Tibbitt Law

01/16/2026

Three years ago, Luis was in prison serving life. He had been in prison since age 18, half his life. We won a federal habeas petition as to his state court conviction, meaning federal courts concluded Florida courts did not follow Constitutional law regarding suppressing a coercive police interview. Rather than risk a retrial after we won that habeas case, Luis pled to a lesser charge and was released after spending almost 20 years in prison, to 5 years of probation with early termination after 2.5 years. He is doing great and working and a real success story. He did everything he had to do on probation. Today his probation was terminated and that chapter of his life is officially behind him. He was going to be in prison until he died in a cell, now he is a contributing member of society. There are many men and women in prison who could write the same success story if given the chance. I’m grateful my career lets me be a part of people’s redemption.

11/20/2025

Exchange 4 Change is a great organization that brings writing workshops into Florida's prisons. I have personally seen clients and people I care about changed by the work they do. There are a lot of our fellow Floridians forgotten behind prison bars. Whatever reason they are there, they are human beings. The state has significantly cut what meager prison programming there ever was. This organization is one of the only non-religious groups I know of that goes into prisons and works on actually improving the futures of the men who are in there, the vast majority of whom will be released. Anyone can write, but to be able to use writing to express yourself and have that become a source of fresh air in an otherwise airless existence, you need some outside help. They provide it. They are fundraising for Give Miami Day, and I know and trust the people who run it and know every cent given will be used wisely and responsibly.

Your donations make a lasting impact! With your support, we’re able to break down barriers through writing, education, and connection. This Give Miami Day, help us reach our goal of $40,000 so we can continue directly sustaining our impactful programs. We couldn’t do it without you! 💜

11/20/2025

Exchange 4 Change is a great organization that brings writing workshops into Florida's prisons. I have personally seen clients and people I care about changed by the work they do. There are a lot of our fellow Floridians forgotten behind prison bars. Whatever reason they are there, they are human beings. The state has significantly cut what meager prison programming there ever was. This organization is one of the only non-religious groups I know of that goes into prisons and works on actually improving the futures of the men who are in there, the vast majority of whom will be released. Anyone can write, but to be able to use writing to express yourself and have that become a source of fresh air in an otherwise airless existence, you need some outside help. They provide it. They are fundraising for Give Miami Day, and I know and trust the people who run it and know every cent given will be used wisely and responsibly.

Exchange for Change (E4C) has grown from a single writing class of 17 students at Dade Correctional Institution (DCI) in 2014 to an average of more than 75 classes annually. We enroll nearly 300 students per semester at state prisons, county jails and private juvenile

05/22/2025

My client Pledge came by the office today. He had a life sentence and after I filed a postconviction motion I was able to get him out of custody and reunited with his family and friends. He just got out of prison a couple weeks ago after 25 years without a release date. It was great to see him and hear about his plans for the future. He also brought a friend Jermaine who I helped and was released a couple years ago. Always the most rewarding part of the job.

05/24/2024

This is a client who went to trial and was convicted of a felony that, to me, it was clear he did not commit. I was then retained to handle the appeal and the appellate court agreed the case never should have gone to the jury because no crime was committed. Often when you win on appeal it’s because of some mistake in the trial that means the defendant gets a new trial, it’s pretty rare to get a win where the result is outright dismissal, so it was a nice moment to finalize that in court today.

05/05/2024

Tonight I was really grateful to Dianne Caramés Gorman for giving me an award for my amicus work. I told her afterwards that I never expected it and she said that was the point. Thank you Dianne, that was really nice and I appreciate it.

12/20/2023

Card from the mother of a client who was released this year from a life sentence.

10/02/2023

Another happy customer at one point Thomas had a life sentence, it was previously reduced but he still wasn’t going to get out until 2029. After a lot of wrangling in court he got out last week, and he came by the office with his wife today.

08/08/2023

This is my client Luis. Luis was serving a life sentence for murder until about a month ago. I am particularly proud of this victory because it was a state court conviction where the issue was a statement he gave in violation of Miranda (to overly simplify, after he invoked Miranda and declined to speak 3 times then rather than either release or book him the police left him there in holding cell and went to talk to his girlfriend and came back and told him she’s talking you better talk or we’ll just go on what she has to say, which was both a lie and a Miranda violation). The state courts denied the motion to suppress the resulting statement at the trial and appellate levels. Ultimately we won on federal habeas. Getting a federal court to overturn a state conviction, especially a life sentence on a murder case, is rare, and this one took a long time with a lot of twists and turns so it was a very satisfying victory when it finally came. Luis is doing very well, working and reconnecting with his family.

06/09/2023

[DJ Khaled voice] ANOTHER ONE!!!! Eric actually got out from a lengthy sentence we got reduced in February but he lives down south and today was the first time he made it into my office. Good to catch up a bit and hear about the transition from prison for 22 years to being on the street. He has a 21 year old daughter (mom pregnant when he went in) that he had never spent time with until this year and now she is staying with him for the summer while home from college so he is proud about that and his son who is working up in Tampa.

06/06/2023

All three of these guys are former clients who had life sentences that we were able to get reduced and get out of prison for various reasons. All are doing great in society. They were friends from inside prison and all came to see me today which was really nice. It was like an Everglades Correctional Institution reunion inside the office. The guy in the black next to me just got out yesterday, he and his wife were very happy!