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.

Treasurer- Rachel Kipnis Curtis is an attorney at Ratzan & Faccidomo where her practice focuses on criminal defense, as well as board and bar defense work.  Born and raised in Miami, Mrs. Curtis is a proud Ransom Everglades alumni.  Mrs. Curtis left Miami to attend Connecticut College before returning to the University of Miami for law school.  While earning her juris doctorate at the University of Miami, Mrs. Curtis also obtained a Masters of Law in Taxation.  After graduation she worked as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sexual Battery and Child Abuse Unit as well as the Traffic Homicide and Hate Crimes Unit.

Outside of the legal community, Mrs. Curtis is active within her synagogue, Temple Beth Sholom as well as the ADL Jurisprudence Committee.  Mrs. Curtis proudly serves on the political candidate endorsement committee for SAVE, an organization that promotes, protects, and defends LGBTQ+ rights.  She sits on the Florida Bar Professionalism Committee as well as a grievance committee, is the DCBA liaison from Miami Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers, a member of the FACDL Statewide Annual Committee, as well as the chair of the criminal courts committee for DCBA.  In 2020 she chaired the FACDL Protest Pro Bono committee, which provided free legal services to many who were arrested while legally protesting as part of the BLM movement.

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.

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

Rachel Kipnis Curtis

Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez

Federal Defender Michael Caruso

Regional Counsel Eugene Zenobi

Betty Llorente

Matthew Meyers

Leonard Sands

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

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 (dec.)
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 (dec.)
1968	Arthur B. Stark (dec.)
1967	Arthur B. Stark (dec.)
1966	Mitchell M. Goldman
1965	Philip Carlton (dec.)
1964	Philip Carlton (dec.)
1963	Harry W. Prebish (dec.)