Judicial Candidate’s Real Resume: Defending Accused Sex Criminals
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Everybody charged with a crime deserves a defense.
That doesn’t mean that voters will support an attorney defending those accused of among the most odious offenses in society — sex crimes.
So Robert “Bob” Nichols, who is running for Broward County Court Group 5, does what any candidate would do. On his campaign website, he avoids details on what he really does for a living.
Nichols was a veteran sex crimes prosecutor for three years.
For the past nine years he has defended those accused of sex crimes.
Here are among the “routine cases routinely handled by Robert Nichols & Associates,” according to his law firm’s website:
- Internet Crimes
- Pornography
- Computer Crimes
- Capital Sexual Battery
- Rape
- Statutory Rape
- Lewd Exhibition
- Failure to Register
- Sexual Offender Laws
- Jimmy Rice Commitment
- Prostitution
Nichols obviously believes his specialty could be a problem in a race. On his campaign website he calls his specialty “civil litigation and criminal defense.”
No mention of sex crime defendants.
Will Nichols real resume make a difference to voters? Probably not since few voters will know about it.
His opponent is Olga Levine. She works for the Public Defender’s Office and “represent the interests of children and adults who are mental health consumers or have intellectual disabilities,” according to her campaign website.
Hmmmm.
September 10th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Nichols also ponied up to Sylvia Poitier and Terry Scott.
Poitier went to jail over my complaints.
Scott oversaw the Mango Festival and the ton of loot that went missing.
Bob, you are the company you keep.
Scum fucks all of them.
September 10th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Get real, Buddy… murder is far more “odious” than any sex crime. And some of Florida’s “sex crimes” are beyond ridiculous. Example – a person one day short of his or her 18th birthday has consensual sex with a 24 year old – that’s a second-degree felony. But the very next day, it’s perfectly legal. Can anyone seriously argue that there is some genuine harm that takes place – a genuine harm that is serious enough to be treated as a second degree felony – which just magically disappears overnight?
September 10th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
I heard recently that Nichols had a “Weiner” problem, but I didn’t realize it had to do with the clients he represented.
But after looking at his webpage, I guess the old saying is right — a picture is worth a thousand words.
Wonder when the other shoe drops on this Ned Flanders-wannabe dandy.
N-er Please!
September 11th, 2012 at 7:22 am
I’m voting for Levine anyway. But this post is pretty surprising. Kind of disappointed at the implication quite honestly. It’s sort of a new low and it points to why lay people are not qualified to select who is best suited to serve society as a judge.
September 11th, 2012 at 7:51 am
As you pointed out, “Everybody charged with a crime deserves a defense.” Since he was trained as a Prosecutor to handle these cases, it is not surprising that is what he did when he left the Prosecutor’s office.
Now I don’t know either of the candidates, but so long as his conduct/ethics has never been an issue in doing his job, I see no problem. Has it?
In fact his training may help him serve the community in identifying this behavior and how to prevent it.
BTW, this is not the first time an attorney representing questionable people has run and held office. It’s not the job, it’s how they handled the job that is the relevant question.
September 11th, 2012 at 8:19 am
Buddy, I guess you missed the class on constitutional law. It was the same one that talked about freedom of speech and it being protected no matter how onerous! you’re lucky it’s there
FROM BUDDY: I guess you missed the first sentence of my piece. Everybody deserves a defense. It is Nichols who is apparently ashamed of what he does. It is Nichols who left it off his resume.
September 11th, 2012 at 8:51 am
It is sad that Bob Nichols and Olga Levine feel the need to shy away from describing the nature of their legal practices particularly as it relates sex offenders.
It’s even more disappointing that Buddy feels the need to point it out as if there was something wrong or embarrassing with that kind of legal work.
In almost thirty years of practice as Assistant Public Defender and private attorney I have represented every kind of person including some of the lowest scum you would be happy to have never met.
I have never had a second thought.
Beginning with the Florida Bar Oath, a lawyer who refuses representation because the nature of the crime might spill over on his reputation is wrong: “I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed.”
You wonder if fifty years ago Buddy would have written about a lawyer who represented “naggers” and “figs” [Browardbeat political correctness requires the reader to switch the “a” and “i” in those two words]?
How about some lawyer who might have stepped forward to represent Jesus when he appeared before Herod? Was there anyone who was more despised??
I represent the sinner and not the “sin”. To be honest, the more publicly castigated the client the surer I am that I am doing the right thing.
Any lawyer who picks and chooses clients with his own reputation in mind should consider chiropractic college.
FROM BUDDY: I believe the public deserve all the facts. Nichols was deliberately hiding his specialty on his campaign website. The daily newspaper should have noted that, but they didn’t. So I did.
And, Fields, can’t you write a post that doesn’t use the “n” word or the “f” word or some other ethnic slur? You are not Don Rickles. This is not a Las Vegas stage. And I will continue to censor you when you write hateful and hurtful drivel. Use other examples!
September 11th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Ooooo yes! He was quite proud to tell me this at dinner ` I was stunned and somewhat scared ~ “you do what? oh my!!! I’m just a soccer mom!” Broward County deserves the best on the bench and he is not judicial material ~ I also wish for him to make a public apology to me. (((Thanks Buddy.))
Encouraging voters to support Olga Levine for sure! http://olgalevine.blogspot.com/p/endorsements.html
September 11th, 2012 at 10:20 am
@Buddy
To me, Fields appear more like “Ricki Lake”…
September 11th, 2012 at 11:17 am
Thanks for the story, Buddy. Most voters, myself included, don’t know much about judicial candidates. Mr Nichols presents an interesting type. “Red Broward” did a story on him how he is a Tea Party type, yet he also plays to the Democrats (Sylvia Pottier, DEC member Terry Scott)
I think this Nichols fellow is more of a conniving politician and would not make for a good judge. Just saying…
September 11th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
While it’s ok for Buddy to ban needless hateful speech from his webcite it’s a patently stupid idea to ban words “per se”.
Should the dictionary entry now say “The N Word”. Certainly it will confuse the editors as to whether it should be alphabetized under “t” “n” or “w”.
Should the Joseph Conrad book be re-titled “The N Word of Narcissus”?
How about Dick Gregory’s book “The N Word”
What about Huckleberry Finn? What should we do about Ni*ger Jim?
Oh, wait a minute they already did. A recent version now calls him “Slave Jim”. Mark Twain is rolling over in his grave.
Perhaps the rap group NWA should be called AAWA (African Americans With Attitude)
Would a politically correct Klansman be less hateful if he called for: “…lynching all the N-words.”
FROM BUDDY: Your use of the words are generally needless.
September 11th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Most of the commenters on this blog are liberal. It is kind of ironic that they are conspicuously absent from this thread defending the accused’s right to legal representation. Could it be that they know that Bob Nichols is a conservative law and order type and they are putting their liberal biases ahead of their desire to have qualified judges?
Even Sam Fields acknowledges that Nichols’ representing unsavory characters is necessary for our criminal justice system to work.
If you stack up the two individuals next to each other, there is no comparison between the two candidates. Nichols has almost twice the relevant experience as his opponent. He has been on the defense and prosecution side as well as over a thousand civil litigations.
September 11th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
>> He has been on the defense and prosecution side as well as over a thousand civil litigations.
And prolly has tons of cock pictures scattered throughout his client’s files.
Perfect.
***
I am liberal. I believe people should have access to top notch litigation.
I just don’t want those litigators running the show?
What’s next? Saul Goodman for State Attorney?
September 11th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
The issue with Bob is that he speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
One minute he is in Deerfield saying how he has given so much pro bono work to POrtier and the black community. Going on to say there are too many incarcerated blacks and more programs are needed to keep them out of jail. I seriously doubt he is going to the Taxed Enough Already meetings going on about how minorities need not be incarcerated but more programs which have to be funded by taxpayers? (common sense).
The issue with Bob is not that he defends perverts and kiddy diddlers everyone has a right to make a living it is the fact that there is an appearance that when it suits him he will concel this information where it benefits him.
September 11th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
“Timmy: turn off that darn computer, clean your room, take out the garbage and stop calling yourself “Chaz”. Tomorrow you are going to start looking for a job.”
September 11th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
@Judge Not:
Bob, thanks for your boring self absorbed reply. We all know how you feel about your defendants, after all “everyone has a bad day” right Bobby? I mean seriously your defendant, some scum of the earth prison guard decides to rape a handcuffed prisoner and your defense is that? You are not all that and a cup of coffee Bobby. Wash the Hershey squirts out of your shorts and fess up to your wife of 24 dedicated loving years what a fake you are as a husband and father. Hey BTW, any trips to Disney on the agenda?
September 11th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
@ You make the call
Based upon what Buddy and you have written, it seems Bob Nichols is lacking in integrity and sincerity
and not qualified to be a county court judge.
September 11th, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Hmmmm, I wonder why Bob Nichols friend and fellow Tea Party pal Gabe Carrera refuses to put up the video of Nichols speaking at the Tea Party Judicial Forum, electing to just put up a Nichols family photo.
If I had to guess, I wonder if Bobby said things that were quite pleasing to the Tea Party crowd but may not been seen the same way by Bobby’s friends in the black community like Terry Scott.
If Nichols and Carrera have nothing to hide why wont they show the video?
http://912warroom.com/2012-ftl-tea-party-judicial-forum/
September 11th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Buddy:
Not only is your column appropriate, it is needed here and unfortunately you missed it in the McHugh-Lieberman Race. McHugh hid the same facts of her practice that she listed on her website and bragged about. You and Mr. Fields are both right. Every one is entitled to a defense. The public is entitled to know and be nauseated by those who feel it is appropriate to brag and boast about their defense of predators and offenders. Yes, for all of you, I am lawyer. I’m proud of it and believe everybody is entitled to a defense but I wouldn’t brag about representing pedophiles and predators.
FROM BUDDY:
Ron Book is one of Florida’s premier lobbyists. After his daughter, Lauren, was molested by the family’s nanny, Book became a relentless champion of laws cracking down on sexual predators. His daughter now operates Lauren’s Kids, a non-profit organization designed to prevent child abuse through education.
September 11th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
I would vote for Nichols and not for Lamberti. At least Nichols defends the ones that are doing the f’ing. Lamberti is DOING the f’ing. SLIME.
September 11th, 2012 at 9:25 pm
to
you make the call-
surprise surprise. they tailor the pitch to the group. he wants to be elected. like ALL the others who ever run, they want to be elected.
doubtful he’ll get my vote now. I may even skip that line on the ballot
September 11th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Bob Nichols did not do anything other judicial candidates haven’t done and gotten away with. Look at Katie McHugh’s campaign website and her law office website. On the law office website, she boasts about helping sex offenders and other perverts. She even has a newspaper article where she says that a woman who was beaten for 8 days consented to be beaten. So, she defends the same kind of people Nichols does. Funny she doesn’t tell you that on her campaign website either. How come you missed that, Buddy?
September 11th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
I can understand how an individual can be a defense attorney for rapists, abusers,sex offfenders, etc. Everyone is entiltled to make an honest living. But whatI am having a bit of cognitive dissonance about is how one can do that AFTER one has seen first hand the effects of rapists and sex offenders on victims as a prosecutor. Olga Levine, you have just garnered another vote!
September 12th, 2012 at 3:20 am
Christine, what about the effects of outrageous prosecution? Remember, Florida is still prosecuting teenage consensual sex. People are going onto the sex offender list for consensual sex as teenagers. Do you think that consensual sex should result in a de facto life sentence on the sex offender list? Do you think these teens can reasonably start a family together if forced to live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway? Isn’t it possible that a lawyer could see first hand the fact that people who have consensual sex are not harming anyone and yet they are still being prosecuted?
These people are victims of the law – and the State of Florida is the only source of harm.
September 12th, 2012 at 7:29 am
Funny how people forget that Olga Levine has spent her entire career as a defense attorney handling all the same types of cases that all defense attorneys have a duty to handle. In fact…most of our judges were former defense attorneys.
September 12th, 2012 at 10:14 am
@ Ron and “other candidates” regarding Katie McHugh, sounds like you are stanch Lieberman supporters crying in your beer. The point of that race was the fact that MCHUGH has YEARS of courtroom experience and Lieberman has zilch. Get over it people, the best person won that race.
September 12th, 2012 at 10:25 am
The Tea Party loves to show their outrage over the missing Obama birth certifciate, so Mr. Carerra aka Mr. FTL Tea Party where is the video of Bob Nichols at the Tea Party forum? It is obvious that by remaining silent there are things Bob said at that meeting that he does not want put out for general consumption.
Transparancy Now!
September 12th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Fields is oblivious to what everybody else can read, which is that he is a closeted racist. Most white people don’t think of the n-word regularly like Fields. Racists like Fields do.
I agree with you, Buddy, he is offensive. Why do you publish him?
September 12th, 2012 at 11:29 am
Hey Drop the Drama,
Of course Florida is still prosecuting teenage sex. It’s because they are teens, and it can’t be fully consensual. Teens are not yet fully developed cognitively, physically or emotionally. They are not adults- they are teens. Not harming anyone? Not say psychologists and medical doctors.
September 12th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
The ultimate goal in life is to be who you are and to be the best you, you can be.
Be proud of the way you approach the world… the truth will set you free.
Demand the truth from Bob Nichols. We are the voters, take up your voices and make it so.
“If you truly own who you are
no one can use you against you.” ~ Chris Colfer
September 12th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Concerned citizen, missed the point. If it is a problem for Nichols, then it is a problem for McHugh. Just because she won doesn’t cure the problem. You can’t just pick on Nichols for what you turned a blind eye to with McHugh unless you are a hypocrite.
September 12th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Ms Bott I thought you understood that no one cares if you lusted after Nichols and he did not lust back. Give it up already. The truth about his personal life is not something that anyone but you is demanding.
September 13th, 2012 at 6:16 am
If the public thinks we have a problem with sex offenders? Then take a second look at the system and who defends them.Attorneys help revolve back onto the backs of the public these less than desirable examples of DNA. I appreciate Mr. Nevins bringing to light Mr. Nichol’s less than stellar resume’. The one thing I “Joe Public” dont need in “Florida a state already drowning in these freaks” is an partial Judge who has spent his career allowing these guys to continue feeding off our women and children. This is a no brainer Olga has my vote. (oh and thank you Mr. Book) no one could have said it better..
September 13th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
The fact that Bob Nichol is hiding from the voting public his expertise in Pornography, Rape, Statutory Rape, Lewd Exhibition and all Sexual Offender Laws is not the only problem with Nichols.
Bob Nichols is good buddy with Ft Lauderdale Tea Party guy Gabe Carrera and goes before them and spews Tea Party anti-woman, anti-immigrant, anti Obama venom. He then kisses up to DEC members such as Ann Zaucker, Ken Evans, Percy Johnson, Ken Keechl and others, little do they know Nichol’s Tea Party leaning. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nichols wins and when his true colors come out what will all those good DEC folk say?
September 13th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
No shock to hear Zucker is supporting Nichols, she is the same woman who supported the Drunk Drivers Friend versus a Judge Merrigan who defended this County and our freedoms at the front lines in the middle east.
http://www.browardbeat.com/the-war-hero-versus-the-drunk-drivers-friend/
September 13th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
how many cases on dockets were settled, plead, dismissed or resulted in guilty or not guilty verdicts as defense attorneys or prosecutors? is this info even readily searchable and available?
seems like plea deals are taken on many or does judge on these 2 attorneys decide this along with juries?