Michael Ufferman Law Firm, P.A. Résumé

Résumé

Florida Bar Certified Criminal Appellate Lawyer

In 2015, Mr. Ufferman became President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL). In 2010, Mr. Ufferman received the FACDL President’s Appreciation Award, and in 2009, he received the FACDL President’s Extra Mile Award. In 2009, Mr. Ufferman was elected to the board of directors of FACDL. He has also served as the Chair of FACDL’s Amicus Curiae Committee. Mr. Ufferman served on the board of directors of the Innocence Project of Florida from 2007-2014.

Mr. Ufferman is a frequent lecturer, having spoken at statewide and local seminars (including FACDL’s annual meeting and FACDL’s “Showcase on Sentencing”). Mr. Ufferman has previously served on The Florida Bar’s Criminal Law Certification Committee.

Mr. Ufferman earned his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1994, graduating Cum Laude and majoring in both Political Science & History. Mr. Ufferman earned his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law in1997, graduating with high honors. After graduating from law school, Mr. Ufferman clerked for Justice Major B. Harding at the Supreme Court of Florida from 1997 to 2002. In 2002, Mr. Ufferman joined the Robert Augustus Harper Law Firm, where he worked until 2004 when he left to start his own law firm.

Mr. Ufferman is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Bar Association, and the Tallahassee Bar Association.

As of 2024, Mr. Ufferman is an adjunct professor teaching criminal procedure at the Florida State University College of Law.

Legal Experience

• Michael Ufferman Law Firm, Tallahassee, Florida
  (2004 – present)
• Robert Augustus Harper Law Firm, Tallahassee, Florida
  (2002 – 2004)
• Supreme Court of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida
  Senior Staff Attorney for Justice Major B. Harding
  (1997 – 2002)

Honors & Distinctions

• Recognized in 2024 as the Tallahassee Lawyer of the Year in Appellate Practice by The Best Lawyers in America
• Selected in 2022 as a “Legal Elite” in the area of appellate practice by Florida Trend Magazine
• Selected in 2022 as a “Legal Elite” in the area of appellate practice by Florida Trend magazine
• Received the 2016 Richard W. Ervin Equal Justice Award- an award given by the Capital City Bar Presidents Counsel
• Board Certified in Criminal Appeals by The Florida Bar, 2006 to present
• Received the Pro Bono Award from The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, June 2013
• Received the 2012 Inspirational Service Honor from Tallahassee Women Lawyers
• “Florida Super Lawyers” 2013 to present
• “Top Lawyers”, Corporate Counsel, July 2010
• Received the 2009 and the 2012 Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President’s Extra Mile Award
• Received the 2010 Gene Taylor Memorial Award – an annual award given by the Tallahassee Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
• Received the 2010 Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President’s Appreciation Award
• Recognized by the top legal guide The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Appellate Law (2007 – present)
• AV® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell – an AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence
• Member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel, Northern District of Florida

Publications

• Michael Ufferman, FLORIDA CRIMINAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE, 2025 ed. (Vol. 22, Florida Practice Series)
• Michael Ufferman, Criminal Appeals and Juvenile Delinquency Appeals, in FLORIDA APPELLATE PRACTICE 9-1 (9th ed. 2014)
• “Big Macs and Sentences: Under What Circumstances Can a Judge Increase the Original Sentence That Was Imposed?” Michael Ufferman, Florida Defender (a publication of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers), Volume 23, No. 3, Fall 2010, at 10
• “Representing noncitizens in criminal cases after Padilla v. Kentucky?” Michael Ufferman, The Ex Parte (a publication of the Brevard County Bar Association), September 2010, at 16
• “Jury Questions in Criminal Cases: Neutral Arbiters or Active Interrogators?” Robert Augustus Harper and Michael Robert Ufferman, The Florida Bar Journal, Feb. 2004 at 8; reprinted with permission in the Florida Defender, Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2004, at 24
• “Right to Be Let Alone? – Has the adoption of article I, section 23, in the Florida Constitution, which explicitly provides for a state right of privacy, resulted in greater privacy protection for Florida citizens?” Major B. Harding, Mark J. Criser, and Michael R. Ufferman, 14 Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Issue No. 2, 2000, at 945

Teaching

• Adjunct professor teaching criminal procedure at the Florida State University College of Law, 2024

Lectures

• Case Law Update, Criminal Law Update 2025, The Florida Bar Annual Convention, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, June 2025
• Preservation of Error, Lunch and Learn, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, May 2025
• Preservation of Evidentiary Errors for Appellate Review, Hot Topics in Evidence, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, February 2025
• A Conversation with Three of the Best: Brian Cavanagh, John Frusciante, and Jeff Harris, Ufferman Files, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, December 2024
• Practicing Before the Fifth District (How Does It Differ?), Beyond the Bar: Florida’s Fifth DCA, The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, October 2024
• Appellate Issues, Blood, Breath & Tears 2023, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, November 2023
• Case Law Update, Criminal Law Update 2023, The Florida Bar Annual Convention, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, June 2023
• Preservation of Error, Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association, April 2023
• What’s Happening in Florida’s District Courts, Florida Law Con, Miami Dade Bar Association, March 2023
• Supreme Court 2022 Year in Review, American Constitution Society, January 2023
• A Discussion on Race and Our Criminal Justice System, Ufferman Files, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, January 2023
• A Lunch Conversation with Judge Alice Batchelder of the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Ufferman Files, Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, December 2022
• Any Appeals Issues from Yesterday’s Trial?, Blood, Breath & Tears 2022, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, September 2022
• County Court Appeals: New Rules, Ethics, Record Preservation, Practice Tips, and More, presented during “Misdemeanor Madness: How to Better Navigate Florida County Court Part II,” The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section, August 2021
• Better Error Preservation in Criminal Law, The Florida Bar President’s Showcase, The Florida Bar Annual Convention 2021 (presented with Carey S. Haughwout and Michael T. Davis)
• Sixth Amendment Right to a Jury Trial and Its Application to Florida Law, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, May 2020
• Avoiding Ineffective Assistance of Appellate Counsel (IAAC) Claims, Florida Public Defender Association Summer Training, August 2019
• Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, July 2019
• Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2019
• Criminal Case Law Update, Florida Associate of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Tallahassee Chapter, November 2018
• Preservation of Error, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2018
• Preservation of Error for Criminal Appeals, Broward County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, March 2018
• Mathis v. State: Protecting the Profession, Jacksonville Bar Association Professionalism and Mentoring Committee, February 2018 (presented with Kelly Mathis and Mitch Stone during the panel discussion at the conclusion of the presentation)
• Appellate Issues Relating to Jury Selection Proceedings, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Tallahassee Chapter, January 2018
• Preservation of Error for Criminal Appeals, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting 2017
• Keynote Speaker, Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Luncheon, April 2016
• Professionalism/Ethics: Counseling the Appellate Client and Managing the Appellate Practice, The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Course, April 2015
• Preserving Claims for Appeal and Handling an Appeal, Legal Services of North Florida, November 2015
• Florida Case Law Update, Tallahassee Bar Association’s Second Annual Legal Community Conference, September 2014
• Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 CLE, Second Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office, November 2013
• Criminal Appeals and Postconviction, The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Tallahassee Outreach, May 2013
• Preparation of an Appellate Brief, Research & Writing Class Lecture with Justice Grimes, FSU College of Law, February 2013
• Criminal Case Law Update, “Hot Topics in Appellate Practice 2011,” Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar, March 2011
• Graham on Appeal, “Litigating Graham in Florida” seminar, Juvenile Life Without Parole Defense Resource Center, Barry University School of Law, December 2010 (presented with Bryan Gowdy and Andrew Stanton)
• Preserving Jury Selection Issues For Appeal, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting, Orlando June 2010 (presented with D. Todd Doss and James T. Miller)
• “Post-Decision Action,” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, Monthly Appellate CLE Teleconference, March 2010 (presented with Susan Fox and Wendy S. Loquasto)
• “Postconviction Remedies,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2009
• “Ethical Issues in Criminal Appellate Practice,” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, Tallahassee Outreach Lunch, December 2008 (presented with Glen Gifford)
• “An Analysis of Changes in Florida’s Sentencing Laws,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2008
• “State Sentencing Caselaw Update,” Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Showcase on Sentencing, November 2007

Committees

• Member of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section Executive Council (2021 – present)
• Member of The Florida Bar Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (2013 – 2015; 2021-present)
• Member of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Certification Committee (2015-2021)
• Program Chair: Criminal Law Update 2017 Seminar, Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar (December 2017)
• Member of The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (2007 – 2013)

Leadership Positions

• Chair of The Florida Bar Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Committee (2025 – 2026)
• Treasurer of the Executive Council of the Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar (2025 – 2026)
• President, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) (2015 -2016)
• Chair of The Florida Bar Criminal Law Certification Committee (2019 – 2020)
• Chair of The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (2012 – 2013)
• Board of Directors/Secretary, Innocence Project of Florida (2007 – 2014)
• Chair/Co-Chair of the FACDL Amicus Committee (2005 – 2010, 2016 – 2020)

Education

Legal:

• Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida
  Juris Doctor with High Honors, May 1997
  Honors:
  • Florida State University Law Review
  • Book Award – Race and the Criminal Justice System
  • Katzentine-Simon Scholarship recipient
  • Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity
• Activities:
  • Property tutor – Academic Support Program

Undergraduate

• Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
  Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude, May, 1994
  Primary Major: Political Science – 3.8/4.0 G.P.A.
  Secondary Major: History – 3.6/4.0 G.P.A., Departmental
• Honors:
  • Golden Key National Honor Society; SPERS – Junior Honorary
  • Pi Sigma Alpha – Political Science Honorary
  • Phi Alpha Theta – History Honorary
• Activities:
  • Delta Chi Fraternity:
    • Pledge Chairman
    • Rush Chairman
    • Social Chairman

Admissions & Professional Associations

• The Florida Bar, admitted 1997
• Admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
• Tallahassee Bar Association, member
• The Federal Bar Association, member
• The American Bar Association, member
• Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, member
• Tallahassee Chapter, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, member
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, member
• First District Appellate American Inn of Court, charter member (2008-present)

Florida Bar Volunteer Activities

• Appellate Practice Section
• Criminal Law Section