Teaching is an important part of Brian Kramer's public service. Throughout his career, he has taught law students, undergraduate students, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law-enforcement officers, civic organizations, and members of the public.
His instruction ranges from the fundamentals of case preparation, discovery, charging decisions, and courtroom advocacy to specialized subjects requiring substantial experience and judgment. He has taught new prosecutors beginning their careers and experienced attorneys addressing complex issues—including the ethical boundaries of closing argument during the penalty phase of a death-penalty case.
Brian approaches teaching as a practical responsibility. Legal principles matter most when people understand how to apply them thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively. Whether teaching future lawyers, training experienced professionals, or explaining the criminal-justice system to the community, his objective is to make difficult subjects understandable and useful.
That same commitment extends beyond formal instruction. Speaking with civic organizations, students, public officials, and community groups creates opportunities to explain how the justice system operates, listen to concerns, and strengthen communication between public institutions and the people they serve.
Teaching Future Lawyers
Brian serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches Trial Practice. The course prepares students to translate legal knowledge into effective courtroom advocacy through instruction and practical exercises in case analysis, witness examination, opening statement, closing argument, evidentiary foundations, and trial strategy.
His teaching emphasizes judgment as much as technique. Students learn to identify the purpose behind each decision, adapt to the evidence as it develops, and advocate persuasively while remaining faithful to the law and their professional obligations.
Each semester, Brian also teaches Plea Offers and Charging Decisions to third-year law students serving as Certified Legal Interns. This instruction addresses two of the prosecutor’s most consequential responsibilities and emphasizes the careful evaluation of evidence, the principled exercise of discretion, and the ethical obligations that govern decisions affecting defendants, victims, and public safety.
Brian regularly serves as a guest lecturer in Evidence, Florida Criminal Procedure, and Mental Health Law. These presentations connect legal doctrine with the practical responsibilities of prosecutors and courtroom lawyers, drawing on decades of experience handling criminal cases, supervising attorneys, and addressing difficult legal and ethical questions in actual practice.
The objective is not to teach students to imitate a particular style. It is to help future lawyers develop the preparation, adaptability, ethical judgment, and confidence necessary to find an effective style of advocacy of their own.
Undergraduate and Career Education
Brian’s teaching also extends beyond the law school. He speaks with undergraduate students in criminology and other academic programs about prosecution, courtroom practice, public service, and the responsibilities of attorneys working within the criminal-justice system.
These presentations help students connect their academic studies with the decisions professionals make in actual cases. Brian discusses not only what prosecutors do, but also how evidence is evaluated, how discretion is exercised, and why preparation, ethics, communication, and judgment matter in public service.
He has also spoken with engineering students, student organizations, and participants in career-development programs. Those conversations address subjects ranging from professional responsibility and decision-making to career paths, leadership, and the practical value of communicating complex ideas clearly.
Whether students intend to pursue law, public service, or another profession, Brian’s objective is to give them an honest understanding of the work, answer their questions directly, and help them consider how their own abilities and interests can be used in service to others.
Training Prosecutors at Every Level
Brian has trained prosecutors throughout their careers—from attorneys preparing to handle their first cases to experienced prosecutors confronting complex legal, ethical, and strategic decisions.
For new prosecutors, his instruction includes the foundations of effective practice: case preparation, discovery obligations, evidence evaluation, courtroom advocacy, and the responsible exercise of prosecutorial discretion. The objective is not merely to teach procedures, but to develop the habits of preparation and judgment on which sound decisions depend.
As prosecutors gain experience, the subjects become more advanced and specialized. Brian teaches trial strategy, witness examination, evidentiary issues, professional responsibility, case supervision, and the ethical challenges that arise when the stakes are highest. He also regularly lectures on the effective use of technology in the courtroom, helping prosecutors use modern presentation tools to make evidence and complex information clearer, more organized, and more understandable.
His instruction has ranged from fundamental case-preparation and discovery principles to the ethics of closing argument during the penalty phase of a death-penalty case. That breadth reflects a consistent principle: prosecutors at every level need continued training because their responsibilities—and the consequences of their decisions—continue to grow.
Law-Enforcement Instruction
Brian regularly provides instruction to law-enforcement officers at different stages of their careers, from recruits and newer officers to experienced investigators and supervisors. His training focuses on the legal principles officers must apply during rapidly developing situations and the practical decisions that affect whether evidence can be used successfully in court.
His presentations address subjects including constitutional law, searches and seizures, interviews and interrogations, investigative techniques, report writing, courtroom testimony, and changes in Florida and federal law. He also teaches officers how prosecutors evaluate cases and what information is necessary to make sound charging decisions.
Brian has developed particular expertise in firearms regulation and Second Amendment law. As federal and Florida law in this area continues to change rapidly, local law-enforcement agencies regularly seek his guidance on questions involving the possession, carrying, and regulation of firearms and the constitutional limits governing enforcement. His role is to help agencies interpret new legal developments and translate them into lawful, practical policies and enforcement decisions.
Effective law-enforcement training must go beyond stating legal rules. Officers need to understand how those rules apply to actual encounters, how to recognize circumstances requiring additional caution, and how decisions made during an investigation will later be examined by prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and juries.
Brian’s objective is to strengthen both investigations and courtroom presentations by improving communication between officers and prosecutors. When each understands the responsibilities and limitations of the other, cases are better prepared, legal issues are identified earlier, and decisions are made on a more complete and reliable record.
Professional Legal Education
Brian’s teaching extends beyond his own office. He regularly participates in continuing legal education for prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other legal professionals through statewide conferences, regional programs, and specialized training.
He also regularly serves as a small-group leader at the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association’s annual Professionalism Seminar, participating as a breakout-panel member for the criminal-law section. The program brings together judges and attorneys to examine professionalism through practical issues arising in local legal practice.
His presentations address practical advocacy, evidentiary and ethical issues, developments in criminal law, and the responsibilities lawyers owe to the courts, their clients, and the administration of justice. Brian has also taught in programs that bring prosecutors and public defenders together to improve professional skills and examine issues shared by lawyers on both sides of the courtroom.
Teaching attorneys with different roles and levels of experience requires more than presenting a single perspective. Brian’s approach is to identify the governing principles, explain how they operate in actual practice, and encourage lawyers to consider how their decisions will be viewed by judges, juries, opposing counsel, and the people directly affected by a case.
Professional education strengthens the justice system when it promotes careful preparation, ethical advocacy, and mutual understanding without minimizing the legitimate differences between opposing roles. Brian believes lawyers can advocate forcefully for their positions while maintaining professionalism, intellectual honesty, and respect for the responsibilities of others.
Teaching & Community