Attorney Ann Fitz
Ann is a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, the Palm Beach Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. She is also a member of the Henry Morrison Flagler Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which works to benefit veterans and Gold Star families. She graduated from Furman University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999, double-majoring in English and Communication Studies, then attended Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, earning her Juris Doctor degree in 2003.
Ann has previously served as a federal Panel Attorney under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) in Atlanta and Los Angeles, and she is currently a CJA Panel Attorney in the Southern District of Florida for the West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Ft. Pierce divisions. She is a member of the Southern District of Florida's Ad Hoc CJA Panel Selection Committee that reviews the qualifications of applicants for membership on the CJA Panel and recommends the best qualified attorneys for admission to the Court.
Over the years, Ann has proven herself as a reputable criminal attorney by handling numerous high-profile white collar cases with skill and a no-nonsense approach. She has been recognized as a leader in federal criminal defense by Super Lawyers, the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Association of Distinguished Counsel, and other organizations.
Her distinctive accomplishments in criminal defense have been featured in numerous nationally well-known publications and media outlets including Rolling Stone Magazine, Wired Magazine, CBS’s 48 Hours Mystery and NBC’s Nightly News. She is a chapter author for the Lexis-Nexis Practice Guide: Georgia Criminal Law and has served as a seminar speaker on the topic of white collar crime.
In addition to her work in criminal defense, Ann has represented clients in select civil litigation, mediation and arbitration cases, including employment discrimination cases against the federal government and breach of contract disputes. She currently serves as a Public Arbitrator for FINRA, where she is responsible for listening to both sides of securities-related disputes, weighing the facts and evidence, and rendering final and binding decisions.
Highlights
Ann Fitz is Licensed in Multiple Jurisdictions
Ann is licensed in numerous states and federal jurisdictions, including all federal district courts in Florida. She has prepared motions and briefs in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Circuits, as well as the United States Supreme Court, and has represented clients in federal district courts throughout Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Ann Fitz is Experienced in Handling High-Profile Cases
Some of her notable cases include a $25 million loan modification scheme, a $12 million tax fraud scheme, and a $7 million Ponzi scheme. She represented a client who was listed on the top-ten most-wanted list in a fraud and identity theft case featured on an episode of CBS’s 48 Hours Mystery, as well as the lead defendant in the Atlanta prosecution of the Black Mafia Family (BMF). She successfully sued Morgan Stanley on behalf of a retired employee, causing the brokerage to overhaul their retirement program. And she has raised novel constitutional challenges to the applicability of the Florida and Georgia sex offender registration laws to individuals who, she argued, were exempt from registration, changing the law in Georgia and presenting precedent-setting issues to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ann Fitz is Called Upon as a Cable News Legal Analyst
Ann has proven herself to be media-savvy in the representation of high-profile clients, advocating for the defense in the "court of public opinion" when appropriate. Outside of the courtroom, she has been sought-after to provide her insights and opinions as a legal commentator on the Fox News Network, CNN, HLN, and MSNBC, and appeared as a regular guest on truTV’s In Session (formerly CourtTV) from 2009-2011.
Education
- Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, Macon, Georgia, May, 2003 J.D.
- Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, May, 1999 B.A. Double-Major: English, Communications Studies
Bar Admissions
State Bar Admissions
- Florida
- Georgia
- New York
- California (inactive)
- Ohio (inactive)
- South Carolina (inactive)
Federal District Court Admissions
- Southern District of Florida
- Middle District of Florida
- Northern District of Florida
- Northern District of Georgia
- Middle District of Georgia
- Southern District of Georgia
- Central District of California
- Southern District of California
- Western District of Tennessee
- District of South Carolina
- Southern District of New York
Federal Appellate Court Admissions
- 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
- 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
Honors
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2013)
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2014)
- Top 10 Under 40, National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys (2014)
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2016)
- America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys (2018)
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Criminal Litigator (2019)
Published Works
- Chapter Author, Persse et al., Georgia Criminal Practice Guidebook (Matthew Bender) Chapter 1: Criminal Jurisdiction (2012)
- Chapter Author, Persse et al., Georgia Criminal Practice Guidebook (Matthew Bender) Chapter 14: Appeals (2012)
Speaker
- Nuts and Bolts of Business Law, Trends in White Collar Crime, Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education (2008)
- Constitution Day Keynote Speaker, Keiser University, Pembroke Pines, Florida (2020)
Pro-Bono Activities
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, Henry Morrison Flagler Chapter
- Ad Hoc CJA Panel Selection Committee Member
- FINRA Public Arbitrator
Professional Associations
- Palm Beach County Bar Association,
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel
- Federal Bar Association, Palm Beach Chapter