Page 13 - Miami Vol 6 No 1

Stephen K. Talpins
A Career of Passion
By Katherine Bishop
DEALMAKERS IN 2016
Like most boys, civil defense attor- ney Stephen Talpins, was enam- ored with superheroes as a child. As he matured, he came to recog-
nize their traits – dedication to the protec- tion of others – in real life professions.
“I recognized that superheroes existed in the form of soldiers, police o cers and in prosecutors,” he says. “I decided to pur- sue a eld where I could use my natural skills and still dedicate my life to some- thing good. I went to law school and a I became a prosecutor.”
A er earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 1992, he was hired on by the then-Miami- Dade County State Attorney Janet Reno as an assistant state attorney.
“I served as a prosecutor for more than 12 years,” Talpins says. “I loved every minute. I learned a lot about the need to prepare victims for all possible outcomes and to present my cases in a more relat- able way.”
In one of his earliest cases, Talpins rep- resented a victim of a rape case. He tried and lost the case. “ e victim was dev- astated,” he recalls. “I learned a lot from that loss. I knew moving forward that I needed to prepare victims for all possible outcomes.”
In his second year with the State Attor- ney’s O ce, he was assigned to conduct a Frye hearing on the admissibility of a drug recognition expert’s testimony. He and his colleague, Gilfarb, won a er conducting a week-long hearing. “A er that hearing, I began working with prosecutors around the state on DUI issues,” he says.
is work set the stage for his next ca- reer move.
When he departed the State Attorney’s O ce, Talpins moved through a series of
personally ful lling positions – shaping better tools to investigate DUIs nation- ally as the director of the National District Attorney’s Associations Tra c Law Cen- ter; national director of public policy for Mothers Against Drunk Driving; and work on a nonpro t called the National Partner- ship on Alcohol Misuse and Crime.
In 2010, Talpins knew he needed to make a career change. “I needed a position that would allow me to support my fam- ily better, so I joined Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell. In the process, I found a home,” hesays.
In joining the rm, Talpins began to fo- cus his practice on civil defense. In this ca- pacity, he handles some of the largest and most complex cases in the rm’s retail and hospitality group, including negligent se- curity and dram shop cases.
“I also continue to work pro bono on criminal justice related policy issues,” he says.
In fact, Talpins devotes an average of 500 hours per year to pro bono work with several nonpro ts, including the Justice Management Institute, the Institute for Behavior and Health, We Save Lives and the National Partnership on Alcohol Mis- use and Crime.
“I help develop and promote innovative laws, promising investigative procedures and evidence-based community supervi- sion programs,” he says.
Over the next few years, Talpins hopes to be elected shareholder at the rm. He also looks forward to expanding his prac- tice while continuing to work with nation- al nonpro ts and government agencies to reform the criminal justice system.
Outside of his work, Talpins enjoys spending time with his family, especially his son, Sammy.
Vol. 6 No. 1 Attorney at Law Magazine® Miami | 13
Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell
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80 Southwest 8th Street, Suite 3000
Miami, FL 33130
(305) 610-3585 www.rumberger.com