07/29/2026
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From co-worker David Varet:
Saw an advertisement today for a private criminal defense firm claiming that one should hire a private attorney over a PD because PDs are generally less experienced / less skilled than private attorneys. That is absolute horsesh*t.
Granted, there are many excellent and highly skilled private atttorneys. But there are numerous more excellent and highly skilled PDs and RCCs.
That said, there are some areas of the law (DUIs in particular) that a specialist private will be the better route. And yes, county court (misdemeanors and traffic offenses) can be a grab bag as to PD experience. But without question, for a mid-level to serious felony, I would take a typical PD over a typical private everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.
Note - there is a certification called Board Certification, that is one of the hardest examinations / certifications imaginable. Half a percent of Florida lawyers are board cert. To give you a comparison, 1% of all baseball players that have ever played are in the hall of fame. It is twice as hard to be board cert than to make Cooperstown. I am not even board cert (too big a p***y phfor the stress). Anyways, there are 400 board cert criminal trial lawyers in all of Florida. Maybe a handful of local private attorneys are board cert. At PD9, there are 25 (that is fu***ng INSANE!!! - it would be like having a hall of famer at every other position).
Not saying there aren't reasons to hire a private attorney (that you fortunately are too wealthy to qualify for a PD, chief amongst), but "lack of skill" is NOT one of them.
