Legal Blog

Reviewed by Michael P. Maddux, Esq. | Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer | Florida Super Lawyer for 16 Consecutive Years The Tim Burke case has taken another turn. Federal prosecutors announced they will pursue a new indictment against the Tampa media consultant, seeking charges that avoid the free speech problems that sank half of the…

Reviewed by Michael P. Maddux, Esq. | Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer | Florida Super Lawyer for 16 Consecutive Years Federal prosecutors have abandoned their effort to appeal a ruling that dismissed half the criminal charges against Tampa media consultant Tim Burke. This decision comes nearly a year after a federal judge first threw out…

Reviewed by Michael P. Maddux, Esq. | Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer | Florida Super Lawyer for 16 Consecutive Years If you’ve ever been pulled over and cited for driving without a valid license, you know it can feel like a minor inconvenience compared to a DUI or reckless driving charge. As of July 1,…

Reviewed by Michael P. Maddux, Esq. | Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer | Florida Super Lawyer for 16 Consecutive Years It’s a question we hear more often than you’d expect. If a lawyer holds a Florida law license and is in good standing, why can’t they just handle a case in another state, or across…

College football season is officially underway, and with it comes packed stadiums, tailgates, and game-day traditions across Florida and beyond. Before you head out for kickoff, it’s worth knowing that open container laws at your tailgate can vary significantly depending on where you’re watching from. A fun Saturday can turn into a legal headache fast…

Florida’s school bus stop-arm law is simple in principle. Under Florida law, when a school bus stops and displays its stop signal, every driver approaching it must come to a full stop. This applies from either direction in most cases, and drivers must wait until the bus turns off the signal before moving again. The…

Litigation is, by design, adversarial. When you can’t resolve a dispute on your own, you turn to a process built around two sides each fighting for what they believe they’re owed. That process is necessary. It’s how disagreements get resolved when informal efforts fail. But it comes at a cost. Months or years of disputes,…

Michael was driving on I-275 when he passed a car pulled onto the shoulder, hazard lights blinking, no one in sight but the driver crouched by a flat tire. He stayed in his lane and kept going. He didn’t realize he’d broken Florida’s move over law. What Florida’s Move Over Law Requires Florida Statute §…

As students head back to class, Florida law imposes strict rules on school zone speeding, and drivers should be aware of the consequences before taking that risk. What Counts as School Zone Speeding Under Florida Law Under Florida Statute § 316.1895, signage marks school zones and often flashing beacons. These reduce the speed limit, typically…

When people think about deposition preparation, they usually think about words: what you say, how you answer, whether you slip up on a date or a detail. But long before opposing counsel asks their first question, they are already evaluating something else entirely: you. A deposition is not just a fact-finding exercise. For opposing counsel,…