AnneMarie Rose Rizzo

In 2012 I found myself in a really bad place, the back of a cop car. I had never been in any sort of trouble, and I found myself being arrested for a DUI. I immediately went into panic mode. I had no idea what this really meant, or what the next two years would entail. All I could think about was my ...future that I had just spent so many years in school working on. I came all this way and there is now a chance I won't even get to practice. I needed help. My mailbox was flooded with cards, letters, and flyers. I called a few places but no one really helped me with what I should do. I found Annemarie's office and spoke with her directly. She was amazing. She reviewed the details of my case and helped me understand exactly what was going on, told me exactly what to expect, and how she could help me get through it all. She was serious. I was in a professional program and she understood my fears and all of the complications that this could ultimately cause me. Anytime I had a question (which was way to many), she was there to answer it. She worked through my case and fought at every step. I had a lot of anxiety and she reassured me that she was going to give it her best, and she did. After two long years of my stress and worry, and her persistence and hard work my charges were reduced to reckless driving and my criminal history was in the clear. I could finally get started on my future. Now that I am done, and applying for boards, my license, and jobs I am still reaching out to her with questions about the criminal/legal history and she is still more than happy to help. I was scared and clueless. Annemarie helped me through everything. She was there every step of the way and made sure I was always filled in. She not only knows exactly what she is doing, but she is compassionate. She cared about me and my case, and that was good enough for me! I don't plan on EVER needing attorney again, but if for some reason I did, I would immediately give her a call.

I can not express to you how grateful I am that Annemarie took on my son's case. She is not only a great attorney, a very personable person. She went above and beyond being an attorney. She is caring, honest and and now a good friend ! Except for my son's father our family is spread all over. She k...ept each one of us updated on how he was doing while in jail, during rehab and now in DUI Court ! She has guided him in the right direction to help him fight this addiction ! She is so dedicated to this case ! She not only is a great defense attorney but a great person ! My son was so lucky to have found her, our whole family is lucky ! She knows her job and is the very best. She does everything in her power to fight for your innocence ! Our Family can not thank her enough for helping us get our son back !!!

AnneMarie Rose Rizzo, went way beyond the call of duty. I would definitely recommend her for any type of DWI, DUI, BUI or other criminal case. I truly believe if I had to pay her by the hour for the amount of work she did I could not have done it. She really cares about her clients. She made herself ...available at nights, on the weekend and I never felt put off by her or her staff at any time. AnneMarie put up a fight every step of the way leaving no stone unturned in my son’s defense. She helped put together a complete defense team including an accident reconstruction expert, boating experts, multiple blood experts to present a challenge to the prosecutor every step of the way. Her expertise as a former state prosecutor was very helpful as she know the system from both sides of the court. I hope you never need her or her law firms of services but if you do I would not hesitate to call her. AnneMarie and the entire staff at Finebloom, Haenel and Higgins P.A were great to work with.

Words can not express just how grateful I am to have met Annemarie! I was arrested at 4 in the morning one night after leaving work, where I bartend on Siesta Key. On my way home, I had approached a busy intersection where an accident had already occurred due to someone else, who had been drinking an...d driving. The officer who made me pull over was quick to assume that I myself was impaired and should be arrested for DUI, after I admitted to having one drink before leaving work. As I tried to argue my rights, it occurred to me to call a friend who had just been through a similar situation where he had Annemarie help fight his case. After refusing to take the breath test, I was shortly arrested and taken to jail for DUI. Within an hour of being in jail, Annemarie had already made it down to the station to talk to me about the arrest and to reassure me that she would fight every step of the way to get me out of this mess. As I expressed my thoughts and concerns for the event that had occurred, she was very understanding and sincere to my feelings. Annemarie actually made an effort to visit me twice, while being in the jail cell for the 8 hours that they held me for, and got me released at that very minute that the 8 hours were up. The next day, I was in her office at Finebloom & Haenel, as she was highly knowledgeable on the many questions I had. As the weeks went by, she did an amazing job keeping me informed on any docket soundings and new information on my case. She also went above and beyond to provide me with a business purpose license, since mine had been taken away. Whenever I had any questions, she was responsive within hours. It felt very comforting to know how loyal she was to me and my case. Not only was she trustworthy, but super assertive when it came to being aggressive at fighting for my rights. Within four and a half months of being arrested, my case had finally come to an end! Annemarie proved the arresting officer wrong, as he had made many unethical choices, including not videotaping any of the arrest! She got my DUI dropped to a reckless driving with no penalties! No fines, no community service, no nothing! I was overwhelmed with joy that I had confided in her! She is an amazing women, with great motives! I can only tell you good things about her because she is passionate about her line of work and will fight hard to bring others success! I highly recommend her to anyone fighting a DUI. She saved my life and can save yours too!

I was arrested for DUI in Sarasota County June 2012. The next day i started my online search for an attorney. I have never been arrested before and had no idea how to make such a critical decision on representation. I called and spoke to several firms. Making the wrong decision could be critical and ...costly. When i called Finebloom, Haenel & Higgins Annemarie actually answerd the phone. When i gave my name and explained the situation she had my case pulled up and knew all the details within a minute. Nobody else was that prepaired right off the bat. That was the deciding factor for my choice. Annemarie was caring, reassuring and extremely helpful thru every aspect of the case. After 9 months of worry and anticipation we proceeded to docket sounding and at the motion hearing Annemarie argued that there was not enough evidence to hold me for DUI investigation and that i was illegally detained. She presented specific case law to back this up. Annemarie's diligent preparation resulted in the state dropping the charges prior to a jury trial. Thank you Annemarie and David Haenel for your outstanding efforts on my behalf. I highly recomend Annemarie Rizzo as a top class attorney in Sarasota.