Not man bites dog, but almost.
For those of you who venture north of the border, to the land of perpetually scowling judges and where everyone seems very unhappy, you know that there is a shortage of Broward Judges for all sorts of reasons including retirements and judges acting badly. And in our opinion that's a good thing. The less Judges up there, the better the world is.
BUT, cases need to be adjudicated.
And into the breach a retired Dade Judge has heroically stepped in.
We are speaking of none other than the man, the myth, the judicial legend, retired Judge....
LEON FIRTEL!
Ta da!
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| Stepping into the abyss |
Miami-Dade law in the land of no remorse.
Miami-Dade law in the land of judges that hug prosecutors.
Miami-Dade law in the land that was known for DECADES where judges went out of their way to call lawyers from Miami last.
Miami-Dade law in the land where Broward Judges loved to tell Miami lawyers that "bonds are like elevators, they can go up or down" when a Dade lawyer would file a bond reduction motion. And then they would raise the bond and the deputy sheriffs leading your client back to jail would whisper to them to hire a Broward lawyer if they wanted to get out.
Miami-Dade law in a county where the word "Miami" was verboten.
Miami-Dade law in the land where one county court judge infamously closed and locked his doors at 9:01 and issued bench warrants for clients who showed up a moment later and could not get into the courtroom. And where lawyers were also locked out even if their client was inside.
Miami-Dade law in the land where prosecutors routinely said under Mike Satz "I know your client is innocent but our office's policy is to let the jury decide." (Yes, they really said this, thousands of times).
And finally, Miami-Dade law in the land where Broward Judges ROUTINELY took clients into custody AFTER THEY WERE ACQUITTED for "records checks" that could and would last days. (Yup, they really did this all of the time in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly to clients with Dade Lawyers. The judges also had a nasty habit of revoking your client's bond at the sounding before trial "So that ah know that he's gonna show up for trial counsel").
Good luck Judge Firtel! Broward courts are one of the reasons the good lord invented long, hot showers.
14 comments:
I’m lying out there like a Killer in the sun
But I know we can make it if we run
Oh oh Thunder road.
Rump the Rangers had a homecoming in Harlem late last night.
Splendid judge.
Splendid assignment.
Splendid blog post.
Who’s with me to catch that new high end espresso and cappuccino machine at the Shumie cigar emporium? Double doppio for me por favor.
A lot of the irritation of judges with commuting lawyers is how often they are late. That is true in both directions. Allow extra time if you are not familiar with traffic and parking at your destination, show up like everyone else, and your case will be able to be judged solely on its merits. I once got up early for a 2-county commute and found my battery dead. I called the judge at 6:30 a.m. to leave a message that I was sorry, AAA was on the way, they would sell me a new battery, and I would be there, but about 15 minutes late so please pass my case. I was on time. Probably the judge's first message that day from the J.A. Judges are like lawyers and respect effort not arrogance.
Which Broward judge would lock the courtroom doors at 9:01? I think I know but I am not sure.
Firtel was a wonderful judge that wore his heart on his sleeve
HoTel
Firtel
Holiday Inn
Firtel is great I once had an elderly client in custody for two separate trafficking cases and he got a cancer diagnosis where he needed to see a specialist on the outside - he agreed to release him for the appointment and he was to turn himself back in 2 days later-Firtel said I am doing this but I wlll bet my next paychek that he does not come back- I went into Court 2 days later with my client next to me- handed the clerk a piece of paper and told the Judge that was the address he could mail the check. We all got a good laugh.
Leon's alright. He never stole a freight train.
Leon was a great judge and a really good guy. I litigated against him when we was a City attorney.
Agreed, Rump! Had a Broward judge call my case last every time even if I was the first to sign in. Had another Broward judge yell at me for 10-15 minutes after a jury verdict of not guilty. Had another Broward judge set no bond on a bondable offense and then when I had the audacity to file an emergency motion to set bond, he set a $1M bond (reversed on appeal).
Saw J Firtel at work in family court, too; an intelligent and thoughtful man who paid attention to the case before him.
Times have changed. That must’ve been back in the 70’s. Nowadays Broward and Miami are the same. Broward actually has more black judges than Dade. North of the border is palm beach now.
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