David Oscar Markus

David Oscar Markus is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. David is known for his creative and unrelenting approach to cases, which leads to wins in trials and appeals. David focuses on high-stakes criminal litigation for both white collar and traditional criminal matters.

When he was 29, the National Law Journal selected him as one of the top 40 litigators in the country under 40 years old, and it has recognized one of his federal trial victories as one of the top ten defense verdicts in the country that year. In one trial victory, David not only beat all 141 counts in federal court for a doctor, but then won attorneys’ fees and costs of over $600,000 for his client in a first-of-its-kind victory. Based on that case, he was awarded the highest honor — the Rodney Thaxton “against all odds” award — by the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Although the 11th Circuit reversed the fee award in a number of controversial opinions, the court referred to Markus as an “elite” and “superb” attorney. (See page 9 of the opinion here). In another case, David challenged the way the federal court system in Miami selected jurors (alphabetically by last name) and won, which changed the jury selection process in the District (click here and here for more details). After obtaining a fair jury, Markus’ client was found not guilty.

Based on this type of creative and unique lawyering, in 2010, David was one of eight finalists in the country for best white-collar criminal lawyer in the country by Chambers & Partners, which quoted market sources saying that David is “the whole package,” and “a creative, courageous and tenacious courtroom advocate.” And he was named to that very prestigious short list of 8 best white-collar criminal defense lawyers again in 2011 (he was the only lawyer listed who was not from a large firm). The 2012 Chambers said this: “David Markus received strong praise from peers and clients alike, who describe him as ‘a legal genius and brilliant strategist with a great demeanor.'” Last year, Chambers & Partners described David as a “wickedly smart and a terrific trial lawyer. … Clients say that he is ‘thrilling’ to watch in court and that ‘his passion appreciation and enjoyment for his work are contagious.” And in 2014, that publication identified David as “one of the best trial lawyers around: very smart, highly respected and thoroughly prepared.”

Since 2010, David has been listed as one of the top 100 lawyers in Miami and in all of Florida by SuperLawyers. He is one of the few criminal defense lawyers to received such an honor.   He is frequently named as one of the top lawyers in the Best Lawyers in America, South Florida Legal Guide, Florida Trend Magazine, Chambers & Partners, and the South Florida Business Journal. He was one of 20 lawyers named a key partner by the South Florida Business Journal in 2011 and again in 2012. The Daily Business Review named him a finalist for Most Effective Lawyer in Criminal Justice (one of three lawyers in Miami) in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2012.

The Daily Business Review has recognized David’s lawyering by naming him as a finalist 5 different times for Best Criminal Lawyer in Miami. The district judges in the Southern District of Florida presented him with the Eugene Spellman Criminal Justice Act Award in 2013.

While at Harvard, David argued in front of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy who named him best oralist. (The argument, which was carried on C-Span, can be viewed here. David’s argument begins at 57:42). David was mentored by Alan Dershowitz while in law school (click here for a picture of them together at Harvard). After graduating from Harvard, David served as law clerk to the Honorable Edward B. Davis, then-Chief United States District Judge, Southern District of Florida. Following his clerkship, David worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., and then practiced as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Miami.

David is a past-president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Miami Chapter and past-president of the Federal Bar Association, South Florida Chapter, 2007-08. He served for ten years as the Southern District of Florida’s national representative for the Criminal Justice Act Panel, and is the vice-chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s amicus committee (where he recently was part of the team that fought to invalidate Florida’s drug law — read the brief here). David also has co-authored the Fourth Amendment Forum, published in NACDL’s The Champion. He is frequently asked to serve on committees for the Southern District of Florida.

David frequently lectures nationally and locally on different aspects of the criminal trial and appeal. He has taught legal writing at the University of Miami School of Law, and has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure and White Collar Law at Florida International University College of Law. He also speaks to other criminal defense lawyers on ethics and zealously representing criminal defendants charged with serious crimes. His lengthy list of lectures can be found on his resume below.

David is often quoted in publications around the country, including The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Daily Business Review, USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, , and . He has written opinion pieces for the Miami Herald, and is the author of the popular Southern District of Florida blog, which has been described by the New Times as “the definitive source on South Florida’s federal court system.”

David is committed to zealously representing each and every one of his clients. He has built a reputation for winning the most difficult cases with creative strategies. David takes each case personally and does not like to lose.

You can email David Markus at  View David’s resumé.