Sabarish P. Neelakanta, Esq. – Attorney at Law


Practice Areas:

Criminal Defense
Marital and Family Law
Personal Injury
Trial Advocacy
Civil Litigation
Appellate Practice

Attorney, Sabarish P. Neelakanta (“Sab”), is the Owner and Principal at SPN Law, LLC. An experienced trial attorney, Sab has conducted over fifty jury and bench trials, in the areas of Criminal Defense and Family Law.  He has counseled hundreds of defendants facing substantial prison sentences for charges ranging from burglary, sexual battery, drug offenses and other violent crimes including homicide.  He has served as lead trial counsel on numerous misdemeanor, felony, juvenile delinquency, and appellate cases.  Moreover, as a member of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, Sab has also tried contested matters – involving issues such as pre-marital agreements, child custody, child support, alimony, division of marital property, and termination of parental rights – before judges throughout Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

Sab has focused much of his continuing legal education on ethics and professionalism in law and serves on both the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion for the Palm Beach County Bar Association, and the Craig S. Barnard, American Inns of Court LIV. Beyond his involvement with other attorneys, Sab is actively involved in the South Florida community and volunteers for several fundraisers and charitable events each year, and serves on the Board of Directors to Club 100 Charities – a local non-profit organization that works to develop programs and fund projects for the community’s elderly, and disadvantaged youths.  Sab lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife and daughter.

Education:

J.D., Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Order of the Barristers; Editor-in-Chief, ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law; Moot Court Honor Society

M.A., International Affairs/Asian Studies, George Washington University (Washington,DC)
Foreign Language Fellow

Certificate, Johns Hopkins University (Washington, DC)
Japanese Language Institute

Certificate, Kansai University of International Studies (Osaka, Japan)

B.A., History, Florida Atlantic University
With Distinction; History Honor Society; Student Government Senator (Rules & Policies
Committee)

Associations & Memberships:

  • Criminal, Family, and Trial Sections of the Florida Bar (2006 – Present)
  • Palm Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education (2011 – Present))
  • Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Palm Beach County Bar Association (Criminal Practice Committee (2011 – Present); Diversity & Inclusion Committee (2011 – Present))
  • Craig S. Barnard, American Inns of Court LIV (2011 – Present)
  • American Constitution Society

Awards, Recognitions & Public Service:

  • Recognized as an “Up & Comer” in the 2012 Florida Legal Elite (Florida Trend Magazine) – Only 2% of the more than 67,000 active Florida Bar attorneys in the state are recognized with this distinction.
  • Sponsor – 2012 Alliance for Eating Disorders Golf Classic (PGA National Resort).
  • Sponsor – 2011 Muscular Dystrophy Association of Palm Beach County (“Lock Up” Charitable Drive).
  • Southeastern Regional Coordinator (October 2008, Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Thomas Tang International Moot Court Competition sponsored by the National Asian-Pacific American Bar Association.
  • Mock Trial Judge (April 2008, West Palm Beach, FL) – American Association for Justice National Student Trial Advocacy Competition Finals.
  • (2008) Graduate of Western Trial Advocacy Institute
  • (2007) Best Trial Advocate Award (Florida Public Defender Association)

Admissions:

  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Languages:

  • English; Tamil; Japanese