Jeffrey B. Crockett
jcrockett@coffeyburlington.com

Jeffrey B. Crockett is a partner who has been with this firm and its predecessors for fifteen years. His practice focuses on commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense in the state and federal trial and appellate courts. Over the years, he has tried more than forty cases and arbitrations to verdict and completed more than fifty appellate matters.

Following his graduation from the Yale School Law School in 1981, he clerked for the Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy, then of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California. After three years as an associate in one of Miami's largest firms, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. As an Assistant for five years, Jeff prosecuted hundreds of federal felony investigations and prosecutions to completion, including some thirty jury trials. For most of his time as an Assistant United States Attorney, Jeff worked on white collar investigations and prosecutions, including the extradition and prosecution of Henry Gherman, a financial advisor who left for Taiwan with millions of his clients' funds. In his last year as an Assistant, 1989, Jeff received the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami White Collar Crime Squad's award for sustained prosecutorial excellence.

In private practice, he has represented numerous civil and criminal clients in trials, arbitrations, and appeals. In 1994, he and Bob Burlington successfully defended Chris Berry, who ran CenTrust Bank's high risk ("junk") bond department under David Paul, on charges of mail fraud and deception of the United States government. After a two-week trial in federal district court, before the Hon. Donald Graham, Berry was acquitted of all seventeen counts. He has prosecuted and defended state and federal criminal cases involving tax, fraud, and public corruption violations, as well as giving advice and counsel to subjects of investigation and grand jury subpoenas. Where appropriate, immunity and cooperation agreements have been negotiated on behalf of clients.

Jeff has much experience in arbitration, both in conducting them and in appealing them. In 2004, he prevailed in a securities arbitration representing a plaintiff against brokerage respondents represented by two of Miami's biggest law firms, recovering and collecting more than a million dollars for his clients.

Over the years, Jeff has been involved in a wide range of litigation, arbitration and appeal matters, including breach of contract, securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty (including "partnership divorce"), civil rights violations, defamation, and various constitutional law issues.

In addition, Jeff has spoken frequently on issues of criminal and civil practice, including in 2004 on criminal securities violations, Sarbanes-Oxley's criminal provisions, and the sentencing guidelines, and in 2003 on evidence. He wrote an article in 2005 for the Florida Bar Journal on Florida Offer of Judgment procedure, and lectured on the topic in 2006.