Celestina Arismendi
Founding attorney, criminal defense
A public defender in Miami-Dade first, then a practice of her own in Coral Gables. She defends people in English and in Spanish, and keeps her caseload small enough to know each client.
Credentials
The record behind the name
Bar admissions
Florida
2008
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
2009
Courts
Miami-Dade County Court
Circuit Court, Eleventh Judicial Circuit
Broward County courts
Education
J.D., Florida International University College of Law
2008
B.A., Political Science, Florida International University
2005
Languages
Spanish
Native
English
Fluent
Why she does this work
Celestina's family left Caracas when she was fourteen. She remembers her parents trying to read official letters in a language they were still learning, and how much it mattered when someone explained them plainly.
As a public defender she carried a hundred cases at a time and met many clients only minutes before their hearing. She opened her own office to do the opposite: fewer cases, more time with each one, and the same lawyer from the first call to the end.
Who you'll speak with
Celestina handles every case herself. Her legal assistant, Benicio Belisario, answers the phone, schedules meetings and keeps your papers in order. Both speak Spanish.
Sample matters
A few cases, start to finish
Dismissed
Assault after a traffic dispute
A business's camera showed the other driver came at the client first.
2025
Not guilty
Battery at a restaurant
Self-defense, shown on the restaurant's own video.
2024
No charges filed
Insurance fraud investigation
The inquiry closed after we gave investigators the records.
2024
Sample matters, for illustration. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results don't promise a similar outcome in yours.
Meet her before you decide anything.
A first meeting at the office in Coral Gables or by video, in English or in Spanish.