Jude is a former Assistant Public Defender with the Miami Dade Public Defender's office and has extensive trial experience handling cases stemming from DUI to 1st degree murder. While at the Public Defender’s Office, Jude was recruited to join the firm of Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. where he spent five years handling high profile and complex criminal litigation. In 2013, Jude and Mycki Ratzan partnered to create Ratzan & Faccidomo- a boutique law firm that quickly became one of the most prominent criminal defense law firms in the tri-county area of South Florida.
In May of 2012 Jude was elected President of the Miami chapter of FACDL, at the time making him that organization’s youngest president in its history. Jude is a past chair of the Dade County Bar Association’s Criminal Court Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the Miami Dade Jury Trial Task force where he works with the circuit’s Chief judge to facilitate jury trials amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Jude is the immediate past president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for the State Florida, which is the largest voluntary criminal defense organization in Florida.
In addition to his involvement in Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Jude is a member of the Dade County Bar Association, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation. Jude is past vice chair of the FLORIDA BAR CRIMINAL PROCEDURE RULES COMMITTEE, and currently serves on the Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration. Jude is also the past Chair the Florida Bar Grievance Committee 11-H and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for St. Thomas University School of Law.
Jude has been invited to guest lecture on topics pertaining to criminal defense at Florida Bar’s Advance Federal Practice, the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office, the Miami Dade Metropolitan Police Institute as well as St. Thomas University School of Law. Additionally, Jude is routinely asked by local and national news media to discuss high profile criminal defense cases. Jude has been consistently named to the Superlawyers, Florida Legal Elite, Best Lawyers, and Florida Legal Trend. Jude is a two-time recipient of the FACDL President’s Award for personifying the spirit of the criminal defense lawyer and is the recipient of the Miami Bar Association’s Sookie Williams Outstanding Community Service Award. Jude has also been awarded the Gideon’s Hammer award for outstanding service in the field of Criminal Defense as well as the Gregg Wenzel Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.
When not defending the rights of the accused, Jude is with his beautiful and brilliant wife, shuttling their three kids to and from some sort of practice or activity.
