Leonard Alan Sands

Leonard A. Sands, Esquire, has always wanted to be a lawyer – a criminal lawyer – protecting the rights we as Americans each hold dear.

As one of the top graduates in his class in law school —and, with the highest grade in Criminal Law— Leonard was recruited by the United States Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors Program. Serving in the Attorney General’s Honors Program, Leonard went to Washington to join the then relatively new Organized Crime & Racketeering Section.

Since 1979, Leonard and his partner have been in private practice in Miami, Florida, limiting their focus to all kinds of criminal cases both in the federal and state courts in Florida and elsewhere. Leonard has developed a reputation for exceptional skill in white collar, fraud, tax, RICO and complex criminal cases at both the trial and appellate levels.

For many years, Leonard has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers & also served as a past President of the Miami Chapter.

Leonard has been honored by the South Florida Legal Guide, and, named as a “Top Lawyer” in Criminal Law for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. He has also been listed in SuperLawyers Magazine, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.  Leonard is Rated as ’10 -Superb’ on AVVO.com; a peer reviewed on-line website for legal professionals.

Leonard and his partner are both AV rated & listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Directory of Pre-Eminent Lawyers.

Feel free to call or e-mail to discuss how we can help you or someone you care about.

Admission Details

• Admitted in US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
• US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
• 1973, US Court of Appeals for the 6 , D.C. Circuits
• 1975, US Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit , US District Court, Southern , Eastern Districts of New York
• 1977, US Court
• 1978, Florida New York
• US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
• US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
• US Tax Court
• US District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
• US District Court, Eastern District of New York
• US District Court, Middle District of Florida
• 1972, US District Court, Northern District of Ohio
• US District Court, Northern District of Florida
• US District Court, Southern District of Florida
• US District Court, Western District of Michigan
• US Supreme Court
• US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
• US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit

Associations & Memberships

• Dade County Bar Association (Member, Committees on: Federal Courts, 1983—
• Criminal Courts, 1996—
• Chair, Criminal Courts Committee, 1999-2000
• United States District Court Peer Review Committee, 1989-1995
• The Florida Bar (Former Chair, Grievance Committee)
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (1980—)
• Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Director, 1998—
• President, 2001-2002, Miami Chapter)
• Spellman-Hoevler Inns of Court (Member, 2008—)

Awards

• Recipient, Judge Nathan R. Sobel Prize for Graduate with Highest Grade in Criminal Law
• Selected, U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program Graduate
• Trial Attorney, Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, U.S. Department of Justice, 1971-1979
• Recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in Criminal Law by South Florida Legal Guide, 2006, 2007, 2008