This profile is part of the NACDL Find a Lawyer directory, a public listing of NACDL member attorneys in private practice. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is not a law firm and does not represent or assist individuals with criminal or other cases. NACDL provides this directory as a public service without recommendation or warranty.
Benedict is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Life Membership recognizes a demonstrated commitment to criminal defense and the mission of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Contact Information
- Miami, FL
- www.kuehnelaw.com
Social Media
Biography
Known as the "Iron Lawyer" both for his successes and accomplishments in complex, protracted trials and appeals, as well as for his achievements as an Ironman athlete (140.6 miles of swim, bike, and run), Benedict P. Kuehne has made his formidable career in trial and appellate courtrooms throughout the State of Florida and across the nation. While he is best known for his significant representations as a white collar criminal defense and civil trial lawyer, he is also one of the premier election law specialists in Florida, having represented Vice President Al Gore and the Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee as trial and appellate cocounsel in the 2000 election recount trial and the appeals to the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. In 2012, leading a legal team, Ben obtained the fifth highest verdict in the United States, $155 million, for his successful representation of an internationally accomplished educator who sued as a whistle blower for her wrongful termination. Ben is often referred to as a "go to" lawyer for public officials and professionals involved in investigations and inquiries, disciplinary and ethics proceedings, and criminal litigation.
In a nationally watched and precedent-setting case, Ben prevailed against the U.S. Department of Justice in a test case in which he was charged, as a lawyer, with money laundering for reviewing and approving the propriety of legal fee payments to another prominent criminal defense lawyer for representation of a high-profile client prosecuted for drug trafficking. In an overwhelmingly favorable decision of first impression, the Eleventh Circuit declared that legal fees paid for criminal defense representation were exempt from money laundering enforcement. The Department of Justice dropped all charges, resulting in Ben's immediate vindication the day before Thanksgiving 2009. Ben’s case stands as one of the most important precedents confirming the fundamental role of the Sixth Amendment right to effective representation.
Education
- Undergraduate: University of Miami, BA, 1974
- Law School: University of Miami, JD, 1977
Bar Information
FL
Practice Areas
- Appellate Advocacy
- Federal Practice
- White Collar Crime
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