Page 19 - Miami Vol 6 No 1

Margot Moss
Seeking Justice
By Katherine Bishop
DEALMAKERS IN 2016
Most of my life, I wanted to be a musician,” attor- ney Margot Moss says. “I studied classical piano,
“attended a performing arts high school and obtained my undergraduate and master’s degree in music. A er years of performing and teaching, I decided that I wanted to do something di erent.”
“I still believe
in the idealistic notion that as a lawyer, I can help people and I can seek justice for my clients”.
sion at Fowler White Burnett, P.A. “It’s a wonderful rm with brilliant practitioners in many areas of the law,” she says. “I was able to gain experience in the private sector on some complex and high-pro le cases.”
In the end, Moss knew the big rm cul- ture wasn’t the right t for her. She de- cided to go to work with David and Mona Markus, a boutique criminal defense rm. She has been a member of the rm for more than ve years and claims to have found the ideal t.
In fact, Moss lists David Markus as one of her two biggest mentors. He and Kev- in Hellmann, according to Moss, are two warriors in the criminal defense eld. “Kevin has demonstrated that for each cli- ent you must give 110 percent,” she says. “He has created a career of public service, representing the poor of Miami-Dade County. He taught me to never sacri ce an argument because you’re afraid of testing the court’s patience or driving the prosecu- tor insane. You have to show your client you’ll be willing to do whatever you can ethically to seek justice and fairness for them.”
is type of work isn’t for everyone. “It’s very demanding and you have to recognize that you will lose a lot of battles,” she says. “But you also have to know that what you will be doing has tremendous worth and meaning. To defend the Constitution and be entrusted with the life of an individual is a great honor and reward.”
Moss enrolled in law school. “I ended up loving the law and felt challenged by learn- ing this new way of thinking,” she says. “Twenty years later, I’m still happy I made that choice to change my career.”
“I still believe in the idealistic notion that as a lawyer, I can help people and I can seek justice for my clients,” she continues.
As a criminal defense lawyer, Moss gives a voice to those who are normally voice- less. She considers her job as standing up for the underdog by challenging the courts to uphold constitutional rights. “I love de- fending someone who is being bullied by the overreaching of the government.”
“I represent people going through the most di cult times in their lives,” she says. “A criminal accusation doesn’t just a ect the individual; families are torn apart, homes are lost, parents taken from their children, and bank accounts are drained. Whether the individual is guilty or inno- cent, it is extremely traumatic and stressful for the client.”
It’s di cult for the lawyer as well, ac- cording to Moss. e life of a criminal de- fense attorney is burdened with carrying the weight of a person’s liberty.
“At the end of a trial, if my client is found guilty ... she doesn’t just pay money and return home. She is placed in a cage and taken from her family.”
Moss spent more than 10 years practic- ing at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s O ce. “It was incredibly rewarding work and gave me a tremendous amount of ex- perience,” she says.
She was then recruited by the newly formed white collar criminal defense divi-
Vol. 6 No. 1 Attorney at Law Magazine® Miami | 19
Markus/Moss
40 N.W. 3rd Street, PH1 Miami, FL 33128
(305) 379-6667 www.markuslaw.com