Richard Eisenberg

Board Certified Criminal Defense Expert

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Eisenberg enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps where he served for 11 years before being honorably discharged as a Sergeant.  He proudly served his last tour of duty stationed at Headquarters, Marine Corps, in Arlington, Virginia.   

Mr. Eisenberg went on to law school at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, in Washington, D.C.  He began his legal career in 1992, where he worked as a research and writing specialist with the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia.  He was also responsible for representing hundreds of indigent defendants in parole revocation hearings before the U.S. Parole Commission.  

Also, while with the Federal Public Defender, in Washington, D.C., he co-chaired a three-month long federal drug conspiracy and trafficking trial.  In trying to throw out the mandatory life sentence his client received as a Drug Kingpin, Mr. Eisenberg’s sentencing memorandum highlighted the irrational discrepancies in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines between crimes involving crack cocaine and those involving powder cocaine.  It took another 20 years before the federal government during the Obama administration to finally change some of those draconian laws (and to also release his former client!!!).  Mr. Eisenberg also cleared an F.B.I. background investigation and was granted a Top Secret Security Clearance in order to work on an espionage case.

In 1995, Mr. Eisenberg was subsequently appointed an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  He was considered one of the premier defense attorneys in federal parole revocation hearings as all of the hearings across the United States were conducted at one prison, the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, where he had his office on-site for three and one half years.

In 1999, seeking to gain more trial experience,  Mr. Eisenberg went on to being appointed an Assistant Public Defender for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in Sarasota County, Florida.  He handled over 6,000 cases during the 18 years that he was there.  He was able to save hundreds of clients from serving many years in prison, or, as the case may have been, many months in the county jail.  In 2016, Mr. Eisenberg achieved the unique honor of being certified by the Florida Bar as a Board Certified Criminal Trial Specialist.

Florida board-certified lawyers are legal experts dedicated to professional excellence who have met rigorous standards for experience and professionalism set by the Florida Supreme Court and administered by The Florida Bar Legal Specialization and Education Department.

In August 2021, Mr. Eisenberg was recertified by the Florida Bar as a Criminal Trial Specialist. Only 7% of all the attorneys in Florida have been acknowledged by the Florida Bar as a “Specialist” in their area of the law.    

Bar Admissions
  • Florida -1997
  • District of Columbia-1992
  • Pennsylvania-1991
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Florida Supreme Court
  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court
  • District of Columbia Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Judicial Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma
Publications
Experience
  • Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial Specialist
    • August 2016
    • Recertified August 2021
  • Assistant Public Defender for 12th Judicial Circuit, Sarasota, FL
    • 1999-2018
  • Assistant Federal Public Defender, Western District of Oklahoma
    • 1995-1999
  • Federal Public Defender, Washington, D.C.
    • 1992-1995
    • Granted Top Secret Security Clearance
    • Research and Writing Specialist
  • Proudly Served in the United States Marine Corps for 11 Years
    • 1975-1985
    • Honorable Discharge as a Sergeant
Professional Training Institutes Attended
  • National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C., Advance Trial Advocacy, February 1995
  • Summer Trial Institute, University of Wyoming College of Law, Laramie, Wyoming, August 2000
  • National Criminal Defense College (NCDC), Mercer University School of Law, Macon, Georgia, Advanced Trial Advocacy, July 2002
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