276 Client Reviews
Showing 26 - 30 of 276 reviews
Posted by Robert | September 11, 2024 | Hired Attorney
We could not have asked for a more perfect resolution!!!
My son is a law student at U. of Miami. He is still on my auto insurance policy because he is in school. While stopped in front of a police car at a redlight in Miami, the officer used a scanner to randomly check my son's license plate. The state system erroneously indicated that he was an uninsured...
Dear Rob, Thank you for your kind words in the form of #HaberPA's 251st 5-Star Client Review. I'd be remiss were I not to point out that your son, who's both a most responsible young man & thus a tribute to you & his Mom, submitted a prior (#249) 5-Star Client Review, & while he did so anonymously your (kind to me but perhaps not so considerate of your son) inadvertently called him out; but as he did nothing wrong, & in any event his were not the "charges of the century", I suppose that there's no harm & thus no foul. That said you & I met in 1988 as "1Ls" at "Harvard South Campus" (i.e. Nova University Law School) & we've been friends for 35+ years. After law school you moved to central Florida & started a lucrative PI / Personal Injury practice whereas I remained in SoFlo (specifically in The 305) plying my trade as a Criminal Defense Litigator. While we don't get to see one another nearly often enough we've maintained contact & our friendship has blossomed into one which incorporates mutual professional admiration & respect. As I'm sure is the situation whenever a PI client entrusts you with her/his case (& therefore possibly her/his economic future), so too is it a source of pride each time that a client bestows upon me their confidence by affording me the privilege of being responsible for their liberty. That said this holds especially true whenever a parent effectively gives me "custody" over their child's liberty, & even more so when that parent happens to be an attorney. It goes without saying to you but is important for the benefit of the folks who read this to know that it's far easier for a lawyer to locate another lawyer for representation (be it for themselves, a loved one or a client) than it is for civilians, many (if not most) of whom have no base of knowledge from which to select the right attorney. Personal recommendations are always both a welcomed & valued referral source, but back in the day when you & I began our respective professional journeys the most common method for locating a lawyer was to literally "let your fingers do the walking" & peruse the "Yellow Pages". Nowadays the physical aspect has tracked technology & evolved into "type your query, click your mouse & let your eyes peruse the pay-for-click Google hits", which is a far more perilous path than the extinct Yellow Pages. This is so as while legit, honest, ethical, diligent lawyers exist in the digital universe in order to find them you have to parry your way through a relentless stream of phony, manufactured, "would-be" choices, particularly those who either possess tech-talent sufficient to create the persona that they wish to be seen (like a modern day Wizard of Oz) or those who are slick enough to hire some tech-savvy miscreant who'll paint the picture on the lawyer's behalf. In this light that's a main reason why reviews like yours (& your son's) are so meaningful (to wit: They convey to potential clients real world experiences, impressions & valuations which can be considered & factored into the hiring calculus). I suppose that some venal lawyers post "scam" reviews (in fact & without naming names I know for certain that some are that unscrupulous) but anyone who reads enough of a given lawyer's Client Reviews will likely see for themselves which are genuine & which are, well, BS. Before I finish I want to add one more thing: As a lawyer you were absolutely correct to recognize that even an innocent, trivial matter like your son's comes with what we in the Criminal Defense industry refer to as "collateral consequences" (i.e. a "Scarlett Letter"), & that especially when it comes to matters such as professional licensing (be it with The Florida Bar or elsewhere) the "ripple effects" can be damning, ergo the need for competent & comprehensive representation. Here you entrusted me to do right by your son & I couldn't be prouder than to have been chosen & to have performed as expected. Ty again Counselor. All the best! MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by anonymous | September 10, 2024 | Hired Attorney
Reliable, knowledgeable, compassionate, professional Lawyer
I was lucky for being referred to Mr. Haber from the beginning of my defense. The first time we met, it was all about trust, especially in those dark moments of life, when I did not clearly know what was happening to me and how I could get back to normal life. Mr. Haber truly explained things with co...
Dear Anonymous, I can't thank you enough for your amazing review. As I know that you're literally in "the cancer profession", as you (Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. / Dr.?) are Anonymous & in light of your references to cancer / oncology I'll share what I believe to be a few relevant, interesting anecdotes with the folks. First, many of my would be (& actual) clients either have a preexisting or acquire a base of knowledge about their own legal situation by the time that we first speak. While most understand the limitations of what they either know or think that they know, there are "The Others" (shout out to "Lost") who believe that they either know "better" or more than I, & when that happens it's nothing shy of maddening. The silver-lining to that is that I've both come to recognize & apply this to myself, so, for instance, when I recently consulted an orthopedic surgeon about incessant shoulder pain my research allowed me to both follow much of our discussion & to ask relevant questions without overstepping & effectively being "Dr. Haber" who got his M.D. from "Internet U". That said in discussions with potential clients I often "use" doctors, albeit usually referring to myself as a "would-be Facebook / Internet Doctor" as I imply that while it's a good thing to do research & know something about your own situation there's a solid basis for the adage that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" (i.e. regardless of how diligently I may study my own medical concerns in no way does that license me as a doctor). Second, & in a very real legal-to-medical sense, Criminal Defense Lawyers are basically "legal oncologists", proverbially being akin to doctors with specialized training in diagnosing and treating "legal cancer"; & it's not a stretch to make a legit analogy of Criminal Prosecution to Cancer (i.e. both can be a "death sentence", albeit one, mine, usually only in a figurative sense). The point is that precisely like oncologists no one in their right mind wants to "need" to retain Criminal Defense Counsel; rather it's almost always done both in reaction to (as opposed to proactively) & out of a Darwin-esque sense of self-preservation & necessity. Finally, noting that some are "better" at it than others, very much like doctors, lawyers (at least those who actually care about the client & the cause) must develop a "bedside manner", & this takes us to your situation. Not only was this incident you first interaction with the criminal process but, being foreign born, raised & only recently admitted to the US (on a student Visa as a medical researcher) you were also culturally unaware of the nuances of dealing with Police. Thus, after you were physically abused by your ex-boyfriend (who went & filed a police report against you the following day, likely because he feared you doing so first) & the Cops showed up asking questions, rather than explaining to them what had happened (i.e. that you were attacked & acted in self-defense) you chose to clam-up & say nothing, just as you'd've had this occurred in your native Middle Eastern Country, given the cultural & misogynist nature existing there. Naturally the Police Officers who responded to your home had no way to know any of that, you didn't tell them & so they did what they thought was appropriate given the complaint & your lack of any defense thereto. Fortunately you were able to provide me with a great deal of information, not only about you & your mind-set but also about your ex & his mentality (including many social media posts, text messages & other undeniable facts which all but proved that he was a sadistic troglodyte), which I was then able to proffer to your Prosecutor, wield to your advantage & use to ultimately secure a "No Action" / Dismissal at your Arraignment (even over your ex's insistence that he wanted you prosecuted). Not to be an ingrate but, like Gregg Allman "I'm no Angel"; still I care & I'm elated to know that it shows. Wishing you all of the best! MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by anonymous | September 08, 2024 | Hired Attorney
Thank you Michael!!!
I retained Michael to handle two citations that I received after I was pulled over for driving with a suspended license due to an alleged lapse in auto insurance that I never received notice of. Michael came up with a game plan, gathered and organized all of the necessary evidence proving that my ...
Dear Anonymous, Thank you very much for your kind words in the form of #HaberPA's 249th 5-Star Client Review on AVVO. As no one knows who you are I'm quite comfortable sharing something about your situation with the folks. Yours was a common tale. You were NOT stopped for any traffic violation (i.e. you weren't speeding, you didn't blow through a "traffic control device" & you didn't have any "defective equipment"); rather you were stopped because your license plate / your vehicle was "red-flagged" by a "License Plate Recognition Camera" (a/k/a a "Digital Watcher"). For those who don't know LPRs are stationary cameras operated by Law Enforcement agencies which scan each & every license plate that passes by & alerts Police when a corresponding "red-flag" appears (typical situations are "Amber Alerts" - but also Silver, Purple & Blue Alerts, Unassigned Tag, Stolen Tag or Stolen Vehicle alerts & the dreaded "Driving with a Suspended License" alerts - note that as it applies to you I'll chime in on this last category more below). In your case a LDR DWLS hit resulted in a stop & ultimately a Promise to Appear arrest / Notice to Appear arrest for a Financial Responsibility Suspension / FR Suspension which was due to a reported insurance lapse as well as a Traffic Infraction citation for DWLS-Unknowningly. As to these offenses the DWLS-FR is a Criminal Traffic offense (with a mandatory Court appearance) & the Unknowing-DWLS is a Traffic Infraction. The reason that you were given a PTA / NTA (as opposed to being 'cuffed, stuffed into a squad car, perp-walked into the jail, booked, forced to either post bond or attend an Initial Appearance / Bond Hearing & then secure some form of pretrial release) was a combination of your neither harassing nor challenging your Stop Officer (rather you were polite, respectful & demurred to his authority) coupled with the fact that Officer Friendly (who could just as easily have become, in true to life Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde fashion, Officer Unfriendly, had you behaved differently) believed you when you explained that while the car is registered to you it's your parents, who reside further upstate, that maintain your insurance & whatever the screw-up may have been it happened without your knowledge. (Aside alerts: 1) Anyone who follows #HaberPA knows that we routinely advise against making statements to Law Enforcement in the moment - be it on the roadside, at a crime scene / "locus in quo", in an interrogation room or elsewhere- & instead to #UPx2 - i.e. "Shut-Up and Lawyer-Up" / invoke both The 5th & The 6th - but sometimes, like here, your heartfelt explanation can be the difference between "going for the ride" or being permitted to go about your business; & 2) when it comes to "Big Brother" DWLS stops the LDR only "knows" that the registered owner's driver license is suspended & as anyone could be driving the car at any given moment Cops have an obligation to ensure that the driver is in fact the registered owner, for if s/he is not then & should the red flag be the only basis for the detention then the stop is illegal, violating The 4th Amendment.) Anyhow, in this case you truly did not know, as soon as you became aware you so advised your parents, they immediately fixed the insurance glitch (as it turns out they had switched companies mid-policy & there was some communication failure between the insurance entities & FL-DMV, resulting in your FR suspension) & you immediately reinstated your DL so, by the time that your Dad called me he was able to provide me with proof of insurance (i.e. "Dec-Sheets" from both companies) & you were able to provide me with a screenshot of your reinstated FL-DL, both of which I was able to deliver to the State & the Court well in advance of your Arraignment & resulting in a prompt "Nolle Pros" / dismissal. You & your Dad did your "jobs" (were responsible), thus permitting me to do mine. Thanks for being a stellar client & for the review! Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by anonymous | August 27, 2024 | Hired Attorney
Professional, Straigh-forward, Knows Every Letter of the Law
Mike Haber was referred to me last year by a family relative who had contracted his services for a DUI charge back in 2014. Last year, I needed legal representation for a DUI charge. As I was considering various options, Mr. Haber was presented to me as a sharp, no-nonsense attorney who proceeds wi...
Dear Anonymous, Thank you for your kind words in the form of #HaberPA's 248th Client Review on AVVO! As you're "Anonymous" I'm comfortable in discussing your situation with the folks, but before I do I want to take a moment to say that there aren't many things that make me feel prouder than receiving a referral from someone whom I previously represented, & this is most especially so when the referring source is a loved one of the new potential client. This always touches me on a very personal level as it implicitly speaks volumes about the degree of confidence, faith & trust that I must necessarily have instilled in the prior client / referral source in order for her / him to recommend #HaberPA to her / his loved one. That said, & as to your statement that "DUI/BUI/DWI is one of his core competencies", over the course of 32+ years #HaberPA has represented folks in literally hundreds of DUI / BUI cases, but I'd be remiss were I not to note that we're also highly proficient in general criminal defense litigation "from Misdemeanors to Mayhem to Murder, from DUI to Disorderly Conduct to Domestic Violence, from Shoplifting to Stalking to Solicitation, from Theft to Trespass to Tampering" & beyond. Still, we're talking DUI, & while we wish a DUI/BUI on no one, should you find yourself on the wrong side of Officer Unfriendly then while we can't physically be there to help you on the roadside there are plenty of "Pro-Tips" that we can offer (many of which you can find on #MichaelHaberLaw - #HaberPA's YouTube channel / VideoFAQ which presently has 401 short, informative and entertaining "Webisodes", many of which are dedicated to DUI, BUI & DMV concerns) which, if you bear in mind, may well serve your interests in the long term even if not in the short term (i.e. as many a Cop has unaffectedly opined, "You may beat the rap but you won't beat the ride"). In your case you were stopped because you ran a stop sign that happened to be perpendicular to a manned squad car. The Stop Officer claimed that you took 2 blocks to pull over, during which time you almost caused a traffic accident at another intersection at which you also reportedly failed to stop & when you did ultimate pull over you were several feet off of the curb, thus obstructing traffic. Claiming to observe all of the "tell tale" signs of impairment he offered & you agreed to take Roadside Sobriety Tests / Field Sobriety Tests (which you did not perform to the Officer's standards) & you refused to provide a breath sample / blow into a Breathalyzer / Intoxilyzer after which you were arrested. We secured & reviewed the Body Worn Camera / BWC footage & you were objectively impaired. Because of the indisputable video footage we knew that we didn't have a viable Trial case but as you had no priors were were able to secure your entry into, & your ultimate successful completion of, DUI Diversion, resulting in a "break-down" to a "Wet-Reckless" (i.e. a "withhold of adjudication" to Reckless Driving & a dismissal of the DUI), which given the facts was your best case scenario. That said & for the benefit of others DUI Investigators almost never tell you that FST's are voluntary & that you DO NOT have to take them; rather they merely "offer" them to you with all of the accoutrements & color of authority (usually including a proverbial "Gaggle of Gendarme" uncomfortably surrounding you) which almost always results in the driver's acquiescence. Had you refused FSTs & breath (i.e. a "double refusal) then the State's "evidence" would have have been limited to uncorroborated Police subjective observations & we'd've had a far better defense case. Your lack of priors gave you an option that anyone with a prior DUI, or who's involved in a traffic crash or who suffers from any of the many "diversion disqualifiers" would be denied. Anyhow it worked out well for you, I'm thrilled that you're happy & I hope that you don't have to refer me to any of your loved ones. Ty again! Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by Ashley | August 15, 2024 | Hired Attorney
Very satisfied
I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mr. Haber. I was being jerked around and left in the dark with a PD that was assigned to my case for 5 months. I had no discovery or info on my case at all. After seeking Mr. Haber’s counsel I knew I was in good hands. Before charging me a d...
Dear Ashley, Thank you very much for your kind words in the form of #HaberPA's 247th Client Review on AVVO. Since you didn't fully identify yourself, & as, per "MyNameStats" dot com, "Ashley" is the 172nd most popular given name in the USA (estimated at 373,715), I'm confident in my ability to share something about your case without violating client confidence & privilege. But before I do so, & not withstanding your legitimate criticism of the PD(s) who initially represented you, I want to be clear that I have the greatest respect for Public Defenders, most especially those here in The 305. Contrary to popular opinion it's not easy to get hired, much less to remain employed as a PD. It's an oftentimes thankless job that takes brains, ethics & effort, & attorney's who aren't fully committed to the cause simply don't last (not under The Honorable Carlos J. Martinez's watch anyhow). While it's inexcusable that you were never sent copies of the discovery / evidence in your case (which is truly as simple as forwarding to you emails sent to your lawyer by a Prosecutor), much less ever consulted about any of it, I'm sad to report that there are far too many privately retained Criminal Defense Lawyers out there who not only routinely epically fail in that precise way (aside alert: a lawyer's failure to keep a client informed about the status of the case is one of the most frequent grounds for attorney discipline by The Florida Bar), but in some ways it's arguably more painful when you're essentially paying someone to violate The Rules of Professional Conduct ("lawyer ethics") & to effectively commit legal malpractice at your expense (both financially & in actual point of fact). I know this to be true as a good portion of my clients come to me just as you did, after having been superficially "represented" by snake oil salesmen who took their money & then proceeded to recklessly botch the case, ergo my ability to quickly instruct you as to "how to receive my documents". Getting back to you & your case, once you were in possession of your discovery you forwarded it to me & from there we quickly got to work, together, as a team & just as the attorney-client relationship is intended to perform. Once I understood the State's theory of it's case against you (you were charged with Trespass & Battery) & the plea offer that had been extended (to wit: a "withhold of adjudication" with probation & a bevvy of special conditions) I outlined the various alternative paths forward & of those I identified you chose as "Plan A" beating down the State in an effort at securing Pretrial Diversion / PTD which you weren't offered as the victim refused ("Plan B" was a Trial, wherein we would - bad pun warning - proverbially beat your victim into submission & expose him for the lying crybaby that he was). I began to pound your Misdemeanor Prosecutor with Motions to Compel missing materials (which turned out to include several surveillance video & audio files) which we received & reviewed & which disclosed that we had no defense to the Trespass but that there was a good, triable case for the Battery (aside alert: reviewing discovery is critical as had those videos not been tendered then we would not have know the strength of the most damaging charge against you). Armed with that information I began plea negotiations which started well (we had a conscientious young ASA on the case) but which quickly broke down when that ASA was reassigned & we got a new disinterested Prosecutor. I ran the case up the flagpole, making it an issue with the State Attorney's Office & over the course of 6 or so weeks I ultimately convinced the Chief of County Court Prosecutions to agree to PTD, & even to throw in "Early Termination" as a bonus. In the end it took less than 4 (not 5, sorry) months, start to finish, to get you the resolution that you hoped for & have now secured. Congratulations & thank you again for sharing your thoughts with the folks. Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA