Choosing a lawyer means choosing who stands between you and the State, an insurance company, or a jury. Three things set this firm apart: the forensic science training behind the defense, the courtroom experience behind the lawyer, and results you can check for yourself.
In a case that turns on a breath reading, a blood result, or a field sobriety score, the question is whether your lawyer can read that evidence the way the analyst does. Rory Safir can. He is one of only six attorneys in Florida who hold the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation, he serves on the Faculty of the National College for DUI Defense, and he is an NHTSA-qualified field sobriety instructor, trained to teach the same roadside exercises the officers use. He began his career trying cases as an Assistant Public Defender, so he has stood in front of juries from the start.
The credentials behind the work
ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist
One of only six in Florida, listed on the ACS-CHAL registry. Earned through hands-on forensic science training at Axion Analytical Labs and a proficiency exam.
NHTSA Field Sobriety Instructor
Qualified to teach the standardized roadside exercises, the same ones officers are trained on.
ARIDE Trained
Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, the curriculum bridging field sobriety testing and drug-impairment cases.
DRE Trial Techniques
A seminar taught by a former DRE instructor on reading and cross-examining the twelve-step drug recognition evaluation, trained to take one apart rather than to perform one.
Axion Forensic Training
Hands-on coursework at Axion Analytical Labs in forensic chromatography for alcohol, forensic drug analysis, and the science of drugged driving (DUID).
Former Assistant Public Defender
Tried cases in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit from the start of his career.
National College for DUI Defense
NCDD Faculty, one of the attorneys appointed to teach DUI defense to lawyers nationwide, with a public attorney profile and a seat on the National Task Force.
DUIDLA Member
Member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, a national network focused on the science of impaired-driving cases, with a member profile.
Super Lawyers Rising Stars
Selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2024, 2025, and 2026. See his Super Lawyers profile.
Justia 10.0 Rating
Rated 10.0 out of 10 by Justia, based on reviews from fellow attorneys. See his Justia profile.
Avvo 10.0 Rating
Rated 10.0, the highest possible Avvo rating, with the Top Attorney designation. See his Avvo profile.
Tampa’s Best 2025
Named a 2025 Silver Winner in the Defense Law Firm category by Tampa’s Best, chosen by public vote of Tampa Bay residents.
He wrote the book. Five times.
There is a classic vetting question when you are choosing a defense lawyer: how do you know this one knows DUI? Here the answer is literal. Rory Safir wrote the book on it, Arrested for DUI in Florida: What a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Wants You to Know Before You Plead, published in paperback and Kindle editions.
It is 250 pages and 19 chapters of plain English on what happens after a Florida DUI arrest, from the stop and the roadside exercises to the breath and blood machines and the courtroom.
He also wrote the reference other defense lawyers use. The Florida DUI Trial Manual is a roughly 780-page working reference on the forensic science behind breath, blood, and field sobriety testing and how to challenge it at trial, written for lawyers rather than for the people charged.
Free to Tampa Bay residents
Facing a charge? The book is free.
Request a copy: the digital edition arrives the moment you submit the form, so you can start reading right away, and a paperback from the first printing follows in the mail.
The same is true on the injury side. Hurt in a Florida Car Crash: The Plain-English Guide the Insurance Company Hopes You Never Read is the book Rory hands the person who was just hurt in a wreck and is already getting calls from an adjuster.
It is 325 pages and 21 chapters on what really happens after a crash: the two clocks, the coverage you may not know you have, why your medical record becomes your case, and the insurance company’s playbook named move by move.
Free to Tampa Bay crash victims
Hurt in a crash? The book is free.
Request a copy: the digital edition arrives the moment you submit the form, and a paperback from the first printing follows in the mail.
And now a third. Hurt on Someone Else’s Property: The Florida Guide to Falls, Attacks, and Dog Bites Nobody Hands You is the book for the person hurt at a store, an apartment complex, or a neighbor’s house, where the owner holds nearly all of the evidence.
It is 344 pages and 22 chapters on the evidence race, the notice fight, negligent security, dog bites, and the honest truth that many of these cases have to be filed as lawsuits.
Free to Tampa Bay residents
Hurt on someone else’s property? The book is free.
Request a copy: the digital edition arrives the moment you submit the form, and a paperback from the first printing follows in the mail.
And for the hardest calls the office gets: Hurt in a Florida Nursing Home: The Family’s Guide to Abuse, Neglect, and Wrongful Death Nobody Hands You is written for the daughter or son who suspects something is wrong and needs to know what to do tonight, this week, and after.
It is 340 pages and 23 chapters on the warning signs, the records race, the staffing spreadsheet at the root of almost everything, the arbitration trap in the admission papers, and how these cases are really proven. Rory worked on the defense side of these cases before he chose to stand with families, and the book is dedicated to his father.
Free to Florida families
Worried about a loved one? The book is free.
Request a copy: the digital edition arrives the moment you submit the form, and a paperback from the first printing follows in the mail.
See the proof
Free guide No. 08
Hiring the Right DUI Lawyer
Every DUI lawyer’s website says aggressive. This guide gives you the exact questions that reveal who plans to fight your evidence and who plans to plead you out. One request unlocks the whole Safir Guides library.
How we help
The same forensic and trial approach runs through every practice area. Start with the one that fits your case.
Local to Tampa Bay
The firm is based in St. Petersburg and works across Tampa Bay and the surrounding circuits every week, in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto. Knowing the local courthouses, the local procedures, and the way these cases move matters as much as knowing the law. See all the areas we serve.
Other lawyers refer their hardest cases
When a case turns on forensic science or is headed for trial, other attorneys refer it to this firm. If you are a lawyer with a DUI, forensic, or serious criminal case you want help on, the referrals page is the place to start.
Your whole story, not just your case
A prosecutor reads a police report, which holds the worst hour of your life and nothing else. Every client here completes a detailed biographical questionnaire, and those answers become a mitigation report: family, work, health, service, and context, delivered to the prosecutor early and to the court when sentencing is on the table. It is part of every case, at no additional fee.
Interviewing lawyers? I wrote down the questions worth asking any DUI lawyer, including me: who actually handles the case, whether they will pull the breath instrument records by serial number, what the fee really covers, and the red flags. Ask them of everyone you talk to.
