Ricardo Rivera

Mr. Ricardo Rivera, Esq. (“Rick”) delivered SUPERIOR criminal defense representation to me against a DUI charge, as well as other criminal charges filed the same time, such as driving without insurance (proven wrong). Most relevant, and MOST IMPORTANT to my review of Rick, is that he earned my TRUST..., so much so that I felt comfortable and confident to share information many would be very reluctant to disclose to anyone. In the end this greatly improved the outstanding result Rick achieved on my behalf. Mr. Rivera and his firm’s paralegal, Ms. Laura J. Morgan, consistently provided first class professional services as they guided me through a maze of twists and turns, along with multiple court appearances and changing dates. They did this all while providing my worried family with important updates and information. Rick is a stand up straight shooter, who provided me with reliable and most competent representation. His presence in the Court is commanding, reflecting obvious experience and talent. He proved a very good advocate when it came to my very specific needs. It should be mentioned that early on, I was reassured that choosing Rick was a good move: I have a neighbor that is a policeman, and he told me “I’d made a good choice”. I would highly recommend Rick if you run into any trouble, he’s there to protect your rights and get you the best results you probably wouldn’t get with representation from a public defender, for example.

My only life saver an saving grace was Rick Rivera .in September 2013 I was placed on 5 years probation for a strong armed robbery. I was unjustly violated by a detective in Pasco county Aug 15th 2017 because he was investigating my son's dad for a crime. The detective who harrased an eventually vio...lated me on 3 conditions of my probation. the detective showed up 5 days later an told me either " i help them an be a witness for a crime i had no knowledge of or for that matter any involvement in or he would terminate my probation.The decision was mine." Not only did I let the detective search my home 3 times,search my car ,download my phone an answer all there questions for over 2 hours our first interaction on Aug 11 2017. (All while my probation officer who has 20 years experience in her field never even violated me or found me in the wrong in anyway. ) So the detective frustrated in his case used the fact I was on probation an took me to jail.when I reached the Pinellas county jail Rick was there the next day to ask me about what happened the day I was violated. Rick was honest an truthful an helpful. My 3 pre trial dates all came down to the fact that the prosecutor kept stating he wanted to speak with detective. Every court date Rick was like a shark an always on point.Pointing out how I had already been in jail for two months with the prosecutor still not doing his job on contacting the detective to speed up the process of what direction Rick had to take to help me. Eventually a evidentiary hearing was scheduled for Nov 3 at 11 am Rick came to the jail 2 days prior to my hearing an we discussed what I was facing which was 46 months. how a evidentiary hearing works. What I should expect. At the time still Pasco county hadn't submitted any evidence against me so Rick was going to ask it all be dismissed.On Nov 3 Rick was presented with a evidence packet that he should have received way prior to my court date. The state had my probation officer an detective as a witnesses. Finally they call me to court. Rick has got to be one of the best trial lawyers I have ever seen.Only having so much time to go over evidence packet. With both my probation officer an the detective taking the stand he was able to prove that I was not guilty of violating any of those conditions.every time the prosecutor thought he made a accurate point ,Rick was back cross examining like a shark.He was so focused an attentive.His main focus was the detective an his false claims.The detective was stuck an backed into a corner Everytime by Rick an he was stumbling over his own lies.Everytime Rick nailed him. The prosecutor could not keep up with Rick. My mother in law an sister in law we're so impressed by Rick an his dominate presence in the courtroom.By the time my evidentiary hearing was done Judge Andrews literally stated to the prosecutor "SO WHAT DID YOU PROVE?" Lol ...no joke ...Judge Andrews literally said that to the prosecutor "what did you Prove?" ....He proved nothing.Rick showed doubt in everything the state tried to accuse me of. RICK NOT ONLY PROVED MY INNOCENCE BUT HE DID THE IMPOSSIBLE AN GOT JUDGE ANDREWS TO TERMINATE MY PROBATION!!!! Here I was facing 46 months mandatory prison sentence an Force to be reckoned with Rick Rivera got Judge Andrews to terminate me early off probation! I couldn't ask for a better attorney. Rick was professional , focused ,believed my story an fought for me.An I mean truly fought to make the prosecutor look like a amateur. I will only recommend him to my friends or family.an if I am ever in a jam again he will be the only phone number I dial. I am a free woman because of him an his skills. thankful an grateful for him being my attorney.

I was falsely accused of unlicensed contracting in Tampa. The state of Florida wanted $138,000 in restitution – an amount that I do not currently have and would take years to pay off if a payment plan was set up if I lost the case. I contacted Rick Rivera and explained the details. We had one meeting... in his office and he gained my confidence that he was the best lawyer to handle my case. Rick believed he could win the case at trial, but said he planned on getting the case dismissed before it reached that point. Rick accomplished exactly what he thought he could achieve and the case was dismissed with NO restitution having to be paid. I was totally thrilled with the outcome, to say the least. Rick handled the courtroom interaction with the judge and DA like a total pro. He was thoroughly prepared and made his points succinctly to the judge. Rick clearly knows the ins and outs of the laws in Florida. He has a superb ability to find any discrepancies and/or technicalities that can be vital to impacting the final outcome of a case. The DA could not pierce through Rick’s clearly stated facts and turn them around in any way to get a guilty verdict, restitution or any other decision by the judge that would be a bad outcome for me. If I ever need an attorney again in his areas of specialty, I would definitely call Carlson Meissner Law Firm and specifically hire Rick Rivera.

I could not have asked for a better attorney than Rick. Rick was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and easy to work with. Rick was very easy to contact and responded to all of my questions/inquiries very quickly. He worked diligently to obtain the resolution I was looking for and I would highly reco...mmend him to anyone and everyone.

I want to start by thanking Mr. Rivera. I recently went to court after nearly a year and a half of fighting an unjust dui ticket I received. Mr. Rivera was able to get the ticket reduced to a wreckless driving ticket. My story is not as cut and dry as it may initially appear and I would like to take ...a moment to explain how his hard work played out. I initially hired a big name law firm whom I thought would fight for me. That lawyer did win the my case against DMVHS (the refusal to blow chargE) but following that small victory, he tried to sell me multiple times on a plea deal, to plea guilty to the dui. I did not hire an attorney to plea guilty. I became very unnerved by our interactions. A friend put me in contact with DUIundoconsultants. I then spoke to Mr. Daniells, explained my situation and how I felt. I sent him my case file to him and after review he advised I get a real DUI attorney. He was very knowledgeable of DUI law and explained the difference between a dump-truck attorney (I hired) and a real DUI attorney. He referred me to Rick Rivera. I then contacted Rick and scheduled a FREE consultation with Mr. Rivera. I felt at ease immediately after meeting with Rick. His experience in law enforcement and knowledge of how law enforcement officers operate was amazing. He immediately went to work for me. He called me often to explain inconsistencies he discovered in there reports and constantly kept me up to date with his progress. He petitioned the courts to depose the officers involved in the case. He had expert witnesses and private investigators at his disposal. He was willing to pull out all the stops to defend me. After he collected his facts and evidence he petitioned the court to suppress testimony of the law enforcement officers and showed they had lied, and I was unjustly charged. The prosecutor in my case wanted to take it to trial, and would not budge., but because of the work he had done, he had dismantled the prosecutors case. This resulted in a plea bargain. Now I did not go to trial, but if I had I feel Rick Rivera would have won the case for me. Mr. Daniells had told me he was one of the best trial attorneys he had ever seen! I also believe if I had known of Mr. Rivera and hired him from the get go, my case would have been resolved within a few months for half of the monetary cost I had invested. I had a lot at stake, and the plea bargain was an acceptable compromise to put this nightmare behind me. The legal system is stacked against us, law officers work together, lie, and can be deceitful to build their case. I respect their position and the extremely difficult job they have but I also know there are thousands of people convicted of crimes they are not guilty of. If you are charged with a crime, you better get a REAL attorney! Rick Rivera will work for you, he will fight for you, and if you want to even the playing field you need a lawyer like Rick! I would recommend Mr. Rivera for any legal problems you may have. In a way, HE SAVED MY LIFE, as I know it. I will be forever grateful!!