Skip to content

Criminal Defense Lawyers in Venice, FL: 2026 rankings

81 criminal defense lawyers ranked by LFR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →

The short answer

  1. 1

    Highest LFR Score in Venice: The Law Firm of Richard Eisenberg, P.A., LFR Score 67/100; 4.9★ from 103 Google reviews; open 24/7.

  2. 2

    Open 24 hours (per Google): The Law Offices of Daniel D. Nawara, P.A., posts 24/7 hours; ranked #2 of 81.

  3. 25

    Most-reviewed: The Law Place, 881 Google reviews at 4.9★, the most of 81 ranked; ranked #25.

Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank

81 Venice criminal defense lawyers are ranked here by LFR Score, from nine published factors. 33 are open 24/7, 36 open Saturdays and 34 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.8★ across 81 rated law firms.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Venice at a glance

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Venice at a glance
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingBased inHoursNotable for
1The Law Firm of Richard Eisenberg, P.A.674.9★ (103)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Top score
2The Law Offices of Daniel D. Nawara, P.A.674.8★ (141)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Open 24 hours
3Musca Law665.0★ (73)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
4Law Offices of Eric Reisinger, PA665.0★ (70)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
5Soler & Simon665.0★ (70)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
6The Dunn Law Firm, P.A.665.0★ (53)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
7Pallegar Law, PA.664.9★ (44)Sarasota, 14 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
8J. MacGyver Law655.0★ (18)Gulfport, 10 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
9Smith & Eulo Law Firm: Criminal Defense Lawyers654.9★ (38)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
10Law Offices of Anthony G. Ryan, P.A.644.8★ (30)Sarasota, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—

All 81 criminal defense lawyers in Venice, in rank order

Ordered by LFR Score, a 0–100 score from nine published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.

  1. Based in Sarasota, 17 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 73 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 73 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2060 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34237
  2. Based in Sarasota, 17 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 70 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 70 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2170 Main St Ste 206, Sarasota, FL 34237
  3. Based in Sarasota, 14 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 44 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 44 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    3906 Mockingbird Hill, Sarasota, FL 34231
  4. Based in Gulfport, 10 mi away

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
  5. Based in Sarasota, 17 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 33 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.7★ from 33 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2075 Main St #25, Sarasota, FL 34237
  6. Based in Palmetto, 30 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 104 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.8★ from 104 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    433 8th Ave W Ste 103, Palmetto, FL 34221
  7. Based in Sarasota, 12 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 11 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 11 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2477 Stickney Point Rd #311B, Sarasota, FL 34231
  8. Based in Port Charlotte, 20 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 18 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    18245 Paulson Dr Ste 130, Port Charlotte, FL 33954
  9. Based in Port Charlotte, 20 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 18 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1777 S Tamiami Trl Office #16, Port Charlotte, FL 33948
  10. Based in Sarasota, 17 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 186 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 186 Google reviews
    Hours
    Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM · Sat–Sun closed
    Address
    2075 Main St Suite 38, Sarasota, FL 34237
  11. Based in Sarasota, 17 mi away

    62/100LFR Score

    Ranked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 10 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 10 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    49 N East Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237
  12. Based in Sarasota, 16 mi away

    62/100LFR Score

    Ranked #25 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.9★ from 881 Google reviews, the most in Venice.

    • 4.9★ from 881 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1414 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34239

Criminal defense lawyers ranked #26 to #50

#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile. We publish the top 50 of 81 ranked criminal defense lawyers here; the rest are on their profiles.

criminal defense lawyers in Venice, ranks 26 to 50
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingDistance
26Fowler Law Group615.0★ (21)28 mi
27McIntosh Law614.8★ (74)17 mi
28MSPerryLaw603.0★ (4)15 mi
29The Law Office of David M. Idler, Esq.605.0★ (3)20 mi
30Zimmerman and Zimmerman604.8★ (47)17 mi
31Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A.594.9★ (31)17 mi
32Goldman Wetzel594.5★ (8)28 mi
33Attorney Jason Reid595.0★ (13)28 mi
34Finebloom & Haenel P.A.595.0★ (25)17 mi
35Bradenton Police Department - West Station593.5★ (6)25 mi
36Baily & Baily594.7★ (33)17 mi
37Ruhl Law, P.A.594.4★ (116)21 mi
38Hanlon Law | Sex Offenses585.0★ (4)28 mi
39Michael Fayard, Attorney at Law584.4★ (42)17 mi
40Law Offices of Michael M Raheb PA Criminal Lawyers583.4★ (5)28 mi
41Leskovich Law Group, P.A.584.5★ (110)28 mi
42The Law Office of Wyndel G. Darville, PLLC584.3★ (41)17 mi
43Van Ness Law Group584.4★ (30)17 mi
44Law office John Rutkowski584.4★ (10)20 mi
45Suarez, Rios & Weinberg, P.A.584.6★ (77)28 mi
46Ask Attorney Amy | Pietrowski Law Practice575.0★ (12)17 mi
47Aiken and O'Halloran - Peter D. Aiken574.4★ (20)18 mi
48Dustin S. Wagner565.0★ (6)17 mi
49CMB Law LLC564.6★ (32)28 mi
50Coyne Law P.A.563.7★ (32)17 mi

Also serving Venice

20 more criminal defense lawyers within 30 mi that we can't rank yet: too few reviews, or a practice area we couldn't confirm. Listed A to Z.

Unranked criminal defense lawyers serving Venice
BusinessGoogle ratingDistance
A/Sander Law - Immigration4.9★ (46)In Venice
Boeller Law, P.A.4.7★ (54)In Venice
Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Abrahamson & Uiterwyk5.0★ (35)In Venice
Carl Reynolds Law5.0★ (134)In Venice
Casella Law Group4.1★ (9)In Venice
Cemovich Law Firm, P.A.5.0★ (55)In Venice
Cuturic Law | Venice, Florida Estate Planning Attorney5.0★ (130)In Venice
FLYNN LAW, P.A.4.9★ (62)29 mi
Gerber Law5.0★ (118)In Venice
HardBall Law - Kallins, Little & Brosious, P.A.4.9★ (128)30 mi
Holland Law Group, P.A.5.0★ (297)In Venice
Jodat Law Group4.7★ (78)In Venice
Ledbetter Cowan Law Group4.9★ (348)In Venice
Legler, Murphy & Battaglia, PLLC5.0★ (21)In Venice
Malatesta Law office4.0★ (34)In Venice
Rheingans Law, P.A.4.9★ (39)In Venice
Spanski Law, PLLC5.0★ (51)In Venice
Stoddard Law Firm, PLLC5.0★ (17)14 mi
Suncoast Attorney4.8★ (24)In Venice
The Law Office of Dan Policastro, P.L.5.0★ (23)In Venice

How we ranked Venice criminal defense lawyers

We scored 81 Venice criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, weighted as shown. A law firm is ranked when its practice area is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency. Other unknown factors are left out, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed November 9, 2026.

Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.

Read the full method: formula, sources and exclusions

LFR Score factors and weights
FactorWeightComputed fromIn Venice data
Reputation25%Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back itMeasured
Bar status10%An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded)Not yet collected
Review volume10%Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the listMeasured
Recency10%Share of reviews from the last 12 monthsNot yet collected
Availability5%Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7Measured
Practice focus15%How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name)Measured
Proximity5%An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it isMeasured
Claimed profile10%The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same)Measured
Law Firms Ranked reviews10%Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there areMeasured

How to choose a criminal defense lawyer

  1. Check the lawyer’s status and any public discipline in the state bar or law society directory.
  2. Ask how many criminal defense matters the lawyer handles each year, and who at the firm will do the work.
  3. Get the fee arrangement in writing: hourly, flat or contingency, and which costs are charged on top.
  4. Ask how and how often the firm will update you, and how fast it answers calls and emails.
  5. Read recent reviews for how the firm communicated and billed, not only for outcomes.
  6. Ask whether the lawyer regularly appears in the court where your case is filed.
  7. Meet more than one firm; many offer a short first consultation, sometimes free.

Questions to ask a criminal defense lawyer

  • How would you approach a matter like mine, and what are the realistic options?
  • How do you charge, and what will the total likely cost?
  • Who will be my main contact, and how quickly do you reply?
  • What does the flat fee cover, and what costs extra if the case goes to trial?
  • Who will appear with me at each hearing?
  • Is there any conflict of interest that would stop you representing me?

Terms explained

Contingency fee
A fee that is a share of the money recovered, paid only if there is a recovery. Common in injury cases; not allowed for criminal defense or for securing a divorce.
Retainer
Money paid up front and held in a trust account, which the lawyer draws on as fees are earned.
Flat fee
One set price for a defined piece of work, such as a will or an uncontested matter.
Limited-scope representation
Paying a lawyer for part of a matter only, such as reviewing documents or coaching for one hearing (also called unbundled services).
Statute of limitations
The deadline to file a lawsuit or charge. It differs by state or province and by type of claim.
Good standing
A lawyer’s status as active and eligible to practise with a state bar or law society.
Law society
The body that licenses and disciplines lawyers in a Canadian province or territory.
Board certification
Recognition in a field of law by a state program or an organisation accredited for that purpose. Lawyers may only claim it when they hold it, naming the certifying body.
Attorney–client privilege
The rule that keeps confidential communications between a client and lawyer, made for legal advice, out of court.
Conflict check
The search a firm runs before taking a matter to make sure it does not represent someone on the other side.
Pro bono
Legal work done for free, usually for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Legal aid
Publicly funded legal help for people with low incomes, through legal aid offices, public defenders or provincial legal aid plans.

Criminal defense lawyers in Venice: frequently asked questions

Which criminal defense lawyer has the highest LFR Score in Venice?

By LFR Score, the highest-ranked criminal defense lawyer in Venice, FL is The Law Firm of Richard Eisenberg, P.A. with an LFR Score of 67/100. It has 4.9★ from 103 Google reviews. It is open 24/7. The Law Offices of Daniel D. Nawara, P.A. (#2) and Musca Law (#3) follow. We ranked 81 criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, last updated November 9, 2026.

How many criminal defense lawyers are there in Venice?

LawFirmsRanked ranks 81 criminal defense lawyers serving Venice, FL. Another 20 within 30 mi are listed but not ranked yet. Counts are as of November 2026.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Venice are open 24/7?

33 ranked criminal defense lawyers in Venice post 24/7 hours. The highest-ranked are The Law Firm of Richard Eisenberg, P.A. (#1), The Law Offices of Daniel D. Nawara, P.A. (#2) and Musca Law (#3). Hours come from each law firm's Google listing as of November 2026, so call to confirm.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Venice work on weekends?

36 of 81 ranked criminal defense lawyers post Saturday hours and 34 post Sunday hours. The highest-ranked open Saturdays are The Law Firm of Richard Eisenberg, P.A. (#1), The Law Offices of Daniel D. Nawara, P.A. (#2) and Musca Law (#3). Posted hours are office hours; many firms meet clients by appointment outside them.

What Google rating do Venice criminal defense lawyers have?

The median Google rating among 81 rated criminal defense lawyers in Venice is 4.8★, with a median of 29 reviews. The Law Place has the most, 881 reviews, and ranks #25. We adjust ratings for review count, so a few five-star reviews cannot top the list.

How does LawFirmsRanked rank criminal defense lawyers?

Each criminal defense lawyer gets a 0–100 LFR Score from nine published factors, led by reputation (25%), practice focus (15%), review volume (10%) and recency (10%). A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency; other factors we cannot measure are left out. Only law firms with a confirmed practice area and 3 or more reviews, or a claimed profile, are ranked.

Do criminal defense lawyers outside Venice count in this ranking?

Yes, if they are within 30 mi of the Venice city center, our service radius for criminal defense lawyers. Each listing shows where the law firm is based and how far away it is. Proximity is 5% of the LFR Score, so a nearby law firm gets a small edge.

Can criminal defense lawyers pay to rank higher on LawFirmsRanked?

No. The LFR Score never reads payment status, and this ranking has 0 paid placements. Up to 3 Featured law firms may appear above the list, labelled Attorney advertising and showing their honest rank.

How do criminal defense lawyers in Venice, FL charge?

Criminal defense lawyers usually charge a flat fee per stage (for example, through a plea or through trial) or an hourly rate. Contingency fees are not allowed in criminal cases under ABA Model Rule 1.5(d). Lawyers using Clio billed an average of $219 an hour in this area (Clio Legal Trends data, October 2026; all areas $362). Ask for the fee arrangement in writing before you agree.

What if I can’t afford a criminal defense lawyer?

If a charge can lead to jail, the court must appoint a lawyer for you if you cannot afford one (Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; Argersinger v. Hamlin, 1972). Ask about a public defender at your first court appearance. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is this list of criminal defense lawyers in Venice, FL ranked?

By LFR Score only, from public data on reviews, practice focus, office location and hours. Firms labelled “Attorney advertising” paid for that placement; payment never changes a rank, and a rank is not an endorsement.

Does a lawyer need an office in Venice?

No, but the lawyer must be licensed in your state (or, for federal matters such as immigration, in some state). A local office makes meetings and court appearances easier, so proximity is one of our factors.

Update log for Venice

  1. November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 81 criminal defense lawyers serving Venice.