Click here to view David's resume
David Oscar Markus is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. The National Law Journal selected him as one of the top 40 litigators in the country under 40 years old, and it has recognized one of his federal trial victories as one of the top ten defense verdicts in the country that year.
He is known for his creative approach to cases, which leads to wins in trials and appeals. For example, in a recent trial victory, David not only beat all 141 counts in federal court for a doctor, but then won attorneys' fees and costs of over $600,000 for his client in a first-of-its-kind victory. Based on that case, he was awarded the highest honor -- the Rodney Thaxton "against all odds" award -- by the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Although the 11th Circuit reversed the fee award in a number of controversial opinions, the court referred to Markus as an "elite" and "superb" attorney. (See page 9 here). In another case, David challenged the way the federal court system in Miami selected jurors (alphabetically by last name) and won, which changed the jury selection process in the District (click here and here for more details). After obtaining a fair jury, Markus' client was found not guilty.
Based on this type of creative and unique lawyering, in 2010, he was one of eight finalists in the country for best white-collar criminal lawyer in the country by Chambers & Partners, which quoted market sources saying that David is "the whole package," and "a creative, courageous and tenacious courtroom advocate." And he was named to that very prestigious short list of 8 best white-collar criminal defense lawyers again in 2011 (he was the only lawyer listed not from a large firm). The 2012 Chambers said this: "David Markus received strong praise from peers and clients alike, who describe him as 'a legal genius and brilliant strategist with a great demeanor.'" And in 2013, Chambers & Partners described David as a "wickedly smart and a terrific trial lawyer. ... Clients
say that he is 'thrilling' to watch in court and that 'his passion
appreciation and enjoyment for his work are contagious." The Daily Business Review has recognized David's lawyering by naming him as a finalist 5 different times for Best Criminal Lawyer in Miami.
While at Harvard, he argued in front of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy who named him best oralist. (The argument, which was carried on C-Span, can be viewed here. David's argument begins at 57:42). David was mentored by Alan Dershowitz while in law school. After graduating from Harvard, David served as law clerk to the Honorable Edward B. Davis, then-Chief United States District Judge, Southern District of Florida. Following his clerkship, David worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., and then practiced as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Miami.
David is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida, and numerous federal courts including the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Court of Claims, the Federal Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
David is a past-president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Miami Chapter and past-president of the Federal Bar Association, South Florida Chapter, 2007-08. He served for ten years as the Southern District of Florida's national representative for the Criminal Justice Act Panel, and is the vice-chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer's amicus committee (where he recently was part of the team that fought to invalidate Florida's drug law -- read the brief here). David also has co-authored the Fourth Amendment Forum, published in NACDL's The Champion. He is frequently asked to serve on committees for the Southern District of Florida.
David has lectured on different aspects of the criminal trial and appeal, has taught legal writing at the University of Miami School of Law, and has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure and White Collar Law at Florida International University College of Law. He also speaks to other criminal defense lawyers on ethics and zealously representing criminal defendants charged with serious crimes.
He is frequently named as one of the top lawyers in Florida by SuperLawyers, the Best Lawyers in America, South Florida Legal Guide, Florida Trend Magazine, Chambers & Partners, and the South Florida Business Journal. The 2012, 2011 and 2010 SuperLawyers listed Markus as one of the top 100 lawyers in Florida, and the 2009 Chambers & Partners said that Markus is a "man who gets consistently great results.” He was one of 20 lawyers named a key partner by the South Florida Business Journal in 2011 and again in 2012.
David has been quoted in publications around the country, including The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Daily Business Review, USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Law.com, and CNN.com. He has written opinion pieces for the Miami Herald, and is the author of the popular Southern District of Florida blog.
David is committed to zealously representing each and every one of his clients. He has built a reputation for winning the most difficult cases with creative strategies. David takes each case personally and does not like to lose.
You can email David Markus at dmarkus@markuslaw.com
Mona E. Markus is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School. Her recent successes include obtaining the dismissal of a federal criminal antitrust case against an executive, and a number of criminal and civil appellate victories in the Eleventh Circuit and in the Florida First District Court of Appeals.
Before teaming up with David, Mona was a shareholder at Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., where she represented commercial clients in a variety of disputes including securities fraud. Most notably, she successfully represented a class of Exxon service station dealers in a large federal class action resulting in a jury verdict with a value in excess of $1.2 billion. Mona participated actively in the appellate process all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and also supervised an extensive claims administration process to award the recovery to more than 12,000 members of the class.
Before joining Stearns Weaver, Mona was a management consultant with McKinsey and Co.'s Washington DC office. She also has served as an Instructor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law.
Mona is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida, the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. She has been recognized by numerous publications as a top Miami litigator, including the South Florida Legal Guide 2010 and 2011 and the South Florida Business Journal.
You can email Mona at mmarkus@markuslaw.com
Robin Ellen Kaplan is a magna cum laude graduate of University of Miami School of Law. In the fall of 2009, Robin was selected as one of the 40 under 40 outstanding lawyers in Dade County by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The 2010 SuperLawyers listed her as a "Rising Star," and she was named a Top Up & Comer by the 2011 and 2012 South Florida Legal Guide.
Since her graduation from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was the Articles and Comments Editor for the International and Comparative Law Review, Robin has dedicated her legal career to complex criminal defense litigation.
Most recently, Robin tried a complex criminal case on behalf of an attorney charged with mortgage fraud. Robin obtained not guilty verdicts on a number of counts and then persuaded the US Attorney's office to dismiss the remaining counts on which the jury had not reached a verdict.
Robin also co-tried United States v. Shaygan, the groundbreaking case in which the defense secured an acquittal of all 141-counts against a medical doctor. After the trial the federal judge ordered the prosecution to pay over $600,000 in legal fees. In another recent victory, Robin secured the dismissal for a high school senior charged with statutory rape. Robin was able to show that the complainant was lying and that the high school senior was innocent. All charges were dismissed and expunged from his record. The student is now on a full scholarship in college.
Robin is respected in the community and recently spoke at the Federal Bar Association's initiative on women and the law, moderating a panel with Judge Altonaga, Judge McAliley, and other prominent lawyers. She has also developed an expertise in dealing with issues related to the Bureau of Prisons and placement of prisoners, and has been asked to speak at the national seminar in Tampa, Florida on this topic as well as sentencing mitigation.
Robin is admitted in the state courts of Florida and Massachusetts as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Robin has served as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers-Miami Chapter.
You can email Robin at rkaplan@markuslaw.com
A. Margot Moss is a cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law. Upon joining the firm, she immediately became an integral part of the Buju Banton trial team and tried the case with David Markus in the Middle District of Florida. Before joining Markus & Markus as a partner, Margot was a shareholder at Fowler White Burnett, P.A., where she handled federal and state criminal and civil litigation, including mortgage fraud, tax evasion, securities litigation, money laundering, and healthcare fraud.
After graduating law school, Margot served as an Assistant Public Defender for 10 years, where she tried over 100 cases and served as Training Coordinator. She has taught at the Gerald T. Bennett Prosecutor/Public Defender Trial Training Program, lectured attorneys regarding criminal and civil trial practice, and also volunteers with the Ensuring Equal Justice Initiative and Lawyers for Children America. She is the author of a recent article on Pill Mills in the South Florida Legal Guide. Margot also wrote You Never Said That Before: A Brief Review of Negative Impeachment, The Florida Defender, Summer 2009, and Removing the Veil of Secrecy in Grand Jury Proceedings, The Florida Defender, Spring 2010.
Margot is admitted in the state courts of Florida and North Carolina as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.
Margot is currently an officer (Secretary) in the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Miami Chapter. She is an active member of several other professional organizations, including the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Asian-Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida, the Dade County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
In 2012, she was named one of the top lawyers in Florida by the South Florida Legal Guide. And for her work in the Wackenhut RICO case, she was nominated for top criminal defense lawyer in South Florida.
Click here to view Margot's resume.
You can email Margot at mmoss@markuslaw.com
