Ufferman joined the Robert Augustus Harper Law Firm, where he worked until 2004 when he left to start his own law firm. Mr. Ufferman is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association, and the Tallahassee Bar Association. Services Criminal Appeals Federal State Criminal Postconviction Motions Federal State Payment Options Free Initial Consultation Credit Cards Accepted Mastercard Visa Payment Plans Available Contact Information2022-1 Raymond Diehl Road Tallahassee, FL 32308tel: (850) 386-2345fax: (850) 224-2340 email: info@uffermanlaw.com.

Résumé

Legal Experience

Michael Ufferman Law Firm, Tallahassee, Florida
(2004 – present)
Robert Augustus Harper Law Firm, Tallahassee, Florida
(2002 – 2004)
Supreme Court of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida
Senior Staff Attorney for Justice Major B. Harding
(1997 – 2002)

Honors & Distinctions

Received the 2016 Richard W. Ervin Equal Justice Award- an award given by the Capital City Bar Presidents Counsel
Board Certified in Criminal Appeals by The Florida Bar, 2006 to present
Received the Pro Bono Award from The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, June 2013
Received the 2012 Inspirational Service Honor from Tallahassee Women Lawyers
“Florida Super Lawyers” 2013 to present
Selected in 2010 as a “Legal Elite” in the area of appellate practice by Florida Trend magazine
“Top Lawyers”, Corporate Counsel, July 2010
Received the 2009 and the 2012 Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President’s Extra Mile Award
Received the 2010 Gene Taylor Memorial Award – an annual award given by the Tallahassee Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Received the 2010 Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President’s Appreciation Award
Recognized by the top legal guide The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Appellate Law (2007 – present)
AV® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell – an AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence
Member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel, Northern District of Florida

Publications

Michael Ufferman, FLORIDA CRIMINAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE, 2021 ed. (Vol. 22, Florida Practice Series)
Michael Ufferman and Glen Gifford, Criminal Appeals and Juvenile Delinquency Appeals, in FLORIDA APPELLATE PRACTICE 9-1 (10th ed. 2017)
Michael Ufferman, Criminal Appeals and Juvenile Delinquency Appeals, in FLORIDA APPELLATE PRACTICE 9-1 (9th ed. 2014)
Michael Ufferman, Criminal Appeals and Juvenile Delinquency Appeals, in FLORIDA APPELLATE PRACTICE 9-1 (8th ed. 2012)
“Big Macs and Sentences: Under What Circumstances Can a Judge Increase the Original Sentence That Was Imposed?” Michael Ufferman, Florida Defender (a publication of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers), Volume 23, No. 3, Fall 2010, at 10
“Representing noncitizens in criminal cases after Padilla v. Kentucky?” Michael Ufferman, The Ex Parte (a publication of the Brevard County Bar Association), September 2010, at 16
“Jury Questions in Criminal Cases: Neutral Arbiters or Active Interrogators?” Robert Augustus Harper and Michael Robert Ufferman, The Florida Bar Journal, Feb. 2004 at 8; reprinted with permission in the Florida Defender, Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2004, at 24
“Right to Be Let Alone? – Has the adoption of article I, section 23, in the Florida Constitution, which explicitly provides for a state right of privacy, resulted in greater privacy protection for Florida citizens?” Major B. Harding, Mark J. Criser, and Michael R. Ufferman, 14 Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Issue No. 2, 2000, at 945

Lectures

County Court Appeals: New Rules, Ethics, Record Preservation, Practice Tips, and More, presented during “Misdemeanor Madness: How to Better Navigate Florida County Court Part II,” The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, August 2021
Better Error Preservation in Criminal Law, The Florida Bar President’s Showcase, The Florida Bar Annual Convention 2021 (presented with Carey S. Haughwout and Michael T. Davis)
Sixth Amendment Right to a Jury Trial and Its Application to Florida Law, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, May 2020
Avoiding Ineffective Assistance of Appellate Counsel (IAAC) Claims, Florida Public Defender Association Summer Training, August 2019
Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, July 2019
Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2019
Criminal Case Law Update, Florida Associate of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, November 2018
Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2018
Preservation of Error for Criminal Appeals, Broward County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, March 2018
Mathis v. State: Protecting the Profession, Jacksonville Bar Association Professionalism and Mentoring Committee, February 2018 (presented with Kelly Mathis and Mitch Stone during the panel discussion at the conclusion of the presentation)
Appellate Issues Relating to Jury Selection Proceedings, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Tallahassee Chapter, January 2018
Preservation of Error for Criminal Appeals, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2017
Keynote Speaker, Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Luncheon, April 2016
Professionalism/Ethics: Counseling the Appellate Client and Managing the Appellate Practice, The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Course, April 2015
Preserving Claims for Appeal and Handling an Appeal, Legal Services of North Florida, November 2015
Florida Case Law Update, Tallahassee Bar Association’s Second Annual Legal Community Conference, September 2014
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 CLE, Second Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office, November 2013
Criminal Appeals and Postconviction, The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Tallahassee Outreach, May 2013
Preparation of an Appellate Brief, Research & Writing Class Lecture by Justice Grimes, FSU College of Law, February 2013
Criminal Case Law Update, “Hot Topics in Appellate Practice 2011,” Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar, March 2011
Graham on Appeal, “Litigating Graham in Florida” seminar, Juvenile Life Without Parole Defense Resource Center, Barry University School of Law, December 2010 (presented with Bryan Gowdy and Andrew Stanton)
Preserving Jury Selection Issues For Appeal, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting, Orlando June 2010 (presented with D. Todd Doss and James T. Miller)
“Post-Decision Action,” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, Monthly Appellate CLE Teleconference, March 2010 (presented with Susan Fox and Wendy S. Loquasto)
“Postconviction Remedies,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2009
“Ethical Issues in Criminal Appellate Practice,” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, Tallahassee Outreach Lunch, December 2008 (presented with Glen Gifford)
“An Analysis of Changes in Florida’s Sentencing Laws,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2008
“State Sentencing Caselaw Update,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2007

Committees

Member of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section Executive Council (2021 – present)
Member of The Florida Bar Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (2013 – 2015; 2021-present)
Member of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Certification Committee (2015-2021)
Program Chair: Criminal Law Update 2017 Seminar, Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar (December 2017)
Member of The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (2007 – 2013)

Leadership Positions

President, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) (2015 -2016)
Chair of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Certification Committee (2019 – 2020)
Chair of The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (2012 – 2013)
Board of Directors/Secretary, Innocence Project of Florida (2007 – 2014)
Chair/Co-Chair of the FACDL Amicus Committee (2005 – 2010, 2016 – 2020)

Education

Legal:

Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida
Juris Doctor with High Honors, May 1997
Honors:
- Florida State University Law Review
- Book Award – Race and the Criminal Justice System
- Katzentine-Simon Scholarship recipient
- Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity
Activities:
- Christian Legal Society
- Property tutor – Academic Support Program

Undergraduate

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude, May, 1994
Primary Major: Political Science – 3.8/4.0 G.P.A.
Secondary Major: History – 3.6/4.0 G.P.A., Departmental
Honors:
- Golden Key National Honor Society; SPERS – Junior Honorary
- Pi Sigma Alpha – Political Science Honorary
- Phi Alpha Theta – History Honorary
Activities:
- Delta Chi Fraternity:
  - Pledge Chairman
  - Rush Chairman
  - Social Chairman

Admissions & Professional Associations