Using a lawyer who is known in the area where your case is located is important.
Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley has deep roots in Brevard County, Florida. The firm has been in business in Brevard County since 1976. Over the forty-four plus years the firm has been operating in Brevard County we have developed a deep institutional knowledge of the legal system and people of Brevard. We will put this knowledge to work for you in your family law, criminal law, personal injury, dependency, or probate case.
As the old saying goes a good lawyer knows the law and a great lawyer knows the judge. We know the law, the judges, and the people and land of Brevard County. Knowing the judge does not imply anything improper. But knowing how a judge has handled criminal cases for the last twenty years is an advantage. If you are charged with a crime you should hire an attorney who knows if your judge is a former prosecutor or defense attorney. And not just from reading a judge’s public biography but from having known the judge long before they were elected or appointed to the bench. You never know what someone else is thinking but it helps to know if a judge is more liberal or conservative, logical or emotional, big picture or detail oriented, will do a lot of research on their own or expects the attorneys to bring all the statutes or case law.
Judges have a lot of discretion in deciding what evidence is presented in court. Many a case has been decided when a proper legal objection is sustained by the judge. It helps to know if the judge is a stickler on evidence. If you are trying a case in front of such a judge you should prepare your case with a copy of Florida Statute 90 in your hand and bring your Ehrhardt’s Florida Evidence to Court. On the other hand, some judges see the Evidence Code (Chapter 90) as more flexible. This is especially true in family law, which is a court of equity, and judges may take a wider view of what can come into evidence. An Attorney may want to push the envelope in getting evidence admitted.
Law firms that do not have decades of local experience will not have this knowledge. The attorneys at Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley have well over 100 years of combined, local experience and have thousands of hearings and trials under their belts.
Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley also has deep roots in the Brevard community. Knowing where people live and what they do for a living can help your attorney evaluate a potential witness or juror. A surfer living in Cape Canaveral might not seem to have much in common with a man who lives in West Melbourne and loves to fish. But if your lawyer has lived and worked in Brevard County for many years, they might see an issue particularly if the crime or incident in question took place at Sebastian Inlet. Sebastian Inlet is known for drawing surfers and fisherman. They probably would have both visited the inlet and, the now closed, Sebastian Beach Inn, for some food and a few beers.
The same applies for all the cities and small communities within the cities of Brevard County. Indialantic is a distinctly different place than Mims, and Melbourne Village is a world apart from Satellite Beach.
You can spend long days at the courthouse if you are trying a criminal or family law case. Simply knowing where in the courthouse you can go to get a few minutes of privacy during a break in trial can make a big difference. A place for a private discussion or simply to take a deep breath and gather your thoughts is helpful. The Melbourne and Titusville courthouses are old buildings that have been remodeled many times. They have lots of interesting quirks. There is actually a Brevard County courtroom where a litigants table is blocked by a floor to ceiling support column. If you have an attorney with Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley we will get to court early and get the “good” table. It may be a little thing, but this little thing, combined with a thousand other little things, helps your day, and your case, go easier.
Whatever your legal needs give Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley a call. We serve all of Brevard County including Merritt Island, Titusville, Palm Bay and all the parts in between. Consultations with one of our experienced attorneys are always a courtesy. Call today 321-631-0506 or use the email form at the top right of this page.
