Petkovich Law Firm is a boutique, woman-owned litigation practice based in the Miami–Coral Gables–Doral area of South Florida. Led by founder Ivette Gonzalez Petkovich, the firm focuses on criminal and regulatory defense along with a niche practice in cannabis law, serving clients across Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and throughout Florida.
At its core, the firm is a criminal defense practice. Petkovich represents individuals and businesses facing investigations and charges in both state and federal court, including white-collar offenses, drug crimes, and other serious felonies. Drawing on experience as a former prosecutor, the attorney emphasizes strategic motion practice, thorough case investigation, and trial-ready advocacy to protect clients’ rights when they are under intense government scrutiny.
A key component of the practice is federal crime defense. The firm handles matters in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and other federal jurisdictions, where procedural rules and sentencing guidelines can be significantly different from state court. Clients often seek help with fraud, conspiracy, and other complex federal charges that require careful navigation of investigations, plea negotiations, and potential trials.
Petkovich Law Firm is also widely recognized for its cannabis law work. The firm advises clients on Florida’s tightly regulated medical marijuana system, including those seeking licensure as medical marijuana treatment centers, hemp cultivators and distributors, and ancillary cannabis businesses. It assists with licensing applications, business structure, regulatory compliance, and interactions with the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use. The attorney has been an educator and commentator on Florida’s evolving medical marijuana framework since early in the state’s legalization campaign, giving the firm an in-depth understanding of both the law and the politics surrounding cannabis.
Beyond business-side cannabis issues, the firm represents physicians, patients, and other professionals whose licenses or livelihoods may be affected by cannabis-related conduct. This includes counseling health care professionals on prescribing and certification rules, helping patients and caregivers understand their legal protections and limitations, and defending clients when alleged non-compliance threatens criminal charges or administrative sanctions.
The practice also includes DUI defense and broader criminal traffic matters, where the firm challenges stops, testing procedures, and other aspects of law enforcement conduct. In addition, Petkovich Law Firm maintains a family law docket, handling divorce, custody, and related disputes that sometimes intersect with criminal or cannabis issues, such as allegations of substance use affecting parental rights.
Another distinctive area is representation of health care professionals. The firm assists doctors, nurses, and other licensed providers facing investigations, disciplinary actions, or criminal allegations that could jeopardize their careers. For practitioners engaged with medical marijuana or controlled substances in general, this combination of criminal, regulatory, and cannabis-specific experience can be especially valuable.
Overall, Petkovich Law Firm positions itself as a small, highly focused practice that blends criminal defense, cannabis law, and select civil matters. For clients involved with Florida’s medical marijuana industry or facing criminal exposure related to drugs, white-collar offenses, or professional licensing, the firm markets a combination of trial skills and regulatory insight tailored to the fast-changing legal landscape around cannabis and criminal justice in Florida.
For prospective clients, the firm emphasizes free consultations, round-the-clock availability, and the responsiveness of a boutique shop, where cases receive direct partner-level attention rather than being routed through multiple layers of associates, staff, paralegals, and support.