Nora Lewis, Esq. · Coral Gables, Florida
The government has lawyers. So do you.
Nora Lewis defends people charged with crimes in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and the Southern District of Florida. Former Miami-Dade public defender. Dozens of jury trials. Free consultation.
- Former Public Defender, Miami-Dade
- Dozens of jury trials
- State and federal court
- Se habla español
Practice areas
The cases she takes
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Murder and manslaughter
Capital and non-capital homicide. These cases are won or lost in the investigation: the scene, the forensics, the sequence of events, and who else was there.
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Sex offenses
Allegations that put your liberty, your job, and your name at risk before a jury hears anything. Early handling matters more here than almost anywhere else.
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Violent crimes
Aggravated battery, robbery, armed burglary, firearm offenses. Self-defense, misidentification, and firearm enhancements get fought from day one.
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Drug cases
Possession, possession with intent, trafficking, and conspiracy, in state and federal court. Most of these cases start with a stop or a search, and that is where the defense starts.
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Domestic violence
Domestic violence charges, including battery and aggravated battery, and the collateral consequences nobody explains to you: housing, custody, and the right to possess a firearm.
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Fraud and money laundering
Wire fraud, mortgage and healthcare fraud, money laundering, and other financial crime, in state and federal court. These cases are won or lost in the paper trail: the bank records, the transfers, and the intent element the government has to prove.
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Misdemeanors
A misdemeanor is still a criminal record. If you are eligible for dismissal, a diversion program, or sealing and expungement, that is the conversation from the start.
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Probation violation
A lower burden of proof, sometimes no bond, and the same judge who sentenced you. A technical violation and a new-law violation are handled differently.
Where she appears
Where we fight
- Miami-Dade CountyRichard E. Gerstein Justice Building and the county’s district courthouses.
- Broward CountyFort Lauderdale and Broward’s satellite courthouses.
- Palm Beach CountyWest Palm Beach and the county’s north and south courthouses.
- Federal (S.D. Fla.)Southern District of Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Key West.
What happens next
The case, in order
A general map of a Florida state case. Federal cases run on a different track. Every case is different and timelines vary, so ask Nora what applies to yours.
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Arrest and booking
You are processed and held. This is where most people hurt themselves by talking. Don’t.
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First appearance and bond
A judge reviews probable cause and sets bond, within 24 hours of arrest. Having someone ready to argue bond at that hearing is what decides whether you fight the case from home or from inside.
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The filing decision
An arrest is not a charge. The prosecutor, the State Attorney in state court or the U.S. Attorney in federal court, then decides whether to file formal charges, which ones, and whether to reduce them. That is a real opening, and it is usually wasted.
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Discovery and depositions
The reports, the body-worn camera, the lab work, the 911 calls, the messages. In Florida the defense can depose the prosecution’s witnesses under oath. That is where cases break.
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Motions
Suppress the stop, the search, or the statement. Dismiss where the facts are not a crime. Exclude evidence that only prejudices. Winning a motion can end the case without a trial.
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Resolution or trial
Some cases should be resolved. Some should be tried. That call should be yours, made with full information, not driven by the court’s calendar. If it’s trial, Nora doesn’t hesitate. She’s stood in front of a jury more times than most lawyers ever will.
Your attorney
Nora Lewis, Esq.
Nora Lewis is the founder of Lewis Legal PLLC and has been practicing criminal law in Florida for over a decade. She is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., and has spent her career in defense litigation.
She began as a public defender in Miami-Dade County, where she tried dozens of jury trials. That work teaches something you cannot learn anywhere else: how a case is actually built, what a detective does when he thinks he already knows the answer, and how much of a file falls apart when somebody actually reads it.
She now takes cases across South Florida and in federal court. Lewis Legal is a small practice by choice: you work with Nora, not with whoever is available that day.
She’s a trial lawyer first. Everything else is built around that.
- Law SchoolThe George Washington University Law School
- PreviouslyPublic Defender, Miami-Dade County
- Trial experienceDozens of jury trials
- FocusCriminal defense, exclusively
- LanguagesEnglish · Español
In the news
Press coverage
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NBC6
Nora Lewis in a Miami-Dade courtroom during pretrial proceedings.
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Univisión 23
Identified on air as “abogada criminalista de equipo de defensa”: criminal defense attorney on the defense team.
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CBS News Miami
Defense team press conference, downtown Miami.
Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts. News segments and network logos belong to their respective owners and appear here only to identify the coverage.
Common questions
What people ask first
Should I talk to the police if they say they just want to clear something up?
No. “We just want your side” is an interview technique, not a courtesy. Nobody has ever talked their way out of an interrogation room. Say you want a lawyer and stop talking. That cannot be used against you.
I haven’t been arrested, but a detective called me. What do I do?
Call now. This is the best possible time to have a lawyer and the moment people most often waste. Before an arrest, a lawyer can speak to the detective for you, put information in front of the prosecutor, and sometimes keep charges from being filed at all.
What happens at first appearance?
A judge reviews whether there was probable cause for the arrest and sets release conditions, within 24 hours. It is short and it moves fast. If nobody is there speaking for you, bond gets set on the only thing in front of the judge: the police version.
I was arrested but never formally charged. Is it over?
Not yet. An arrest and a formal charge are two different things. The prosecutor later decides whether to file, what to file, and how many counts. That window is a real chance to affect the outcome, and it usually passes with nobody doing anything.
How much does this cost and how do you charge?
It depends on the charge, the court, and what the case actually requires. Nora tells you plainly in the free consultation, before you commit to anything. No surprise fees.
Will my case go to trial?
Most criminal cases do not go to trial. But how a case is prepared changes completely depending on whether your lawyer is willing to try it. Nora prepares cases to be tried. If resolving it turns out to be the better call, that decision is yours, made with full information.
How is a federal case different from a state case?
Different rules, different deadlines, far more limited discovery, and more complicated sentencing procedures based on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Federal cases are usually investigated for a long time before you know they exist, and by the time there is an indictment the government is already ahead. Nora practices in the Southern District of Florida.
Can this be cleared off my record?
Sometimes. Florida allows sealing and expungement in certain cases, and the eligibility rules are strict. The thing to understand is that how the case is resolved today decides whether you qualify later. Ask before you accept any resolution, not after.
I’m calling about a family member who is in custody. Can you help?
Yes. Most first calls come from a mother, a partner, or a sibling, not from the person in custody. Have the full name, date of birth, and the county holding them, and Nora can locate the case.
Free consultation
Talk to Nora directly
Do you or a loved one have a case? Call, or send a few lines and get an answer the same day.
Your message is ready to send
Your email app should have opened with the message drafted. If it didn’t, write to nora@lewislegalpllc.com or call (305) 898-7068.
4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 470
Coral Gables, FL 33146