Richard Sharpstein, a nationally prominent white collar criminal defense lawyer, has joined Akerman Senterfitt as a shareholder in the Litigation Practice Group and will be based in Akerman’s Miami office.
Sharpstein has more than 35 years of experience in the representation of individuals and corporations in diverse and complex criminal and civil litigation, in both federal and state court, in Florida and across the nation. He joins Akerman from Jorden Burt where he was chair of the White Collar Defense & Appeals Practice.
“Richard is an important addition to our national team of trial lawyers,” said Jim Miller, chair of the Akerman National Litigation Practice Group. “Richard’s significant white collar defense experience will complement Akerman’s multi-faceted approach to meeting the litigation needs of our corporate clients, providing proactive compliance counseling as well as representation in internal investigations and trials.”
“I look forward to expanding my practice at Akerman,” said Sharpstein. “Akerman has one of the most dynamic platforms of any law firm in the nation, which is a credit to the quality of the firm’s professionals and its many long-standing client relationships.”
As a member of Akerman’s White Collar Crime & Government Investigations Practice, Sharpstein joins a team comprised of former federal prosecutors, senior enforcement lawyers at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a former Florida Supreme Court Justice and other former members of the judiciary. The team represents corporations, boards of directors, and individuals in all aspects of government investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, grand jury probes, internal investigations and trials. Jacqueline Arango was the last high profile addition to the practice, joining as a shareholder in the firm’s Miami office. Arango previously worked for the United States Attorney’s Office as an Assistant United States Attorney serving as Deputy Chief of the Public Corruption and National Security Section.
Sharpstein has tried hundreds of cases across the spectrum of criminal defense, civil fraud and civil rights litigation in high profile and complex cases, representing corporate executives, politicians, international bankers, police officers and other public figures. He is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and The Florida Bar. He is an invited member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. He also is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is the former president of the Miami chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Sharpstein served as an Assistant State Attorney, in Miami-Dade County, Fla., prosecuting major crimes and political corruption cases. He also has served as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at the University of Miami and has been a guest lecturer at the St. Thomas School of Law in Miami, Fla.
The Akerman Litigation Practice Group is recognized nationally by U.S. News – Best Lawyers in the Commercial Litigation category and as a national tier one law firm for International Arbitration. The Akerman team also was recently recognized by Benchmark Litigation as Law Firm of the Year for Diversity – South and as the Florida Litigation Law Firm of the Year. Akerman litigators have vast experience in a wide range of civil and criminal litigation, including actions involving banking, securities, healthcare, insurance, real estate and construction.
