Gary Kollin

For over 43 years I have been an expert lawyer specializing in POLICE ABUSE, police misconduct, false arrest, excessive force. illegal search, criminal defense (trial and appeals), and civil rights cases. I represent clients in the state and federal courts suing police officers as well as clients charged with all levels of crimes ranging from petit theft to first degree murder including federal charges of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprises. I am also an expert lawyer specializing in appeals in all Florida and federal appeal courts.

I became a member of the Bar in 1979. In addition to my over 36 years of private practice experience, I served as a prosecutor (assistant state attorney) in Broward County and a chief of the Florida Medicaid Fraud Unit. 

In my civil rights/police misconduct practice, I sued and won cases against the FBI, Miami Beach Police Department, Ft. Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Broward Sheriff's Office, Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Ft. Pierce Police Department, Port St. Lucie Police Department, Hendry County Sheriff's Office, Hollywood Police Department, Davie Police Department, Coral Springs Police Department, Lauderhill Police Department, Hallandale Police Department, Surfside Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department, Sweetwater Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Highway Patrol, Martin County Sheriff's Office  and many others. I have obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars for my clients who suffered at the hands (and feet) of law enforcement officers.

I argued the case of Smith v. United States, 508 U.S. 223 (1993), before the Supreme Court of the United States where the justices of the Supreme Court appointed me to represent the petitioner John Angus Smith. Harvard Law School uses that case to teach statutory construction to its law students.

In addition, I was counsel in a 221 person class action suit, Jones v. Sheriff, 9 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. D107 (S.D. Fla. 1995), against the local Sheriff where the federal judge determined that the Sheriff's procedure of holding people in jail after they were found not guilty was unconstitutional The judge awarded over $1,000, (one million dollars) to the class.