Michael J. Kessler
Attorney Profile
Top Rated DUI-DWI Attorney in Fort Pierce, FL
A highly regarded criminal defense attorney, Michael J. Kessler is the founder of The Kessler Law Firm. He provides aggressive and effective representation to people throughout St. Lucie and Martin counties from his office in Fort Pierce. Mr. Kessler has been certified as a specialist in criminal trial law by the Board of Legal Specialization & Education of The Florida Bar. He is also AV Preeminent* peer-review rated through Martindale-Hubbell and has a 10.0 “Superb” peer-review rating through Avvo in testament to his excellent track record and high degree of ethics.
Mr. Kessler has helped his clients defend against a wide variety of state and federal misdemeanor and felony charges. He is perhaps best known for his work in assisting people who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but his experience has additionally encompassed rape, domestic violence, fraud and other types of white collar crimes, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, weapons violations, arson, robbery, trespassing, stalking, shoplifting and carjacking. Mr. Kessler’s clients have benefitted from his ability to obtain charge reductions and dismissals as well as bench and jury acquittals.
Mr. Kessler attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an undergraduate, majoring in criminal justice and political science and receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1982. He remained on campus for his legal education at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and in 1985, he was awarded his Juris Doctor. Admitted to practice in both Florida and North Carolina, he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern districts of Florida. He is the author of the Florida edition of The DUI Book and a member of several professional organizations.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
- 40%Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI
- 30%Criminal Defense
- 20%Appellate
- 10%Criminal Defense: White Collar
DUI/DWI, Arrest & Arraignment, Assault & Battery, Criminal Fraud, Criminal Law, Drug & Alcohol Violations, False Accusations, Felony, Juvenile Delinquency, Motor Vehicle Offenses, Murder, Sex Offenses, Tax Evasion, Theft, Traffic Violations, Criminal Domestic Violence, Appeals, White Collar Crime, Criminal Law - Federal
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2012, 2019 - 2022
Certificates and Credentials
- Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Criminal Trial
Additional Sources of Information About Michael J. Kessler
Visit my FindLaw® profile
About Michael J. Kessler
First Admitted: 1985, Florida
Professional Webpage: https://www.kesslerlawfirm.com/about-attorney-kessler/
Videos
Honors/Awards
- AV – “Preeminent – by Martindale Hubbell, Rated
- Identified as a Super Lawyer the past four years, by Law & Politics Magazine
- Consistently earns “10.0 – Superb”, AVVO’s top rating
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, an honor bestowed by the Florida Bar, Division of Specialization
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- Invited guest lecturer, “Strategies and Tactics for Defending DUI Cases,” West Palm Beach, Florida
- Co-Author of Florida’s DUI Book
- Invited guest lecturer: “DUI Defense for Public Defenders,” Fort Pierce, Florida
- Invited guest lecturer: “Closing Arguments in DUI Cases,” New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida
- Invited guest lecturer: “Basic DUI Defense for Young Lawyers,” Tampa Florida
- Invited guest lecturer: “How to Demonstrate What’s Wrong with the Intoxilyzer 8000,” Columbus, Ohio
- Invited guest lecturer, “DUI Source Code Litigation, Strategies and Tactics,” Atlanta, Georgia and Lansing, Michigan
Educational Background
- 1982 graduate, University of North Carolina, Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice and Political Science
Bar/Professional Activity
- Member, Legal Panel, National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws
- Member, Florida Bar, North Carolina Bar (inactive), Indian River County Bar Association, St. Lucie County Bar Association
- Founder and member, St. Lucie County Association of Criminal Defense lawyers
- Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Our podcast is now available on Pandora - https://t.co/WtDHTcv40X
- Talking to Criminal Defense Attorney Beth Tibbott about the murder case we worked on in Pennsylvania - https://t.co/lcgUFqcexR
- Another case that couldn't be won - https://t.co/QOXWHfxeC2
- Talking with legal assistant Joe Mancini about some of our favorite TV & movie lawyers & what we learned from them - https://t.co/7hqk07YsMc
- You can listen and follow our podcast on I Heart Radio - https://t.co/aFijd6leJO
Last Updated: 5/15/2022