R.J. McCaffery is a trial attorney whose practice is centered on litigation, including financial and corporate disputes, criminal defense, and Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) litigation.
Mr. McCaffery grew up in Connecticut, where his family farmed tomatoes and tobacco. Since earning his J.D. from Georgetown Law, he has distinguished himself as a dedicated attorney who can be relied on to develop creative solutions to tough cases.
His legal career began at the Criminal Justice Clinic at Georgetown, where he represented clients in front of the District of Columbia’s courts and the United States Parole Commission and for which he received the Kirby S. Howlett III Memorial Award. After graduating, he joined the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, the largest and busiest of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits, where he took more than 50 cases to trial. Over his career, he has represented clients accused of economic crimes, environmental crimes, and insurance fraud, as well as cases ranging from battery and DUI to drug trafficking and murder. He has always been passionate about criminal justice and human rights and served as an advisor to Fair Trials International, a unique human rights charity that helps people facing criminal charges outside their home countries obtain fair trials.
Since 2011, he has been in private practice, representing both civil litigants and criminal defendants. Mr. McCaffery has experience both trying and resolving multi-million dollar disputes, and has handled cases that involve; intellectual property claims, contract issues, fraud, misappropriation of funds and embezzlement, employment violations, and sexual battery.
His civil litigation work often involves the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), a remarkable piece of legislation that provides extraordinary protections for sellers of fresh produce. Mr. McCaffery has successfully represented clients in PACA-related matters in federal courts, state courts, the administrative courts, in arbitration and mediation, and before the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.
Mr. McCaffery serves as a trial consultant, helping other attorneys strategically vet cases approaching trial, most often with an eye for jury selection. He has been hired by law firms and has appeared in trials in various roles depending on the needs of the case, from first chair to conducting voir dire.
In addition to being a member of The Law Offices of Robert McCaffery, PA, Mr. McCaffery is of counsel to Connect Attorneys PLLC, and counsel at Industria Business Lawyers LLP, a distributed, technology-forward law firm focused on helping both emerging tech startups and established companies innovate in new areas while ensuring compliance with complex regulatory landscapes.
Admitted to Practice:
Florida State
New York State
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Law School: Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., Kirby S. Howlett III Memorial Award
Graduate Degrees: Sarah Lawrence College, M.F.A.
College: Providence College, B.A., magna cum laude, Distinction in English Literature