Since Roe vs. Wade has been overturned by Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the Florida legislature imposed a six-week abortion ban, you may be scared to ask for the reproductive healthcare you or your loved one needs. For whatever reason, you have made the difficult decision to have an abortion. I know it was one of the hardest decisions you have ever made in your life.
I want you to know that though the world may be telling you differently, you have thought long and hard about what is right for you and your family and you have made the best decision you can for yourself and your unborn child. I don’t want you to feel alone or as if you have nowhere to turn. I want to help you get safe abortion care with doctors who know what they are doing.
Though this is a new area of law since the recent Dobbs court decision, I am already ahead of the curve. I was one of four lawyers who helped prepare a guide for attorneys around the country to use on behalf of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. I know the different issues that may arise and how to guide you through them so you can make the choices that are right for you safely and without shame.
Every single woman and girl I have represented over the past decade is a survivor of physical or sexual abuse by a man. The abuser is often a man who they know well and who violated their trust. The irony, of course, is I represented these women and girls when they were charged with a crime.
What infuriates me most about criminal justice in this country is the way in which we punish people instead of helping them. All of the young women I have represented never received proper therapy or treatment for the trauma they suffered. They were left to fend for themselves. And that put them in desperate and dangerous situations. They did things they would have never done had their life circumstances been different.
When I meet these women, they have often reached rock bottom. They have done something horrible out of fear or desperation or they have found themselves committing a crime with a man who said he’d protect them, but instead, put them in harm’s way.
I have been able to use my experience as a lawyer and a woman to fight for these clients by sharing their unique stories. I make sure that their trauma does not go unheard any longer by preparing letters to prosecutors explaining their circumstances, hiring experts who can provide insight into how abuse affects behavior, and preparing creative defenses for trial that show a jury what this woman has suffered and how it impacted her actions.
You need someone who is not only experienced in these types of cases but also empathetic and able to understand your story so deeply that they can relay it to a prosecutor, judge, or jury. This is not a skill every lawyer has, but it is one I have cultivated over a decade of holding hands and listening to women and fighting for them tooth and nail in court.
As I get older and watch my friends become mothers, I see how critical we are of how women raise their children. Criminal court is no different. Mothers are held to an unspoken higher standard and treated unfairly if law enforcement believes they have fallen below that standard.
I have represented women wrongfully accused of crimes against their children such as child abuse, false imprisonment, domestic violence, and murder. I have also represented women in dependency court when the government is trying to take away their children.
As a woman, I relate to what you have gone through as a mother – the difficult birth, the sleepless nights, and the hours spent helping your children with homework. I know how hurtful it is to be accused of harming your own child. I know there is more to your story than the charges on a piece of paper or words on a police report.
I have this unique skill for understanding people’s stories and sharing them with judges, prosecutors, and juries in a way they can understand and empathize with. Let me sit with you and hear what actually happened so I can come up with a plan to help you.
Deciding on who to hire to fight for your loved one’s freedom is one of the hardest responsibilities a person can have. Lawyers make their websites look perfect and invest in advertising, so on paper, we all appear the same.
But we are all not the same. Most of the material you see on the internet can be paid for – nice photos, the words on a website, even many of the awards attorneys tout as a reflection of their skills.
As you make your decision about who to consult, I want to offer you transparency by sharing with you how I work on my cases. No case or client is the same. My goal is to create an individualized strategy for each and every client. This is how I do it.
2103 Coral Way
Suite 401
Miami, FL 33145
Palm Beach County Satellite Office
1818 South Australian Ave.
Suite 451
West Palm Beach, FL 33409