Sharmin Hibbert

Experience

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  Office of the Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit, Florida

  Aug 2005 - Jan 2009

  Assistant Public Defender

  Felony Attorney- Circuit Trial Divisiono Defended indigent clients in criminal cases from Felonies to traffic offenses. o Litigated over 15 jury trials and 80 bench trials with an 87% acquittal averageo Litigation Accomplishments:• Maintained an 87% acquittal average including two nolle prosses by the State Attorney prior to him resting his case• Named Best Oralist over several more experienced attorneys at Public Defender College in my first year of practice• Held office record for shortest acquittal verdict receiving a favorable verdict in four minutes • Won the first DUI trial that I had and four back to back after that• Effectively revealed a pattern of practice by a police officer who was routinely untruthful in reports. This was accomplished by a favorable motion to suppress but also was used to show that his testimony was likely untruthful and tainted for several cases afterwards • Held record for most bench trials in one day with 9 cases tried and 7 with favorable verdicts• Assisted in training new attorneys and certified legal interns by siting as second chair in trials and educating or teaching through example on evidentiary issues, cross examination techniques, and motion practice• Managed a caseload from 50-150 cases by using strong negotiation skills in obtaining favorable plea agreements and maintained a solid motion practice resulting in the dismissal of large numbers of cases against clients. Show less

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  Florida Department of Health

  Jan 2009 - Jun 2016

  Deputy General Counsel

  Positions Held: Deputy General Counsel (7/2015-5/2016), Chief Supervising Attorney/Section Manager- Allied Health Section (2013-2015), Attorney Team Leader-Medical Section (2011-2013).o Managed Healthcare Regulatory Unit responsible for enforcement of disciplinary violations for 30 licensed professions d councils.o Day to Day management of 52 attorneys and over 75 Administrative Support Staff with a caseload averaging 6,000, in all aspects of litigation practice before DOAH and presentations before professional boards.o Developed a strategic training program for attorneys including litigation techniques, cross and direct examination of witnesses, persuasive advocacy before boards, civil discovery rules and practice, aggressive motion practice and writing skills.o Strategic project management to resolve aging cases and back load case inventory.o Trained board members on their roles and expectations within the enforcement process. o Created performance measures to assess attorney practice and performance with monthly production targets resulting in an increase in monthly production of case resolutions and increases in approvals by the professional boards.o Analyzed legal policy, proposed legislation, collaborated with communications staff on how to respond to media inquires.o Successfully litigated complex cases resulting in significant penalties before licensees including license revocation. o Favorable decisions: see DOH, Board of Medicine vs. Leonard Rubenstein, M .D. DOAH Case No: 09-005270, 09-005269, 09-005267.o Herbert Slavin, M.D. v. DOH, DOAH Case No.: 13-002097, Attorney’s Fees Case.o As Section Manager, I implemented a team oriented hiring approach for selection of new Staff and Senior Attorney hires resulting in the lowest turnover rate of all sections within the unit; several attorneys were promoted faster than attorneys in other sections. Show less

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  Sharmin R. Hibbert, Attorney at Law

  Aug 2016 - Aug 2021

  Legal Consultant

  Providing legal consultation for individuals and organizations in practice areas including Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, and Medical Malpractice.

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  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  May 2018 - Aug 2021

  Legal Advisor
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  Pittman Law Group

  Aug 2021 - Mar 2025

  Senior Attorney
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  J. Haskins Law

  Mar 2024 - now

  Associate