JUSTIN GRIFFIS

Justin Griffis Bio

After graduating from the University of Miami Law School in 2002, Justin went to work as a prosecutor at the Broward County (Florida) State Attorney’s Office.  During his more than 20 years as a prosecutor, he has made it a priority to stay at the forefront of criminal law and emerging technologies, frequently dealing with unresolved constitutional issues. From the cloud to social media and cellphones to smart homes, the nature of criminal prosecutions has changed dramatically in just the past decade.  Since technology plays such a prominent role in today’s investigations and prosecutions, he helps bring this critical change into focus for his colleagues, law enforcement officers and the people of Florida. 

Justin began his career as a line prosecutor, before moving to the Domestic Violence Unit. From there he was promoted to the Sexual Battery and Child Abuse Unit, where he spent over a decade prosecuting sexually motivated offenses before becoming a supervisor in the unit.  His work within that specialized unit led to him becoming one of the first dedicated Human Trafficking prosecutors in Broward County.  This led to the creation of the dedicated Cybercrime Unit which he has overseen since its creation in 2020.  Justin collaborates with the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and multiple Counter Terrorism and Threat Management Units.  

His knowledge and experience regarding digital forensics, electronic service providers and electronic devices led to his role in the prosecution of the MSD High School (Parkland) mass shooter.  Cybercrime prosecutions are known to be extraordinarily complex in nature and they involve a wide variety of crimes and platforms, and includes crimes such as revenge porn, exploitation of minors, threats to conduct terroristic acts such as school shootings, “swattings”, child pornography and AI manipulated imagery.  The technologies that are being used to commit these crimes often vary from area to area.  Since technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, the law is often playing catchup making it an ever-challenging area to practice in. 

Justin regularly lectures for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, the National District Attorneys Association, Broward College Institute of Public Safety and numerous law enforcement agencies on topics including cybercrime, search warrants, child abuse, trial strategy, sexual assault investigations, artificial intelligence in criminal cases, legal ethics regarding social media and the use of technology in criminal investigations.  He also regularly serves as a public speaker to parents, children, school faculty and attorneys about the potential dangers of social media.  

An authority on understanding the importance of these concepts, he knows that it is imperative that these skills that are needed to maximize your results as a detective/investigator in today’s world.  These cases are technically difficult and frequently require a balancing act of thoroughly investigating crimes, while not running over the privacy rights of citizens.  Justin is known for being a fabulous storyteller.  His ability to incorporate details from real life cases into his presentations is a big reason as to why he is such a popular instructor.