Michael C. Minardi
Michael C. Minardi is the Senior Partner at Minardi Law. For over 23 years, Michael has dedicated his practice to fighting for clients charged with cannabis crimes. His passion has driven him to learning and understanding medical cannabis laws in the State of Florida and throughout the country.
Michael’s practice represents clients in corporate cannabis consulting, application preparation, lobbying, forfeiture matters, employee rights issues, personal injury cases, and criminal matters. He has won many medical cannabis cases, including several landmark high-profile cases in Florida. He won the first and second jury trials in Florida presenting the medical necessity defense to cultivation and possession of cannabis charges. Michael has represented many patients, including over a dozen veterans, facing charges for using marijuana as medicine. He successfully defended Kristoffer Lewandowski in Oklahoma, a ten-year marine veteran, who was facing two years to life in prison for five plants.
Michael continues to be at the forefront in Florida in educating the public on the safety of cannabis and bringing light to the harm being perpetuated by current laws. He continues to represent clients in cases that will have a statewide impact, including fighting for employee rights to use marijuana in Giambrone vs. Hillsborough County, and challenging the validity of the cannabis/hemp roadside test kits used by law enforcement throughout Florida. He was named in THC Magazine as 1 of 100 People You Should Know, 6n October 2016 he was named Freedom Fighter of the Month in High Times Magazine and quoted in Forbes Magazine and covered in VICE. Michael also ran for the Florida House of Representatives in 2022 but lost in the primary election.
Michael is a Lifetime Member of the National NORML Legal Committee, a board member of The Silver Tour, and Board member and Legal Director of NORML of Florida. Michael earned his undergraduate degree Cum Laude from the University of Rhode Island in 1998, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center in 2002, where he was a Senior Staff Member of the Nova Law Review.
Practice Jurisdictions:
- Florida State Courts
- Florida Federal Courts, Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts
- Federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeal
Current Associations:
- Board Member and Legal Director, NORML of Florida
- Co-founder Tu Canna 420 Foundation
- Lawyer Legion
- Board Member, The Silver Tour, Educating Seniors on the Medical Benefits of Cannabis
Melissa E. Dean
Associate Lawyer
Melissa E. Dean is an Associate Attorney at Minardi Law. Her practice focuses on personal injury litigation, appeals, and matters involving cannabis, psychedelics, and other controlled-substances-related legal issues.
Melissa’s work is rooted in advocacy for individuals and organizations navigating high-stakes legal issues involving controlled substances at the state and federal level. She has developed a growing practice representing clients in matters involving cannabis regulation, psychedelic policy, religious liberty, civil rights, and criminal liability.
Her experience includes supporting litigation and briefing involving Free Exercise protections and government enforcement, including work with the North American Association of Visionary Churches, where she serves as trial counsel for an ayahuasca church in federal civil-rights litigation arising under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Melissa has also contributed to appellate and amicus work addressing novel legal questions at the intersection of controlled-substances law, public policy, and the constitutional rights of entheogenic religions and Florida employees using medical marijuana.
Melissa also brings substantial plaintiff-side personal injury experience to the firm. She has represented injured clients against insurance companies throughout her career, managed a high-volume motor vehicle accident caseload in pre-litigation, and represented clients in litigation matters involving automobile collisions, trucking accidents, premises liability, negligent security, and wrongful death claims. Her experience includes evaluating liability, damages, and insurance coverage, developing demand strategy, negotiating settlements, and handling cases through discovery, mediation, and trial preparation.
Melissa earned her undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida in 2013, where she completed certificates in Trial Advocacy & Litigation and Criminal Law & Individual Liberties and competed on the Mock Trial Team. She later attended Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law on a full academic scholarship, served in student leadership, and became a member of The Florida Bar in 2021. In the summer of 2025, she was selected to participate in the Psychedelics Bootcamp at Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics.
Beyond her legal practice, Melissa is active in organizations focused on leadership, civil rights, and drug-policy reform. Early in her career, she served as Secretary of the Treasure Coast Justice Association, chaired the Young Lawyers Section of the Martin County Bar Association, and was honored to represent the 19th Judicial Circuit on The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors. She is also a founding member and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Psychedelic Bar Association, where she contributes to its Litigation & Advocacy initiatives. In addition, she serves in leadership with Decriminalize Nature Florida, advancing statewide drug-policy reform and civil rights advocacy.
Current Bar Admissions:
- The Florida Bar
- USDC Middle District of Florida
- US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
- US Supreme Court
Current Associations:
- The Psychedelic Bar Association - Board Member
- Decriminalize Nature Florida - Board Member
Current Associations
