Anthony C. Musto
Adjunct Professor of Law
Email: amusto@stu.edu
Mail:
St. Thomas University College of Law
Faculty Suite (209)
16401 NW 37th Ave
Miami Gardens, FL 33054
Education:
B.G.S., University of Miami
J.D., Catholic University of America
Expertise:
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Evidence
Anthony C. Musto
During his 11 years as a full-time member of the faculty, and as an adjunct since 2016, Anthony C. Musto has taught Evidence, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I and II, Advanced Evidence, Advanced Criminal Law, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Juvenile Law, and Appellate Practice. From 2000-2005, he taught Legal Writing and Advanced Legal Writing as an adjunct.
Prof. Musto is board certified by The Florida Bar in both juvenile law and appellate practice, is a two-term member of the Bar’s Appellate Practice Certification Committee, and a recipient of the Justice Harry Lee Anstead Florida Bar Board Certified Lawyer of the Year Award, which “recognizes exemplary professionalism, excellence, character and commitment to The Florida Bar’s certification program and to the practice of law.” Over the years, his practice has focused primarily on appeals, civil and criminal litigation, children’s law, and local government and administrative matters. He has handled well over 1,000 appellate proceedings, including more than 75 on the merits in the Supreme Court of Florida.
During his career, he has served as a City Commissioner for the City of Hallandale Beach, the Chief Counsel of the Florida Attorney General’s Miami Office, the Chief Appellate Counsel of the Broward County Attorney’s Office, an Assistant State Attorney, an Assistant Public Defender, a special master for code enforcement matters, an arbitrator for Lemon Law disputes, and a hearing officer for both traffic infraction and school expulsion proceedings.
Prof. Musto is a Fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and The Florida Bar Foundation, a Co-Executive Director of the ABA Criminal Justice Section Specialized Practice Division, a member of the ABA Senior Lawyers Division Council, and a co-chair of the ABA GPSolo Division Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee. He has previously served as the President of Florida Legal Services, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors of The Florida Bar Foundation, and a member of the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk, Standing Committee on Professionalism, and Criminal Justice Section Council. He has also been a member of the Supreme Court of Florida Commission on Professionalism and Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases. He is a past-chair of the Appellate Practice, Criminal Law, Government Lawyer and Public Interest Law Sections of The Florida Bar, the Bar’s Council of Sections, the Florida Criminal Procedure Rules Committee and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, as well as a past vice-chair of The Florida Bar Legal Needs of Children Committee.
He is a recipient of the Florida Supreme Court Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award, presented to “an attorney in the state who exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession in ensuring the availability of legal services to the poor;” the ABA GPSolo Division Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes “solo and small firm attorneys who are widely accepted by their peers as having significant lifetime distinction, exceptional achievement, and distinction in an exemplary way;” the ABA Family Law Section Jean Crowe Pro Bono Award, presented to “a person who has made a difference by providing services on a pro bono basis or promot[ing] organization(s) that provide legal services to low income and/or underrepresented populations”; the ABA GPSolo Division Making a Difference Through Pro Bono Award; The Florida Bar Claude Pepper Award, “for exemplifying the highest ideals of dedication, professionalism and ethics in serving the public as a government lawyer;” The Florida Bar Public Interest Law Section John J. Copelan, Jr., Public Interest Award, for “significant contributions to the public interest and specifically to the field of public interest law;” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section James C. Adkins Award, the section’s highest honor, “presented to a member of The Florida Bar who has made significant contributions to the field of appellate practice in Florida;” The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section John R. Hamilton Pro Bono Award, which honors a recipient “who has devoted significant efforts to pro bono appellate matters, whether civil or criminal;” and both the Florida Guardian ad Litem Program Children’s Champion Award and Rising to the Challenge to Provide Pro Bono Service Award, each for pro bono representation in the best interests of children. He has also received the Florida Association of County Attorneys President’s Award, the organization’s highest honor, and repeated recognition by Law & Politics magazine as one of Florida’s top lawyers. In addition, the South Florida Daily Business Review has repeatedly recognized him as one of the area’s most effective appellate lawyers.
Prof. Musto’s achievements include organizing the first national conference on professionalism for government lawyers, establishing statewide pro bono programs to provide representation for children aging out of foster care and for human trafficking victims seeking sealing or expunction of criminal records, as well as authoring, submitting and successfully arguing in favor of the rule adopted by the Supreme Court of Florida requiring the use of recycled paper for documents filed in the state court system, a rule that resulted in the saving of an estimated 850,000 trees annually.
In addition, he developed and coordinated the Broward County Attorney’s Office’s pro bono program, a program that became a model for public agencies throughout the nation, as reflected by its receipt of the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award and the Supreme Court of Florida Chief Justice’s Law Firm Commendation.
Prof. Musto’s civic involvement includes service as President of the Hallandale Symphonic Pops Orchestra, chair of Hallandale Beach’s Community Relations, Parking and Charter Review Committees, and trustee of the Hallandale Beach Police Officers and Firefighters Personnel Retirement Trust. As a result of his years of volunteer service to the community, Prof. Musto was inducted into the Dr. Nan S. Hutchison Broward Senior Hall of Fame.
- Evidence
