Brian Kirlew

When your freedom is on the line, you want a lawyer who has lived in the courtroom — not one who only talks about it.

Brian Kirlew has spent his entire career there. He is the founding partner of The Kirlew Law Firm and one of the most experienced criminal trial lawyers in South Florida.

Recognized at the Highest Level

• Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law by The Florida Bar — the highest recognition the Bar confers on a trial attorney, held by fewer than 2% of Florida lawyers
• Selected to Super Lawyers 10X
• AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale Hubbell 
• Named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Miami Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2012) — a chapter he would later serve as president

A Record Few Attorneys Can Match

• 65 jury trials as counsel of record
• More than 5,000 cases personally handled
• Over 7,500 depositions taken

That volume of courtroom repetition shapes how he prepares every case — because in his experience, the outcome is often decided long before trial, in the preparation most lawyers are unwilling to do.

Forged in the Trenches

• Began his career at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office
• Six years representing thousands of clients, from arraignment through verdict
• Tried 42 cases before a jury during his tenure, building the investigative instinct and command of the courtroom that define his practice today

White Collar & Federal Defense

• Federal investigations, grand jury proceedings, and indictments across multiple districts
• Wire fraud, SBA and PPP loan fraud, drug trafficking, and complex financial crimes
• Frequently represents business owners and professionals facing the system for the first time — when freedom, livelihood, and reputation are all at risk at once

Serious State Charges

• The full range of Florida criminal law, statewide
• DUI, drug offenses and trafficking, armed robbery, sexual offenses, and homicide
• A holistic defense on every case — bringing in expert investigators and mitigation specialists to build the strongest possible strategy

Why Clients Trust Him

What clients remember isn't the résumé. It's that Brian treated the hardest moment of their life as if it mattered — because to him, it does. That is the standard he built his firm on, and it is what he brings to every person who walks through his door.