His obituary is here. What we did not know until recently is that from 2000 until shortly before his death he was a voluntary Chaplain at Everglades Correctional Institute. That tells you all you need to know about the man.
Here are some of the comments on FACDL
I don't usually chime in, but Phil was a class act. For those that never saw him in action, you will never know what you missed. For those that did, you always learned something. Always a civil, polite gentleman, and a damn good lawyer. Something we need more of, not less. Thanks to Sky for the sad information.
Jim Woodard
I, too, join in with the tributes for Phil Carlton. Back in the 70's when I was just a new, fresh, and green prosecutor, Phil was already a legend. What giants of our profession walked those hallways during those years. He was always a charming, Southern gentleman, but inside that courtroom he was one tough litigator. Rest in peace old friend.
Ted Mastos
He had a commanding presence with a flair for drama. We all learned from him.
Mel Black
One of my fondest memories as a very young prosecutor was trying a case against Mr. Carlton (as I called him then) and his son also named Phil. I remember telling Judge Moreno he should get judge Phil Knight to do the trial.
Phil Carlton was from a different era. He was a true southern gentleman trial lawyer from a time when Miami was a small southern town. He was polite and friendly and sneaky good as a litigator. I was always happy to see him on the other side because I knew the case would be a challenge in the best sense of the word From time to time over the years I’ve often wondered where he and his son were.
May he Rest In Peace.
Phil Reizenstein
Phil was a Justice Building fixture during my early practice days jumping from courtroom to courtroom there every day. He mentored many of our contemporary friends and was a lawyer who had the respect of the renowned and notorious judges of the era such as Paul Baker, Al Sepe and Maximum Ellen Morphonios, legends all.
“Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end.” Phil was part of the fabric of those times.
Ed Shohat
“Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end.” Phil was part of the fabric of those times.
Ed Shohat
Phil Carlton was a great lawyer. He earned the respect of all who went up against him. As a young prosecutor, I learned an awful lot in the courtroom while going against him. Rest in Peace
s/ Jose M. Quiñon
Back in the mid-1970s when I was in high school I was in the court observer program. There was a major trial taking place in courtroom 4-1 and Phil was the lawyer for the accused, Sanford Bronstein. If I remember one particular thing about
him it was his courtroom presence. He commanded that trial like very few lawyers I have ever seen. When I became a public defender and met him I told him about my recollection of him and he was genuinely moved. To echo the sentiments that have been shared,
he was a true gentleman and the epitome of our profession. May his memory be for a blessing.
Barry Wax
5 comments:
In the early 80's, I was a young and not very experienced ASA when I was against Phil. After one very fast not guilty, I found that guys like Phil, Harry Prebish and Paul Pollock really knew how to talk to a jury. I learned from those experiences and became better at being a trial lawyer as a result.
Phil was very polite and very respectful but, he never lost sight of the ball and boy did he go after my case and rip it apart.
Mike Catalano
Phil was truly one of a kind. I have a vivid memory of him imploring the jury in the Notage child/sexual abuse trial telling the jury" You cant do it, you just cant do it"( to convict). I recall having a co-defendant in a case with Phil and recall he had an entire wall of his office in the Biscayne Building downtown made out of real coral rock. It was impressive. He as the "go to guy" in his era , if you could afford the best. Always willing to talk to young lawyers. He will long be remembered along with Harry Prebish, Henry Carr aka, the silver fox.
Henry Carr in a simple misdemeanor prostitution case would regale the jury with a history of prostitution from Mary Magdelene and the Roman times through the Civil War and General Hooker to the present day.
How could a jury find against such a lady of historical significance?
Phil was my friend and I’m happy to report that he passed peacefully at home surrounded by his family and his books. Phil inducted me into a fraternity dedicated to Charity,Unity, Fraternity and Patriotic Service. I never knew Phil as a lawyer but I knew him as a gentle soul dedicated to helping others. Phil was a giant in my faith community, as he was a giant in the legal community. God blessed me the day I met Phil and he taught me about “ Momento Mor.”....Latin for “remember you must die”. Phil’s voice was chilling and he looked me in the eyes and said,, “Gregory do not be afraid of death, be afraid of not living well.” Phil was active on Catholic radio and he had a special place in his heart dedicated to helping the incarcerated. Phil was viewed at St Luis Church with all the pomp and circumstance owed to a life well lived.
Philip Carlton was my uncle. Believe me when I say that he was no saint. He was a liar, a thief, and according to one of his sons, a murderer by extremely strong circumstantial evidence. He made most of his money defending criminals in the Mafia. In 1968, he and his sister forced me into undergoing an illegal and dangerous abortion, after finding the abortionist himself. All his life, he lived in fear that anyone would find out that he was a Jew, born "Cohen", and he stole personal papers left to me by my mother that revealed this. Even a DNA test would not make him admit the truth. His Catholicism was solely an effort to hide from anyone knowing his true identity. He stole my mother's pension checks for a few months after her death, until the company discovered it, and tried to force the cremation company to refund the money that my mother had paid for the cremation, apparently thinking to abandon her body at the morgue. There is more, but enough.
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