Bryan P. Caughey, Esq. is the founding member of Caughey Law, PLLC, a law firm that was founded on the idea of being dedicated to criminal defense. Bryan has been focused on criminal law for over a decade and laying the foundation to be prepared to advance your best defense for even longer. Knowing that he wanted to be an advocate in the courtroom, Bryan attended and graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Economics. While studying at Florida State, Bryan concentrated on philosophy courses to develop his analytical and reasoning skills. With an eye towards the future and an “all in” approach to becoming the best future lawyer possible, Bryan took classes such as Reasoning and Critical Thinking, Symbolic Logic and Philosophy of Ethics.
With a strong foundation in logic and critical thinking, Bryan attended Law School at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. While attending, Bryan selected a course load that focused on criminal law. Bryan took classes such as Criminal Procedure: Investigation and Adjudication, Criminal Substantive Law, and Constitutional Law. While in law school, Bryan participated in the Capital Defense Project Clinic, working on post conviction and appellate issues on death penalty cases, as a certified legal intern and eventually earning the leadership role of Clinic Fellow. During his time in law school, Bryan earned the “Book” award for earning the highest grade in the class for both his work in the Clinic and in Ethics. Bryan Graduated with Honors, Cum Laude, in 2013.
After passing the Florida Bar on the first attempt, Bryan accepted a position in Citrus County with the Office of the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. During his time as a prosecutor, Bryan earned the reputation as a fair, honest and logical attorney. He was trusted with handling cases from misdemeanor suspended license, all the way to homicide during his tenure. Bryan used his critical thinking skills during dozens of felony jury trials involving everything from grand theft, to burglary, to drug trafficking, to kidnapping. His signature closing argument was to print the elements of the crime on a poster board and systematically walk the jury through how each was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
While serving as a prosecutor, Bryan was also trusted with several teaching opportunities, frequently teaching trial tactics during the Sheriff’s Office DART program for new recruits, Citizen’s Academy and providing training and case law updates for the Circuit. Bryan was an informal mentor for younger attorneys in the office and often would work as a sounding board for case management and trial strategy, exposing him to a great variety of scenarios and issues to overcome, further expanding his repertoire of both prosecution and defense tactics.
After eight years as a prosecutor, it was time for a new challenge and there was a desire to serve his community in a different capacity. It was clear that the next step was to use his reasoning skills, knowledge of the law and the criminal justice system to help those accused of crimes. Bryan received an opportunity to make the transition into private practice and work with a preeminent local attorney. Now in private practice, Bryan’s passion is to explain the system, the case and the prosecutor’s tactics to his clients. He still often prints out the elements of each crime to explain how the defense can negate or disprove certain elements. Many clients have told Bryan that no attorney before has taken the time to break down the case and explain possible outcomes as thoroughly as he does. Bryan’s approach to defense work is an iron fist with a velvet glove: to use the analysis of the issues in your case to advocate for the best outcome possible, while holding on to his reputation for knowing the law and having the litigation skills to back up the negotiations. This is a reputation that has been earned by a decade of effective advocacy in the area. The greatest compliment Bryan received as an attorney was that ‘he’ll hit you hard, but hit you fair’.
When you or a loved one is arrested you need a lawyer who is dedicated to criminal defense. Bryan’s life work is in criminal law, honing his litigation skills and preparing to represent you. He works full time on advocacy for his clients. His passion for defending your rights under the Constitution is only matched by his empathy and understanding of your specific case. When you need an attorney to defend you, make the logical choice.
When not working your case, Bryan enjoys living in Citrus County, spending time with his wife, fishing, archery and cooking wild game on his Big Green Egg.
