Reporters call Rory Safir when a case turns on the science. ABC, CBS, and FOX have asked him again and again to break down the forensic evidence behind the headlines. As one of only six ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientists in Florida, he can explain the chemistry and the procedure behind a case in plain language, without the jargon that loses a jury or a viewer.
Legal commentary and analysis
A selection of Rory’s appearances. Each one links to the full segment or article.
Featured appearance
White House Correspondents’ Dinner Attack: What Happens Next in the Cole Allen Case
Can Your ChatGPT Messages Be Used Against You in Court? | Criminal Defense Lawyer Explains
Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Pleads Guilty | Why Rex Heuermann Took the Deal & What Comes Next
Hunter S. Thompson Death Review Explained | CBI Reaffirms Suicide After Independent Investigation
Alex Pretti Shooting Sparks Federal vs State Constitutional Fight | Quick Legal Breakdown
ICE Fears in the Hmong Community | Legal Guidance
What Happens Next to Nicolas Maduro | Legal Analysis
Can Florida Charge Venezuela’s President Maduro? | Legal Analysis
Can Prescription Drugs Get You a DUI? | What Law Enforcement Won’t Tell You
Why DUIs Spike on Holidays | How to Stay Safe
Plate Readers on Private Property | Legal Analysis
Quoted in the press
Written commentary and analysis picked up by national and regional news outlets.
Selections and listings the firm has written up: Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and the Tampa’s Best 2025 Silver Winner selection. Listings recognize past work and never guarantee results.
A summer with the firm: law student Taylor Teeple spent the summer working cases the right way, and the write-up covers what she brought and where she is headed.
Read it: the post.
Rory Safir was named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 for criminal defense in Florida, an invitation-only listing capped at 40 lawyers under 40 per state.
The announcement and what the selection recognizes: read the post.
Commentary on the gap in how license plate readers are regulated. Florida statutes govern Flock cameras on public roads, and no equivalent framework covers homeowners associations, condominiums, or apartment complexes, where a tenant has no way to opt out of being recorded where they live.
Covered by Jacksonville Today, then picked up by The Cool Down and Yahoo News.
Live panel analysis of the forensic turning point in the Nancy Guthrie case: the CODIS non-match, investigative genetic genealogy as a lead-generation tool, and why the pacemaker timeline matters.
Appeared on Court TV, February 19, 2026 (segment recap).
Commentary on why breath tests miss drug impairment and how prescription medications can still lead to DUI charges as drugged driving rises among younger drivers.
Covered by NBC 10 WJAR I-Team.
Commentary on the legal questions when a minor causes a serious e-bike crash, including when a parent’s choices can create liability.
Covered by KOLD News 13 Fact Finders.
Forensic commentary for Fox News Digital on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s independent review reaffirming its original findings in the 2005 death of writer Hunter S. Thompson, and how agencies revisit high-profile cases decades later.
Covered by Fox News Digital (video).
Commentary on artificial intelligence in criminal cases: prompts to chatbots like ChatGPT are not protected by attorney-client privilege, they can be discoverable as electronic communications with a third party, and an AI tool cannot substitute for a lawyer.
Covered by AZFamily, WVNS, CBS6 Albany, and Gulf Coast News Now.
Commentary on HB-359, a Florida bill that would extend the window for police to search electronic devices seized under a warrant from 45 days to a year. Rory gave the defense and privacy counterpoint, warning that a longer window invites slower, more open-ended searches and lengthens a person’s exposure to government review of their digital life.
Covered by Poliverse.
Commentary on how Florida treats first-time child neglect cases, including deferred prosecution agreements in cases where no injury occurs.
Covered by New York Post, AOL, and MSN.
Analysis of impaired-driving law, explaining that drivers can face DUI charges from prescription medication, cannabis, or extreme fatigue, not only from alcohol.
Covered by News 3 Las Vegas.
Legal commentary on a murder-for-hire case tied to a custody dispute.
Covered by OK Magazine.
Radio
Live radio interviews on the cases in the news and the science underneath them.
A full segment on Florida’s plate reader fight, and the forensic lawyer-scientist read on it: the governor’s warning that the growth of these cameras is “out of control,” what the systems capture and how long they keep it, the public safety case agencies make for them, and whether the Legislature ends up regulating them or removing them.
Guest of Manny Munoz on NewsRadio WIOD, Miami, August 27, 2026.
Media inquiries
Producers and reporters working on a DUI, forensic science, or criminal case can reach the firm directly at (727) 761-4318. Rory is available for on-camera analysis, background, and written commentary.
