276 Client Reviews
Showing 41 - 45 of 276 reviews
Posted by anonymous | December 19, 2023 | Hired Attorney
Criminal Defense
Working with Mike and his team was the best decision my husband and I made. Our first attorney made no progress for the first month and a half of the case. With a Nebbia bond hanging over our head Mike was able to get my husband out in no time. We live a few counties away from where the case took pla...
“Dear Anonymous, Thank you so much for your kind words (#HaberPA's AVVO Client Review # 236). As you indicated, when we first spoke your husband had been rotting in a jail cell for about 6 weeks, unable to post bond due to his then-lawyer's inability to satisfy NEBBIA. (Aside alert: Your husband was charged with Cocaine Trafficking, his bond was set at $500k w/ NEBBIA - a painstaking if not complicated procedural requirement that the accused must "prove" to both the Prosecutor's & Judge's satisfaction the legit source of funds used to post bond. While NEBBIA is a niche area any criminal defense lawyer competent to handle a narcotics trafficking case should be able to navigate the same; unfortunately, your husband's first lawyer proved himself to be utterly incompetent, costing you, your 2 young daughters & your husband about 6 weeks of his life, time which can never be returned.) You reached out to me primarily out of frustration, we vetted the immediate issue, your husband discharged his lawyer, I got on board &, armed with a complete picture of your family's finances I got to work, negotiating with an obstinate Prosecutor & ultimately the Court, securing a reduction in bond from ½Mil to $100k, albeit with a GPS monitor. As your family resides in Palm Beach County, Miami-Dade County Corrections' Monitored Release Program wouldn't accept supervision & so we went elsewhere, locating & engaging a reputable private company which both offered services & was acceptable to the Court. Within a week's time we secured your husband's release (with "free roaming" nonetheless), after which we got to work on the case itself. So as to be responsive to your observations (but also hoping that your husband will submit his own client review, allowing me to focus on other significant matters about his case) I won't take too deep of a dive into the facts & circumstances here and now; rather I'll continue with my tractable response to your kind review. Although #HaberPA's "default" position is to rapidly & aggressively prepare cases (in my experience, there's a tactical advantage to my intentionally limited caseload versus the State Attorney's ceaseless stream of new cases) but on occasion time can be an ally, & that (inadvertently) proved to be true in your husband's case. Our first Judge was a "rookie" who had no experience whatsoever in the criminal realm (yet was presiding over a case where your husband faced 30 years in State Prison with a 15 year minimum/mandatory) &, as stated, the first set of Assistant State Attorneys were literal "Prosecuting Robots" (as opposed to their ethical role of "Minister of Justice"). Fortunately Judge #1 proved to be so inept that he was re-assigned, leading us to Judge #2, who's prior career was as a top tier criminal defense attorney. Knowing that he'd understand our Entrapment Defense, give us a great deal of latitude in cross-examination of the Confidential Informant / CI & a very fair trial we accelerated the case by filing a Written Demand for Speedy Trial. Unfortunately on Day 2 a Mistrial was declared, forcing us to start all over. More disappointingly, post-Mistrial Judge# 2 sua sponte recused himself, sending us to Judge #3 who was far worse than Judge #1 (in legal terms he suffered from a case of "Black Robe Disease" a/k/a "Robeitis", worse yet, not only was he also utterly unfamiliar with criminal procedure - like Judge #1 - but he spuriously fancied himself a genius), causing us to recuse him & land before Judge #4 (who, like Judge #2, was also a top tier criminal defense attorney in his prior life). Long story short by this time the State's CI (who worked for the DEA in a Joint Task Force) had been shipped off to Federal Prison & so we filed another "Speedy Bomb". We literally ran out the clock out, forcing the Prosecutor to announce a "Nolle Pros" (i.e. to dismiss the case). In the end skill, guile & experience won your husband's freedom. Congrats & Happy Holidays! Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA”
Posted by anonymous | November 01, 2023 | Hired Attorney
Great Strategy, Great Outcome!
After a short, celebratory weekend in Miami, and a run in with Miami PD in the 305, I found myself in need of council for two misdemeanor charges. With no criminal background and no first hand knowledge of the criminal justice system, I returned to my out-of-state home to begin negotiating the charge...
Dear Anonymous, Thank you for your kind Client Review (#HaberPA's 235th on AVVO)! As you've not identified yourself & for the benefit of those who read this I'll elaborate a bit on your now closed case. You were arrested, booked & released after posting bond while a tourist in The 305. Upon returning to your hometown you began a long distance search for representation. I don't know how many lawyers you spoke with before choosing to hire #HaberPA but when we spoke, having reviewed your Arrest / Probable Cause Affidavit & with the benefit of your version of events, I took the time to thoroughly explain the possibilities, to field all of your questions, & to outline a plan of action (with contingencies). Once you agreed I embarked upon achieving your goal (to wit: a Dismissal without entering a Diversionary Program). Because you reside out of State & as yours was a Misdemeanor case the Rules of Criminal Procedure permit for remote representation; as such, together with my written Retainer Agreement I prepared & emailed you a Verified Motion to Proceed in Absentia (seeking permission for you NOT to have to appear in Court), a Verified Change of Plea in Absentia (to maintain in my file as a proverbial emergency parachute, albeit with no plan on using it) & when you returned the original notarized documents to me I waited until a day before your Arraignment to file my Appearance, Demands for Discovery & Trial & the Absentia Motion (waiting until the day before Arraignment guaranteed that ⅓ of your "Speedy Trial" time would have ticked &, knowing both the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court & State Attorney's Office as I do it was a good bet - albeit not a certainty - that a large portion, if not all of the remaining ⅔'s, would be eaten-up before the case was set for Trial & before the Prosecutor sent out the discovery). As the 90th day neared (90 days being the Speedy Trial time for a Misdemeanor arrest in FL) we had no discovery & your case was not yet set for Trial, leaving us in a dilemma. Do we file a Notice of Expiration, clue in the State & give the Judge an opportunity to ramrod us into a literal Speedy Trial or do we wait for the Trial Date to be set, see if discovery is tendered & then react accordingly? I chose the latter path, your case was set for Trial shortly thereafter (in front of a Judge who does not conduct "Sounding" / Status Hearings before Trial settings) & the State had still not provided any discovery. One week to the day before Trial I filed (but did not calendar) a Motion to Compel Discovery & a Request for a State Charged Continuance (thus preserving your Speedy Trial rights while leaving the door open to seek a dismissal at the Trial call should the State not have it's witnesses in the Courtroom & at the ready). I appeared for Trial in your absence, the State was not ready, I withdrew my Motion to Compel & to Continue, the Court denied the State's "ore tenus" (oral, in Court, without notice) request for a Continuance & your case was Nolle Pros'd / Dismissed. Why / how did that happen? Experience, that's why / how. Knowing - make that "mastering" - the Rules of Procedure & Evidence, employing guile, being aware of, attuned to & alert for loopholes & technicalities allowed me to serve you precisely as we contemplated. Had we chosen another path (such as filing the Notice of Expiration) then we may not have achieved the desired result (not as sweetly as we did anyhow). As you noted, during the course of the case (which was about 3½ months start to finish) we spoke, emailed & texted regularly (hopefully I never kept you waiting long), I kept you fully informed, you were able to live your life "as if" there was no Miami criminal case & within a reasonable amount of time I secured your Dismissal in your absence & with no further inconvenience to your life. Your trust in me both paid off for you & is greatly appreciated by me, as is your kind Client Review. Wishing you all the best! Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by anonymous | August 03, 2023 | Hired Attorney
OUTSTANDING
Michael is person that keeps id straight and direct with you. I hired him with one objective and that was to keep me out of prison. when I hired him he gave me the breakdown of what to expect but he also explained to meet what we where trying to accomplish and I must say Michael did what was hired...
Dear Anonymous, Thank you very much for your kind, succinct words in the form of #HaberPA's 234th Client Review on AVVO! As you've not identified yourself I'll take a few moments to expound so the folks understand what we accomplished & how we managed to do so. You operate a body shop & were targeted by auto theft detectives for covert investigation. Why you were targeted was unknown (perhaps they had confidential information, maybe it was due to your nearly 10 y/o criminal history or possibly, albeit unlikely, the stated reason - that it was nothing more than pure happenstance & luck, good for the cops & bad for you) but the odds that it went down as the cops swore (i.e. their having been in the right place at the right time & on a fluke coming across an "altered VIN" number on a vehicle parked outside of your shop which you just so happened to enter and drive off) are slim to none. Regardless as soon as you drove off they (detectives not uniformed officers) conducted a "routine traffic stop" (utter "BS"), ordered you out of the car, found a firearm inside the glove box & arrested you for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, as well as 16 charges including Operating a "Chop Shop", Grand Theft Auto, Possessing Counterfeit VINs, Sale of Vehicle with Altered ID & Making False Statements in Bill of Sale Application. The aggregate of these charges coupled with your criminal past put you in the mandatory 5 year prison range, there were no identifiable, provable statutory mitigators (e.g. you don't suffer from a major mental illness, you weren't a cooperating witness, etc.), neither the cops nor the Prosecutor were willing to plea bargain & so we had decisions to make. After identifying 3 things that I knew for sure (i.e. 1) Without prints & given the location of the gun in someone else's vehicle the State was going to have a tough time proving possession, specifically knowledge; 2) The 16 "paper charges" would have a massive "paper trail"; & 3) as it was a "C" case being handled by an inexperienced, over-burdened & young prosecutor we had a strategic and tactical advantage. Once discovery was received (well over 1,000 pages, none of which contained a scientific or physical tie of the firearm to you) I attempted to negotiate a non-incarcerative plea bargain. This was unsurprisingly unfruitful so we quickly changed tactics, moving to "sever" the charges (it'd be inappropriate, unfair & prejudicial for a Jury charged with deciding your guilt on 16 "paper charges" to know that you're a convicted felon, which is a necessary element of the firearm charge) & engaging in a relentless barrage of discovery motions aimed at proving to the State, by ordeal, what they were in store for during a trial. Once we had everything we could get (& never taking a deposition as we didn't want the cops to know what we were thinking, planning or getting an idea of our strategy) we pushed for trial on the paper case (concurrently leaving the Prosecutor puzzled as to how we could announce "ready" for trial on the "paper case" without having taken a depo). Our strategy was never to go to trial but instead to be able to indirectly pressure the State to reconsider a probation plea in light of the complexity of the case & the Judge's trial docket (which had many cases on it, several of which were older & or subject to a speedy trial demand) & that's precisely what happened. We were in court at 9am, looking the part (dressed to the nines, boxes & charts at the ready) & after a "side bar" conversation with the State & the Court the Judge suggested that a supervisor get involved & engage in a good faith discussion. Moments later you had & accepted the probation plea that you asked me to get you when we first met. While I'd've preferred a cleaner win we got you that which you wanted, & that's what matters most. I know that you'll survive probation and look forward to celebrating it's successful completion. Wishing you all the best! Fondly, MAH/Esq.
Posted by anonymous | May 16, 2023 | Hired Attorney
Motion for early termination of probation
No regrets at all after hiring Marc Haber's services, excellent diligence, very professional and transparent,he will keep you notified in every step of the process, he will go straight to the point and will answer any inquiries you might have at any time,im very grateful I took the decision to work w...
Dear Anonymous, Noting that my forename is "Mike" not "Marc" (but also that both are 1 syllable, 4 letters words including 3 consonants & 1 vowel), I want to thank you for your kind words (in the form of #HaberPA's 233rd AVVO Client Review). As you've not identified yourself & as I am well aware of who you are, I will share more about your situation with the folks so that they understand the dynamics of what led you to author this client review. You were arrested & charged in a Drug Trafficking Sting Operation. While you were pretrial detained your family hired another lawyer to represent you in the substantive case, for which you agreed to a plea deal involving probation. After serving ½ of your probationary term you found & reached out to me to assist you in securing Early Termination. (I should note that you contacted me because you were not satisfied with your original lawyer, an attorney whom I know, respect & who, from my review of the case file, in fact had done an excellent job - as an aside you went from being arrested for Cocaine Trafficking, Conspiracy to Traffic in Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Marijuana & Possession of Unlawful Proceeds from a Financial Transaction to receiving probation & a Withhold of Adjudication for Possession of Cocaine & Unlawful Proceeds from a Financial Transaction with all other charges Nolle Pros'd / dismissed by the State... a disposition which, all things equal & admittedly not being intimate with the facts & circumstances, is impressive... but I digress...) Anyhow, I discussed your situation with you (most especially determining your understanding of the status of your conditions of probation, i.e. what you knew / believed to have been completed & what was outstanding), I had you provide me with your POs contact information, explained that I needed to verify everything that we had discussed & that as soon as I was certain that your case was ripe for Early Termination I would prepare, file, calendar & litigate the Motion to ET Probation (aside alert: before making representations to the Court, & as President Ronald Reagan famously said, I "trust but verify"). After first securing then reviewing your disposition / sentencing documents & having a conversation with your Probation Officer I discovered that there were both outstanding obligations (court costs) & an issue with regard to your Community Service Hours. With your assistance (i.e. you promptly zero-balanced your case with the Clerk of Court & you provided your PO with proof of compliance with the CSHs), we straightened everything out & then proceeded. During the course of my representation you were Cc'd on all of my various correspondences, filings & emails (i.e. with your PO, the State, the Court, etc.) & within a few weeks time we had successfully applied for & you were granted the relief sought. Due to your own diligence you are now a free man (my role was, admittedly, "de minimus" as you were the one who had to "walk the walk", & you did so, in both a flawless & responsible fashion, thus arming me with all of the tools that I needed so as to get the desired Court Order). For the further benefit of the folks (but also as "props" for you) probation is not "easy" to survive. It is properly viewed as a a gift from an "Indian giver" in the form of a proverbial noose with just enough rope for a probationer to hang her/himself. The State knows that where one violates the hammer drops hard, the deck is stacked in their favor, the alleged violator has extremely limited rights (far fewer than in the substantive case) & most all Violations Of Probation are a veritable "slam dunk" for the State. You accepted that burden, acted prudently & dutifully, did not VOP, complied with all conditions & special conditions & as such you literally set yourself up for success. If you wish we can Seal your record but in any event you are now, once again, righteous, & I am grateful. Wishing you all the best. Fondly, MAH/Esq. #HaberPA
Posted by Ashley | May 11, 2023 | Hired Attorney
Best lawyer experience ever
Mr Habor is an extremely professional and wonderful Lawyer. I can remember, in the beginning of my case I was feeling very uneasy and scared of the outcome, but after I spoke to Mr. Haber over the phone regarding my case, he gave me a piece of mind that everything will work out fine. And actually it ...
Dear Ashley, Thank you for your generous & succinct Client Review (#HaberPA's 232nd on AVVO). As there's no way to identify you I'll share some of the facts of your case with the folks, as it was complex, time-intensive & an excellent example of how planning, preparation, tenacity & patience can combine to get the best possible result. You were arrested & charged with Grand Theft & Fraud after DCF had accused you of improperly accepting benefits from it's Food Assistance Program. DCF claimed that you improperly / unlawfully filed for & received benefits totaling $29,353.64 & the State Attorney's Office blindly accepted the same, promptly a filing 2nd degree felony charge against you wherein you faced 15 years in state prison, 15 years probation, nearly $30k in restitution, a $10k fine & a permanent criminal conviction. From our first consultation you were absolutely adamant that you neither applied for nor had you received any funds to which you were not entitled. Moreover, you claimed that you yourself had been a fraud victim by an unscrupulous family member, &, as such, we set out to concurrently both prove your & to disprove the State's allegations. As we dug (there were nearly 1,000 pages of discovery, including a Tim Burton worthy nightmare-esque plethora of financial records), sorted & sifted we were able to find a series of double billings along with several over-billing errors, & with a great deal of effort, patience, tenacity & perhaps most significantly - the luck of finding an honest, approachable & understanding "Collections Supervisor" / "bean counter" at DCF in Tallahassee, we were able to confirm the same & effectively knock down the amount alleged from nearly $30k to about $18k. Further, we were ultimately able to so sufficiently scrutinize DCF's payments to you that we actually managed to get DCF to admit that of the revised figure of $18k that they claimed to be fraudulent $10k had been improperly labeled as "criminal" (as opposed to "clerical"). Because of that we were able to remove another $10k from the State's criminal case, leaving a balance of approximately $8k (thereby reducing your exposure from a 2nd to a 3rd degree felony, for which your maximum exposure dropped from 15 to 5 years, both in prison & on probation, the restitution was cut by nearly 75% - from $30k to $8k - & your potential fine was cut in half). From the get go I had encouraged you to put away as much money as you could (best case scenario you would have a pile of cash to do with what you wish & worst case you'd have restitution money readily available) & as such by the time that we had chiseled the restitution amount down to $8k you had $3k to put "down", importantly leaving the balance of your criminal restitution at just under $5k. Why was this significant? Because here in The 305 / Miami-Dade County, the threshold for being admitted into Pretrial Diversion / PTD (a/k/a Pretrial Intervention / PTI) is $5k. Where one's restitution is above $5k then that is an absolute barrier to admission but, where one can get underneath that arbitrary boundary (& assuming that one is otherwise qualified, or, better stated, "not disqualified") then admission is all but certain. As you had no prior criminal history & your "victim" (DCF) didn't object you were "otherwise qualified", & as we deflated the restitution to less than $5k you were admitted into the program (successful completion of which would - did in fact - result in a dismissal). It took a year for you to make full restitution but you did, & as you had no complications during that time period you earned your dismissal (although I've congratulated you already, once again "congrats"). This was truly a complex, time-intensive case & also an excellent example of how planning, preparation, tenacity & patience can combine to get the best possible result. We did it together, as a team, and now you're part of the #HaberPA family! Thanking you again & wishing you all the best. Fondly, MAH/Esq.