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Laws.com, which is a national website that provides an abundance of legal information and information about lawyers across the country, recently published an article recognizing Lasnetski Gihon Law partner Harry Shorstein for his work as a criminal defense lawyer in Jacksonville and throughout Florida.

The article quotes Harry Shorstein as he discusses communicating with juries after having tried more cases than any other criminal defense attorney practicing in the Jacksonville, Florida area today. The article also discusses the work he did as the State Attorney for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties in North Florida including his juvenile justice program that saw amazing results, was studied by prosecutors’ offices throughout the world and was featured by multiple national news programs such as 60 Minutes and the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

Having Harry Shorstein at Lasnetski Gihon Law allows the firm to add the unprecedented experience that comes with almost 50 years in criminal law and litigation to a small firm environment that allows us to pay particular attention to each client and each case.

In Florida, when a person gets arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, or DUI, he/she is going to get taken to jail. In the Jacksonville area, he/she will stay in jail until he/she goes in front of a judge either the next morning or next afternoon depending on how late the arrest was. When a person in the Jacksonville, Florida area gets arrested for DUI (other than for a previously signed arrest warrant), the person cannot bond out immediately and has to wait to see a judge to get a bond the next day.

Also in the Jacksonville, Florida area, and likely in most places, the jail will not accept a person who has an immediate injury or urgent medical problem. Having an urgent or serious medical problem is not a ticket out of jail; it just means that the police will take the person to a hospital to get medically cleared before the person can go back into the jail. In DUI cases, this often arises after an accident associated with the DUI. If it is questionable whether the person has a serious enough injury or medical problem so that a hospital trip is necessary before jail, the jail may have a nurse or other medical personnel evaluate the suspect to see if he/she needs to go to the hospital or can go to the jail.

In DUI cases, the police officer does not normally request a blood sample for a blood alcohol test. In most cases, a breath test, or breathalyzer test, is requested of the driver to test his/her blood alcohol level. An exception occurs where a person involved in an accident, is suspected of DUI and the accident involve serious injury or death such that a hospital visit is required.

Although he has been back in private practice for a year and a half with the law firm of Lasnetski Gihon Law in Jacksonville, Florida, people still ask what Harry Shorstein is doing these days. Most people in the Northeast Florida area know that Harry Shorstein was the State Attorney for Duval County, Clay County and Nassau County in and around Jacksonville, Florida for 18 years. However, since he decided not to run for re-election in 2008, some of the news agencies incorrectly reported that he was retiring. He didn’t.

Harry Shorstein has been actively practicing law for Lasnetski Gihon Law in the areas of state and federal criminal defense, personal injury/wrongful death litigation and commercial litigation. He has represented clients in serious white collar crime cases in state and federal courts as well as clients in drug cases and serious violent crime cases. He also represents various companies who are involved in business disputes and litigation in Jacksonville and other parts of Florida. In fact, the law firm just finished a major asset forfeiture case in which approximately 90% of the funds seized from our corporate client was returned after the government seized just under $3 million from the company.

It is hard to imagine that anyone practicing criminal law and civil litigation in the Jacksonville, Florida area has the breadth of experience, contacts and resources that Harry Shorstein has. We feel it is important that people understand that he remains active in private practice handling all cases in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury/wrongful death and business litigation. Harry Shorstein can be contacted here for a free consultation about your case.

The Florida Statewide Prosecutor’s Office issued its annual report for 2008. That office prosecutes crime throughout the state of Florida. It has several offices statewide, including an officer here in Jacksonville, Florida.

Among the issues raised in the report was the increasing gang problem in Florida. The report noted that Florida has the fastest growing gang problem in the United States, and gangs are branching out into rural areas. The report also indicates that there is increased illegal drug activity in the Central Florida and North Florida areas. In addition to the normal cocaine and crack cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin crimes they deal with, they are seeing an increased number of hydroponic marijuana cases. And just like the federal authorities, the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office is focusing more on fraud related cases such as mortgage fraud, health care fraud and securities fraud. Florida was number one in single family home loan fraud cases in 2006 and 2007.

The report is a good source to identify some of the trends in criminal law on the state level and to also see where the local law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices are channeling their resources to fight various crimes.

Harry Shorstein recently decided not to run for reelection after serving for approximately 18 years as the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Florida which includes Duval County (Jacksonville), Clay County and Nassau County. Instead, Harry Shorstein decided to return to private practice and join his son, Paul Shorstein, and his partner, Jeremy Lasnetski. Harry Shorstein brings a wealth of experience in the several areas in which he practiced not only as the State Attorney for many years but also as the General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville and the sole proprietor of his own law practice which focused on all varieties of litigation. Harry Shorstein will now devote his time to representing individuals and companies investigated for, and charged with, crimes in the state and federal systems, representing individuals and families who have been injured due to the negligence of other individuals or companies, representing businesses in commercial disputes and representing doctors and other professionals who have legal issues in front of licensing and other review boards.

If you have a criminal, personal injury or civil litigation matter in the Jacksonville area, any other area in Florida or even in Georgia (Paul Shorstein is licensed to practice in Georgia) and would like to discuss it with Harry Shorstein or any other member of the firm (consultations are still free), please contact us anytime.