About

Joe Bodiford is a Florida and National Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, and AV*-rated (the highest) by Martindale-Hubbell.  He is the author of James Publishing’s Florida Criminal Cases Notebook and West Academic’s Cross Examination in a Nutshell.  He holds a J.D. and an LL.M. in Advocacy from the prestigous Stetson University College of Law.

He has been elected as one of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and  a Florida “SuperLawyer” multiple times.  He has also been chosen one of the top 100 criminal defense attorneys in Florida by the American Society of Legal Advocates.  Mr. Bodiford is an experienced criminal defense attorney, having tried hundreds of cases from both sides of the courtroom.  Having dedicated his practice to criminal defense, he was a prosecutor in both the Hillsborough and Pasco/Pinellas State Attorneys’ Offices in the 1990s.

Mr. Bodiford’s experience includes the successful defense of clients accused of any and all types of crimes in Federal and Florida courts, including first degree murder and other violent crimes, DUI manslaughter, drug possession and trafficking, racketeering (RICO), robbery, battery, arson, white-collar cases (theft, fraud, healthcare fraud, identity theft, bank fraud), sex offenses, computer-related crimes, firearms matters, all DUI and traffic cases, and violations of probation, house arrest, and parole.

His intensive pre-trial preparation philosophy includes the meticulous and detailed evaluation of each case by examining the government’s witnesses and evidence and employing creative techniques to discover the client’s best defenses. Mr. Bodiford’s belief in optimizing pre-trial litigation extends to the preparation of extensive suppression motions, motions in limine to limit the State’s evidence at trial, and sentencing memoranda in criminal cases.

As an appellate attorney and former law clerk for the judges of the 13th Judicial Circuit, he also has vast experience in authoring appeals (both state and Federal) and arguing appeals before appellate courts. He is very knowledgeable in post-conviction matters under Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.800 and 3.850, pertaining to mitigation of sentences, illegal sentences, ineffective assistance of counsel, as well as newly-discovered evidence that may impact the case.

In addition to his active criminal defense, Mr. Bodiford is an Adjunct Professor (Cross Examination) and Co-Director of the Trial Team at the Florida State University College of Law.  He previously was an adjunct professor at the Stetson University College of Law, where he taught Florida Criminal Procedure and Trial Advocacy.  Many of his former students have gone on to be successful prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys.

An active legal researcher and writer, he is the author of the chapter Business Crimes in the Florida Bar Civil Litigation Handbook, has served as the update editor of LEXIS/Matthew Bender’s Florida Traffic and DUI Practice Manual, and was the research assistant for the Florida Evidence Courtroom Manual.  He has been published numerous times in criminal defense journals.  He is called upon regularly for legal commentary on nation TV and radio, have appeared on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and all of the local channels.

Mr. Bodiford is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, all Florida state courts, and the Federal Middle District of Florida.  He is a member of both the Florida and National Associations of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and the Tallahassee chapter of the Florida Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.  He is a member of the Tallahassee Bar Association (Secretary and Director) and the Inn of Court.