This one really hurts.
He was 80. And he really was the GOAT of criminal defense lawyers. There are so many of us that want to be Roy in the courtroom -- commanding, persuasive, funny.
The hardest working.
The most determined.
And always so positive about winning.
I was lucky enough to try a 6 week trial with him out of town when I was a young lawyer. I learned so much. And he often helped me brainstorm my cases and trials after that.
He is survived by his wife Lea, their son RJ, and his daughter Nora. And his law partners at Black Srebnick, including Howard Srebnick, Scott Kornspan, Maria Neyra, Jackie Perczek, Mark Shapiro, and Jared Lopez.
If you want to hear from the master, here he is on my podcast talking about his win in the Luis Alvarez case.
And I can't think of a greater tribute you can give him than listening to some of his courtroom performances:
This one hurts. I think for every single one of us who came through the Public Defender's Office, Roy was who we wanted to be. He was a legend in his time, and he was one of the few people whose talents lived up to the myth. Then you got to meet him and he was just a nice, funny, charming, approachable man. What a huge loss. This week has been beyond horrible for our legal community. Rest easy Roy.
ReplyDeleteHe was the very best co-counsel i ever had the honor of sharing the defense table with As we did in the representation of Salvador Magluta. I will always treasure our friendship as well as our shared trials. He is the standard upon which future criminal lawyers should model their aspirations. Very sad today
ReplyDeleteMartin Weinberg
RIP to an outstanding criminal defense attorney.
ReplyDeleteA devastating loss for our community. But the positive memories will engage us for all time. May Roy's memory be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteFrom almost being disbarred to losing for a client 63.5 million
DeleteWhen I was in law school at U of M I took a trial practice seminar taught by two guys recently out of the Public Defender’s Office, Roy Black and Jack Denaro. After that, the deal was sealed. I knew I wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. RIP Mr. Black. Your clients were lucky to have you as their lawyer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an undergrad at FSU and heard that the Lozano murder trial had been transferred to Tallahassee, I quickly wrote him a letter asking if I could volunteer to help. I expected, at best, being able to come to court and just meet him. Instead, I found myself being invited to attend all of their prep sessions in Tally, attend court with them as though I were a part of the trial team, sit in the front row at the FL Supreme Court watching him argue, and helping them logistically with materials, equipment, etc. Roy introduced me to so many great people including his trial consultant, Sandy Marks whom I worked for for several years thereafter. Roy (and Lea) were such nice, warm and inclusive people. Ultimately, while working for Sandy, I had the opportunity to continue working with Roy and many others on several matters, including the Magluta/Falcone case. He certainly made a lowly undergrad feel important and allowed me to learn so much from him. Today is a sad day.
ReplyDeleteRoy was a more senior attorney in Phil Hubbart's PD office when I started there in 1973. As a young attorney, we often watched Roy and Jack Denaro try cases together. Roy was the consummate trial attorney. It was great when I tried a couple with him, mostly watching and learning. He was a great attorney and great person. We'll miss him.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with no aspirations to become a criminal defense attorney, I still studied Roy and hoped to have an ounce of his charisma, genius, and talent in the courtroom. Because he was simply the best. And he was not just the best criminal defense attorney in trial, he was one of the all-time best trial attorneys, period. I was lucky to be able to see him in action and we were all lucky to have a legend like him in our backyard.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful human being, he was a master in the courtroom. Soft-spoken, but brilliant. I recall watching him in complex cases and I was astounded at his abilities. He certainly was the GOAT, and we are all better off having known him. He mentored so many lawyers who today are the cream of the crop of the Miami-Dade County criminal bar. May his memory be for a blessing.
ReplyDeleteWow! That cross of the witness in the Kennedy case kicks ass! You got to spend hours and hours and hours and days and days and days to prepare a cross like that. Basically, the witness answered “yes” so many times to Roy’s questions that the jury must have thought that Roy and not the prosecutor was the more believable party on that alone. Great attorney. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteIt’s sad to see a generation of these incredible Miami defense attorneys pass. This clearly isn’t exhaustive, but guys like Richard Sharpstein, Paul Pollak, Sy Gaer, Max Engel, Al Krieger, Bob Josefsberg will all be greatly missed.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to be able to try several federal cases with Roy. One of the trials in Mobile Alabama showcased Roy’s brilliance. The trial is the subject of a book entitled “Apprehended: The Trials of Dickie Lynn”. Here is a short summary from Goodreads:
ReplyDelete"In 1989, the United States District Court in Mobile, Alabama was the setting for a 5-week trial involving drug smugglers from Miami and the Keys.
Written by one of the trial attorneys, Apprehended is partly a commentary on the federal system and a critique of one of its failings told in crime pulp fashion. It features some prominent issues and personalities such as the United States Attorney (now Senator) Jeff Sessions, Miami lawyers Roy Black and Steve Bronis, the Bay of Pigs, agency jealousies and machinations, governmental corruption and other clandestine intrigues."
I recommend the book for those interested in reading about Roy in action. I also recommend reading Judge Fay’s opinion on the appeal of the trial that highlights Roy’s performance. U.S. v. Eyster, 948 F.2d 1196 (11th Cir. 1991).
The thing that was different about Roy is the same thing that was different about Jay Hogan and Albert Krieger. It was their unique abilities to elevate the skills required for cross examination to a form of artistry. I don’t exactly know how to describe it, but I certainly knew it when I saw it.
May Roy, Jay and Albert rest in peace.
Steve Bronis’ comment prompts me to reply.
ReplyDeleteI came to town more than 35 years ago as a newspaper reporter whose happy assignment included observing great trial lawyers in important trials and then writing about them—often at length and in detail. I regularly had the chance to watch lawyers like Roy Black, Jay Hogan, Al Krieger and Steve battle valiantly against the inexhaustible resources of the government, over the highest imaginable stakes, and operating at the very highest levels of expertise and, frankly, artistry. These men were masters, especially, at cross-examination, pinning adverse witnesses to the stand for hours at a time during which the witnesses could only answer “yes” and “correct” and “that’s right,” until the relentless, unwavering drumbeat of their assent had rendered them useless to the prosecution. Jay’s cross-examination of attorney Ray Takiff in the Court Broom judicial corruption trial (which testimony invoked events from another apex criminal matter, the trial of Manuel Noriega) remains one of the most astonishing courtroom performances I have ever witnessed.
But what really stands out in my fond memories of these absolute titans is how every one of them was, without fail, kind and generous and helpful to this untrained kid from out of town who had the temerity to write and comment about their work. Now, nearing 30 years in legal practice, spent in cases where the stakes are never so grave as the life and liberty over which these men routinely contended, I strive daily to attain a fraction of their expertise, preparation, integrity and professional grace, and I keep their memories alive with my colleagues and students. I was blessed to have known them, even a little.
I’m not even sure what to say about Roy that others haven’t already said about him. I honestly had never heard of him or his reputation in the legal world before I joined his trial team in 2001. I guess that actually made it easier because I was too green to be nervous and Roy never put on airs of his vast experience in the courtroom. Roy was just an attorney who was representing his client and was going to his very best legally to obtain a favorable outcome. Roy and everyone at the firm went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and accommodated. It wouldn’t be until a few trials later that I was started noticing Roy’s other characteristics and traits, especially his laugh. Does anyone else remember Roy getting giddy, like a school boy, when he or one of his team found some juicy law to win an argument in court? I was working with Roy on a case in Miami representing a client who was being charged with money laundering. Roy had approached me in the little meeting room across from his office with all the book cases and the round table and not a heck of a lot of space for more than 4 people. Roy wanted to play audio clips for impeaching the next days witness and he handed me a list of a dozen or so audio clips he wanted and while we were talking I said “Hey Roy! What if I give these clips different random numbers so it seems like we have a lot of them?” Roy smiled and giggled and said “That’s GREAT! You put all the clips together and make a list with the descriptions and the numbers and we’ll use that tomorrow.” Sure enough the cross examination went flawlessly and at some point several of the jurors could be seen shaking their heads at many of the derogatory remarks the witness tried to make excuses backpedaling his way out. Roy was so happy and he was not shy about praising you when you made him confident about his examination. It was later at The Blacks Annual Gala when my wife and I were on the reception line and Roy saw my wife and I approaching and he my hand and smiled and immediately turned to my wife and said “It’s so nice to meet you. Your husband makes me look good in trial.” What an incredible compliment to share from such a genuinely beautiful humble man. You will be deeply missed Roy. I love you. 🕊️
ReplyDelete