Ken Swartz

Ken Swartz is an accomplished Miami criminal defense trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience in criminal defense law. Named to the list of Florida Super Lawyers for the past two years for his criminal defense expertise, Swartz was also named as a Finalist for Most Effective Lawyers of 2008 in the category of criminal justice. He has been Board Certified by the Florida Bar as an expert in the field of Criminal Trial Law for the past ten years.

Additionally, Ken Swartz has been recognized by the Daily Business Review of South Florida in their awards for Florida attorneys who performed the most impressive work and the cases where they made their mark. He has received the highest possible rating from other lawyers and judges (AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell). According to Martindale-Hubbell, this rating recognizes lawyers who have “reached the height of professional excellence. He has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.”

Swartz’s Criminal Defense Practice Focuses Upon White Collar Crime

Ken Swartz has successfully represented persons throughout Florida and across the country facing criminal charges in state and federal court where the crimes alleged to have occurred involved white collar crimes, such as bank fraud; mortgage fraud; and other economic and business crimes. Mr. Swartz has also represented people who have been charged with Medicare fraud and other health care investigations; as well as income tax evasion and other tax investigations. He has successfully handled internet crime cases involving pornography on the web and other sex related crimes. Ken Swartz’s criminal defense practice also includes defending against charges of federal and state drug offenses, such as importation, possession and distribution, and money laundering.

The “Dirty Bomber” Case

His name may be familiar to many due to the media scrutiny surrounding a case where Mr. Swartz represented the lead defendant in the United States v. Jose Padilla, a 4-month federal jury trial that drew international attention for the high stakes prosecution of the man dubbed the “Dirty Bomber.” In that case, Ken Swartz successfully convinced the judge to reject the government’s request for a life sentence, obtained a sentence that was well below the federal sentencing guidelines.

Leader in the Florida Criminal Defense Bar

For the past fifteen years (since 2001), Ken Swartz has been organizer and program chair of the annual Advanced Federal Criminal Practice seminar, sponsored by the Criminal Law Section, recognized as the preeminent federal practice seminar for attorneys in Florida. Swartz is also an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Swartz is a former president of the Miami Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, a member of its statewide board of directors, and serves on the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section.

Additionally, Mr. Swartz has written several articles on criminal defense practice for the Florida Defender, the publication for the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers that is read by to criminal defense lawyers and judges throughout the state.  As a lecturer, Ken Swartz has spoken countless times on issues involving federal criminal law.

Swartz Honed His Criminal Defense Expertise by Handling over 1000 Federal Cases as a Top Federal Defender

Prior to the formation of Swartz Law Firm, Ken Swartz was a supervisor in the Federal Defender Office of South Florida, one of the busiest and distinguished Federal Defender offices in the country.  There he practiced in Federal Court on a daily basis and handled well over 1000 felony criminal cases, achieving an impressive win record for his defense clients as he accumulated one acquittal after another.  

Rodney Thaxton Memorial “Against All Odds” Award Recipient

Recently, Ken Swartz was awarded the Rodney Thaxton Memorial “Against All Odds” Award by the Miami Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for his work representing a the lead defendant in the Jose Padilla case.  This honor is awarded each year to criminal defense lawyers who take on a particularly difficult case and represents the heart and spirit of criminal defense.

Ken Swartz graduated with honors from the Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans.

Florida Bar Board Certification