Executive Board
President – Matthew Meyers is the founder and managing partner of Matthew P. Meyers, PA located in Miami, Florida. Since 2013, Matthew has focused exclusively on criminal defense. Prior to the establishment of his firm Mr. Meyers was an Assistant State Attorney, having served as a supervisor in the Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit, Traffic Homicide Unit, and Human Trafficking Unit. Throughout his career, Matt has tried cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicide, in both state and federal courts. In addition to his work with FACDL-Miami, Matthew serves as the Young Lawyer’s Committee Co-Chair for the Statewide FACDL organization.
President Elect – Kevin Hellmann has devoted his 23-year legal career to public service as a criminal trial lawyer, training attorney, and law school instructor. As an Assistant Public Defender in Miami-Dade since 1996, Kevin Hellmann has tried over 70 criminal jury trials and over 225 juvenile bench trials involving charges ranging from misdemeanors to first degree murders. Prior to that, Mr. Hellmann worked for one year at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
Vice President- Michael Davis focuses on complex state and federal litigation at Kuehne Davis, P.A., formally known as Law Offices Benedict P. Kuehne. A graduate of Stetson University, Davis began his appellate career successfully competing in moot court competitions. A former law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington, Davis joined the Appellate Division of the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. Davis has argued before the Third DCA, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, securing more than 30 written opinions. He is a regular CLE presenter.
Davis serves on the Stetson University Board of Trustees, is a Board member of his church, Bread of Life Community Church. He also serves on several boards of directors, including the Virgil Hawkins Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Dade County Bar Association, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers-Miami Chapter.
Treasurer- Abbie Waxman has worked at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office since 2013 and is currently a Training Attorney in the Juvenile Division. In 2009, she graduated from Florida State University. She majored in criminology and sociology and minored in psychology. She went onto law school at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad School of Law. In 2013, she earned her Juris Doctorate. She has tried more than 40 felony cases ranging from possession of controlled substance to murder. She was awarded the FACDL-Miami's Gregg Wenzel Young Lawyer Award in 2018.
Secretary – Dianne Carames has been a member of The Florida Bar since 2009 and a member of the Southern District of Florida since 2012. She worked as an Assistant Public Defender with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office since 2010 where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases. In 2016 she joined Sabrina Puglisi as an associate at Puglisi Law, where she currently helps run a law practice handling Federal and State criminal defense matters. In 2019 Dianne was appointed to the Southern District of Florida’s CJA panel, where she continues her public service by providing legal representation to accused persons who are financially unable to retain counsel.
In addition to being a member and Secretary of the Miami-Dade Chapter, Dianne is a member of the Dade County Bar Association and is Chair of that bar’s Criminal Court’s Committee. She’s volunteered with organizations such as the American Heart Association and is a past Board Member of the Jr. Orange Bowl of Miami.
In recognition of her demonstrated qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, and service, Dianne has been recognized by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as a Top 40 under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida and by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star.
Dianne is a proud Alumni of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she received her Bachelor’s degree, and of the Florida International University College of Law, where she received her JD. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida, is fluent in Spanish, and is eternally grateful to her parents for supporting her always.
Michelle has successfully represented Red Notice subjects before INTERPOL by achieving the removal of Red Notices in their names, as well as having Red Notices modified or corrected. She writes extensively about INTERPOL matters on her blog, the Red Notice Law Journal. Her current practice is the culmination of the consistent pursuit of equality and fairness under the law, and is based in the belief that quality legal representation requires highly personalized client service.
Board of Directors
Adam Goodman
Andy Byrd
Annabelle Nahra
Antonio Valiente
Audra Cohen
Carin Levine
Chad Piotrowski
David Edelstein
Diego Weiner
Edith Georgi
James DuBray
Jordan Lewin
Keyla Smith
Lauren Krasnoff
Marissa Glatzer
Nayib Hassan
Phil Horowitz
Preeti Lala
Rae Shearn
Rachel Kipnis-Curtis
Tony Moss
Warren Schwartz
W. Clint Moore
Zena Duncan
Young Lawyer Directors
Rachel Kipnis Curtis
Federal and State Public Defender and Regional Conflict
Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez
Federal Defender Michael Caruso
Regional Counsel Eugene Zenobi
Statewide Chapter Representatives
Betty Llorente
Matthew Meyers
Leonard Sands
Life Members
Michael A. Catalano
Robert Coulombe Jr.
Ramon De La Cabada
Christopher DeCoste
Patrick S. Dray
Mark R. Eiglarsh
Scott H. Fingerhut
Rick Freedman
Edith Georgi
Michael A. Haber
Kenneth P. Hassett
David Joffe
Albert J. Krieger
Benedict P. Kuehne
Beatriz A. Llorente
David O. Markus
Margot Moss
Tony Moss
Paul Petruzzi
Sabrina Puglisli
Elliot H. Scherker
Janice Burton Sharpstein
Rae Shearn
Brian L. Tannebam
Barry Wax
Jeffrey S. Weiner
Eugene Zenobi
Past Presidents/Directors Emeritus
| Year | Name |
| 2019 | Michelle Estlund |
| 2018 | Carmen Vizcaino |
| 2017 | Marcos Beaton |
| 2016 | Brian Kirlew |
| 2015 | Teresa Enriquez |
| 2014 | Margot Moss |
| 2013 | Eduardo X. Pereira |
| 2012 | Jude M. Faccidomo |
| 2011 | Beatriz A. “Betty" Llorente |
| 2010 | Sabrina Puglisi |
| 2009 | Hector L. Flores |
| 2008 | Rick Freedman |
| 2007 | Barry M. Wax |
| 2006 | David O. Markus |
| 2005 | Brian L. Tannebaum |
| 2004 | H. Scott Fingerhut |
| 2003 | Kenneth P. Hassett |
| 2002 | Paul M. Rashkind |
| 2001 | Leonard A. Sands |
| 2000 | Gregory A. Prebish |
| 1999 | Jeffrey E. Feiler |
| 1998 | Kenneth M. Swartz |
| 1997 | Pamela I. Perry |
| 1996 | Honorable Richard L. Hersch |
| 1995 | Steven M. Potolsky |
| 1994 | Honorable Robert N. Scola, Jr. |
| 1993 | David B. Rothman |
| 1992 | William Aaron |
| 1991 | Honorable Milton Hirsch |
| 1990 | Benedict P. Kuehne |
| 1989 | Jose M. Quinon |
| 1988 | Honorable Theodore Klein (dec.) |
| 1987 | Edward R. Shohat |
| 1986 | Richard A. Sharpstein (dec.) |
| 1985 | Richard A. Sharpstein (dec.) |
| 1984 | Neal R. Sonnett |
| 1982 | Honorble Stanford Blake |
| 1981 | Jeffrey S. Weiner |
| 1980 | Stephen J. Bronis |
| 1979 | Honorable Ronald C. Dresnick |
| 1978 | Alan E. Weinstein |
| 1977 | James G. Gilmour |
| 1976 | Thomas J. Morgan, Sr. |
| 1975 | Sky E. Smith |
| 1974 | Marco B. Loffredo(dec.) |
| 1973 | Marco B. Loffredo(dec.) |
| 1970 | Walter Gwynn (dec.) |
| 1969 | Robert L. Koeppel |
| 1968 | Arthur B. Stark (dec.) |
| 1967 | Arthur B. Stark (dec.) |
| 1966 | Mitchell M. Goldman |
| 1965 | Philip Carlton |
| 1964 | Philip Carlton |
| 1963 | Harry W. Prebish (dec.) |