Harley Ives Gutin

My name is Jeff Friend and I was falsely arrested for DUI and Refusal to take a breath test. The State chose to separate the charges and take me to trial for the Refusal first believing it would be an easy win for the State. However, I retained Gutin and Wolverton and Attorney Stephen... Wolverton was my trial attorney. Attorney Wolverton aggressively crossed examined the arresting officer and gave a brilliant closing argument. The Jury came back with a NOT GUILTY verdict. What Stephen Wolverton argued was that there was no probable cause for my arrest so therefore that was no justification for the arresting officer to request a breath test. I do not know of any other Attorney/Law Firm that has been able to receive a NOT GUILTY from a jury on a Refusal charge!!!! Thank you Stephen Wolverton and Harley Gutin for representing me.

Hello, I just want to say Thanks so so much to Harley,Stephen and Staff. They always were there for me and would answer their telephone. I was arrested for 3rd. DUI conviction and had a ticket for failure to maintain lane. I refused to blow and the DMV took my license after 10 days. They filed an ...appeal for that and won the appeal. It took about 3 weeks for appeal hearing. So I was without a license for a few weeks then got it back. They still had to go to criminal court for me. 3 months later we went to court and I was only charged with failure to maintain lane. The DUI was dropped because no probable cause. And adjudication of guilt was withheld. So I did have to pay $161 for failure to maintain lane, $325 court cost and go to advanced driving school 12 hrs. for $100 . So my 3rd. conviction only cost me about $600 plus attorney fees. Which the attorney fees were very very reasonable. My 2nd. DUI cost me over $12,000 in attorney fees,fines,rehab,dui school,probation,car interlock,community service 100 hrs.M.A.D.D. awareness class. The third DUI you know the consequences a lot worse. This time the cost was only 1/3 amount and a lot better turn out. I was referred by my sister who is a court reporter in Orlando now and has worked in Brevard in the past. I can not thank the team at Gutin & Wolverton enough. They really saved me from a lot of troubles and pain. Thank you again Harley,Stephen and Staff. Sincerely, David

I have used Harley in all of my cases since December of 2011. He has been a great lawyer that has taken much of his time and went above and beyond what he was required to do. He has been very helpful, understanding and knowledgeable in all of my situations. Which has been quite a few in a very short ...time span which you are about to learn. Mind you, before all of this madness I didn’t even have so much as a seatbelt ticket and I was twenty six. In December of 2011 I was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct. I didn’t know anything about the law or any attorneys. I didn’t know who to ask so I decided to ask my bails bondsman. He recommended Harley and said that he had used him in the past and didn’t know anyone better. So I decided to call him, little did I know this was going to be one of the only smart decisions that I was going to make over the next fifteen months. I went to Harley’s office and he sat with me and explained that our best option was to ask for the diversion program. Which is a program that first time offenders can go through that requires you to complete a year of supervision and in return they will drop your charges. We went to court and that is exactly what I received. In February of 2012 I drank again and caught another battery on a law enforcement officer and a DUI. Harley recommended that I plea guilty and that I would most likely get a year of probation. This is the bare minimum for a DUI alone. Before we could even get to court and ask for this I was arrested again for criminal mischief. He got that thrown out of court. So sentencing came and I received exactly what he said I would. One year of probation with the option of early termination. March of 2013 was the big one. I was on a binge and I was arrested for my third battery on a law enforcement officer, violation of probation, and resisting an officer with violence. Harley had heard that I had been arrested and came to my aid yet again. The state offered eighteen months and was not going to let off. The law enforcement officer I hit recommended prison. Harley said that we had two options. We could accept the deal or we could plea to the judge. He recommended that I plea to the judge and ask for community control. We went to court and I spoke to the judge about everything that I had done and everything that I was going to do. I begged for one more opportunity. Harley told the judge “I know she can do this.” I will never forget those words. He was in my corner when everything and everyone most certainly weren’t. Our wish was granted. I was sentenced to two years community control followed by two years’ probation and all of my charges were adjudication withheld. This means that I am charged but I am not convicted. I successfully completed one year and Harley filed a motion to have the order modified to probation. I now have almost completed one of the three years of probation that I must complete. He also got thirteen charges dismissed out of court that the state tried to tack on during all of my endeavors. When it was all over and done I spent thirty nine days in jail waiting for a court date. Since all of this Harley still continues to support me to this day. He has represented me in my injunction case against my abuser, paternity establishment, and has help set up a parenting plan. I have full custody of my children, full time job, been sober for twenty one months, and will soon be working as a substance abuse peer specialist. None of this would have been possible if Harley had not stood by me and fought for me each and every time.

I am extremely disappointed and regretted on hiring Mr. Gutin to defend my DUI case 3 months ago. Mr. Gutin showed me all his confidence and positive attitude on defending my DUI case as I consulted him. He assigned my case to his partner Mr. Wolverton, who he described which was his expertise. ... As I was awaiting the court date, my husband found out a clear mistake on the court document that one of my charges should read as a 2nd degree misdemeanor, instead of 1st degree. My husband immediately advised Mr. Gutin of it. Mr. Gutin only replied us that it was a good find and it was never corrected however. As I was notified by Mr. Gutin of my 1st court appearance a pre-trial court conference, he advised me that I did not need to make any decision as to plea or not during that date (I have been suffering from major depression and anxiety that I always cannot make a conscious decision without lengthy consideration). However, on the pre-trial conference at the court I was asked by Mr. Wolverton if I would accept the prosecutor’s offer on the plea. After being convinced by Mr. Wolverton that it was an unbeatable-like offer, I accepted the prosecutor’s plea offer hastily at last. Now, I greatly regret that especially when I have realized that there were different kinds of unexpected penalties which Mr. Wolverton had not fully advised me on considering the plea. I find Mr. Gutin misled me on my DUI case from the beginning. He, as well as Mr. Wolverton, was not attentive on his client's case. They failed to give proper advice to his client. As soon as I have pleaded guilty to my case, Mr. Gutin was nonchalant and not at all professional on responding to my inquiries.