When you walk into a Miami courtroom, it can feel like everyone is lined up against you. The government has lawyers, investigators, & resources. You might feel alone. That moment, when someone most needs a steady voice by their side, is where attorney Erick Cruz chooses to stand.
In his bio video, Erick explains why he handles some of the most complex & serious cases at Beckham Law Firm, including litigation in federal court, and why he still loves going to court after nearly 15 years in criminal defense.
Meet The Attorney Who Grew Up Around The Justice System
Erick’s connection to the criminal justice system started long before law school. In the video, he shares that his father worked as a bail bondsman and that he “always wanted to be an attorney” from the time he was a kid. Growing up in Miami, he saw first-hand how families scramble when someone gets arrested and how much difference the right lawyer can make.
That early exposure led him to Miami-Dade College for his associate’s degree, then to the University of Miami, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology. From there, he went on to Stetson College of Law, graduating with honors. While at Stetson, he served as a certified legal intern in the Pinellas County Public Defender’s Office, gaining practical experience representing people who could not afford a lawyer.
Those years built the foundation for the attorney you see in the video: someone who understands the system not just from books, but from real cases & real lives.
From Miami Prosecutor To Dedicated Defense Counsel
After law school, Erick’s path took him straight into public service. In 2007, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle hired him as a prosecutor. He started in county court, handling misdemeanor cases & criminal traffic offenses. Before long, he moved to the juvenile division, prosecuting cases involving young people accused of crimes.
His performance led to another step forward. He became the first prosecutor from his class to move to the felony division. There, he handled a wide range of serious charges, including property crimes, violent offenses, & narcotics cases. That experience now gives him a detailed understanding of how the state investigates, files, & tries felony cases in Miami-Dade County.
In his video, he reflects on how those years affect his work today: “Certainly that background helps me tremendously in my day to day criminal defense practice. Not just knowing what we’re looking for as prosecutors, but also the relationships that I have with the prosecutors who are still there.”
That insight fits squarely into the trial team at Beckham Law Firm, which includes former prosecutors & a former public defender. Erick adds another strong voice who knows firsthand how the other side thinks.
Handling Serious & Complex Cases, Including Federal Court
At Beckham Law Firm, Erick handles many of the more complex & more serious cases. In the video, he introduces himself plainly: “I’m one of the criminal defense attorneys here at the firm, and I handle a lot of more complex cases, the more serious cases, including litigation in federal court.”
His background supports that role. While at the State Attorney’s Office, he helped launch the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Economic Crimes Mortgage Fraud Unit as one of its founding members. In that role, he received extensive training on how to identify, investigate, & prosecute complex mortgage fraud and other economic crimes. He worked closely with the Miami-Dade Mortgage Fraud Task Force on cases involving significant financial losses & complicated paper trails.
After he left the State Attorney’s Office in 2011 to open his own criminal defense practice, he expanded that work to the defense side. Over more than a decade, he has represented:
- Healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, & administrators, in health care fraud cases.
- Lawyers & white-collar professionals facing allegations that can threaten careers & licenses.
- Police officers accused of excessive force.
He also appears in federal court, where he represents healthcare executives in health care fraud prosecutions, business owners charged with wire & bank fraud, and individuals accused of obtaining fraudulent government loans, including PPP & SBA loans. He serves as a member of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel in federal court, handling appointed federal criminal cases for people who qualify.
Using Both Sides Of The System To Protect Clients
One of the key themes in Erick’s video is how his time as a prosecutor still shapes his defense work. He explains that his prior role gives him insight into what prosecutors look for in a file and how they build a case. Just as important, he highlights the ongoing professional relationships he maintains.
As he puts it, “That background helps me tremendously… being able to pick up the phone and call a prosecutor. And that usually helps resolve a lot of cases in a favorable way.”
That kind of access matters when your future is on the line. Erick uses his understanding of the state’s playbook and his working relationships in the courthouse to engage prosecutors early, present information they might not have seen yet, and press for better outcomes when the facts & law support it.
His approach lines up with the broader philosophy at Beckham Law Firm: we practice criminal defense only, in Miami-Dade County only, and we draw on decades in these courtrooms to anticipate how cases might unfold.
Standing Next To Clients When Others Turn Away
The most striking part of Erick’s video has nothing to do with credentials. It has to do with how he sees his role when someone stands accused of a crime.
He tells viewers, “I love what I do, I love going to court every day. I like being able to stand next to my client, and being essentially the only person who’s there standing up for them.”
Then he explains why that matters so much. “Oftentimes when a person is charged with a crime, I tell them it’s almost the worst thing that they can have because a lot of people turn their backs on you. And when you go to court, you have the government, you have a representative of the government, you have people who are kind of pointing their finger directly at your client, and you’re the only person who can stand there and defend them.”
He ends that thought with a simple statement: “I take that very seriously, and I’m proud to do that for my clients.”
That sense of responsibility shows up in his broader practice. Erick focuses on core constitutional protections. He uses the Fourth Amendment to challenge unlawful searches & seizures, and files motions to suppress when officers overstep legal boundaries. He invokes the Fifth Amendment to protect clients from self-incrimination, and the Sixth Amendment to enforce the right to a fair trial, competent counsel, and the ability to confront witnesses.
He also has a track record litigating Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, where careful case preparation & advocacy have led to successful motions to dismiss in appropriate cases. And because not every case should go to trial, he invests early effort in negotiation, which has led to hundreds of pretrial dismissals over the course of his career.
Teacher, Trainer & Active Member Of Miami’s Legal Community
Erick’s work does not stop at the courthouse steps. He teaches criminal pretrial procedure as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, sharing day-to-day practice lessons with law students who will soon stand in Miami courtrooms themselves. He also trains officers through the Miami-Dade Police Training Bureau, helping law enforcement understand how their decisions in the field play out later in court.
Those teaching roles help keep his knowledge current and deepen his relationships across the local legal community. They also fit well with the culture at Beckham Law Firm, where our attorneys and staff draw on long-standing ties with judges, prosecutors, & fellow defense lawyers throughout Miami-Dade County.
What It’s Like To Work With Erick
When someone hires Erick, they meet with him personally. He sits down with clients, goes through the facts, and works with them to build a defense strategy. He understands that facing criminal charges is one of the most stressful experiences a person can have, so he focuses on clear communication and steady guidance throughout the process.
His exclusive focus on criminal defense has allowed him to build strong professional relationships with other defense attorneys, prosecutors, & criminal court judges. Those relationships, combined with his trial background and negotiation skills, help him guide clients through investigations, prosecutions, and post-conviction matters.
At Beckham Law Firm, we serve Miami-Dade County only, and our team stays available 24/7 because legal problems rarely wait for business hours. Our lawyers, including Erick, handle the full range of criminal charges in state & federal court, and our staff communicates fluently in English & Spanish so clients can speak in the language that feels most natural.
Get To Know Erick Before You Ever Call
If you or someone you care about faces criminal charges, you deserve to know who stands next to you in court. Erick’s video offers a straightforward way to see how he thinks, how he talks about clients, and why he values this work.
Watch the video above to hear him describe, in his own words, what it means to be “the only person who’s there standing up” for someone when they feel the whole system has turned against them. If you want to talk with our team about your situation, you can reach Beckham Law Firm any time at (786) 244-8010 for a free case evaluation.
