EDUCATION Georgetown University Law Center, Juris Doctor, May 2005 Journal: The American Criminal Law Review, Articles Editor Honors: Book Award in Constitutional Law Duke University, Bachelor of Science in Economics, May 2002 Certificate in Markets and Management Studies London School of Economics, General Course Program, 2000 2001 Honors: Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society EMPLOYMENT Circuit Court Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami, FL Criminal Division, January 2015 Present Appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Circuit Court for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County in November 2014. Currently presiding over a felony criminal division. Conduct jury trials, probation violation hearings, motion, arraignment, and report calendars, and serve in an appellate capacity over county court matters. County Court Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami, FL Civil & Criminal Divisions, 2012 2014 Appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Miami-Dade County Court in April 2012; retained without opposition in May 2014. Presided over both civil and criminal dockets at the Miami Beach Branch Court, including landlord-tenant cases, personal injury protection litigation, and small claims, as well as misdemeanor and traffic criminal cases. Previously presided over a criminal docket and civil domestic violence injunctions at the North Dade Branch Court. Conducted jury and bench trials, evidentiary hearings, motion, arraignment, and report calendars, and served in an appellate capacity over administrative matters. Miami-Dade County Attorney s Office, Miami, FL Assistant County Attorney, 2009 2012 Member of Federal Litigation, Tax & Finance, and Torts Sections. Represented Miami- Dade County, the Public Health Trust, and government employees in federal and state court at both trial and appellate levels. Counseled and drafted legislation for the Board of County Commissioners. Handled personal injury cases, civil rights matters for the Miami- Dade Police Department and Department of Corrections, and tax assessment, classification and exemption matters for the Property Appraiser and Tax Collector s Office. White & Case, L.L.P., Miami, FL Associate, 2006 2008; Summer Associate, May August 2004 Corporate Latin America practice group member; specialized in mergers and acquisitions, asset-backed financings, joint ventures, and general corporate matters. Drafted credit and stock purchase agreements, project finance documentation, and corporate resolutions. 1 P a g e
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami, FL Law Clerk to the Honorable Federico A. Moreno, United States District Judge, 2005 2006 Managed and supervised half of the civil caseload, including a large multi-district class action. Researched and composed bench memoranda. Drafted orders and opinions, reviewed parties filings, and made recommendations. United States Attorney s Office, Southern District of Florida, Miami, FL Law Clerk, Major Crimes Division, June August 2003 Drafted motions on constitutional, sentencing, evidentiary, and criminal procedure issues. Assisted in trial preparation by researching relevant case law, interviewing witnesses, and drafting jury instructions. District of Columbia Corporation Counsel, Criminal Division, Washington, D.C. Law Clerk, Office of Public Protection and Enforcement, September December 2002 Drafted memoranda and made case recommendations regarding criminal procedure issues. Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, VA Graduate Fellow, June August 2002 Summer Analyst, June August 2001, June August 2000 Operations Center Analyst, Directorate of Central Intelligence. Economic Analyst, Office of Asia-Pacific & Latin American Analysis. APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTED OFFICES Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Fairness & Diversity Team Member, 2015 Present Responsible for handling overall planning and oversight of fairness and diversity training for judges and court staff for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee Member, 2014 Present Responsible for considering proposals for changes to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Florida Bar Rules of Judicial Administration Committee Representative, 2015 Present Responsible for originating proposed new rules, and reviewing existing rules of procedure to advance orderly and inexpensive procedures in the administration of justice. Florida Judicial College Faculty Member, 2014 Responsible for teaching civil discovery, landlord-tenant law, and case management to newly elected and appointed judges. 2 P a g e
Florida Conference of County Court Judges Third District Vice President, 2014 2015; Eleventh Circuit Representative, 2013 2014 Responsible for representing the interests of County Court Judges in the Third District and Eleventh Judicial Circuit, as well as promoting Conference goals, including the improvement of procedure and practice in county courts and the betterment of the Florida judicial system. Member of the Legislative, Education, Civil and Criminal Rules Committees, and Conference faculty member. PUBLISHED OPINIONS Martinez v. Guevara, 2015 WL 2379675 (Fla. 11th Cir. Ct., Apr. 24, 2015) Sims v. Miami Shores Village, 22 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 885(a) (Fla. 11th Cir. Ct. App., Feb. 20, 2015) Royal Care Medical Center v. Esurance Property & Casualty Ins. Co., 22 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 948(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jan. 21, 2015) Better Chiropractic and Rehab Center, LLC v. Geico Indemnity Co., 22 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 378(b) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Sep. 24, 2014) Silverland Medical Center v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 22 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 376(a) (Miami- Dade Cty. Ct., Aug. 28, 2014) Pain & Injury Treatment Center v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1066(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jun. 4, 2014). Executive Diagnostic Center, Inc. v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1053(b) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jun. 4, 2014). Excellent Health Services, Corp. v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 2014 WL 2516476, 22 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 126(c) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jun. 3, 2014) Gables Ins. Recovery, Inc. v. Progressive Express Ins. Co., 2014 WL 222088, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 578(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jan. 21, 2014) Center for Diagnostic Imaging v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 2013 WL 6911433, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 434(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Dec. 16, 2013) Maldonado-Garcia v. Mercury Indemnity Co. of America, 2013 WL 6646823, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 434(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Dec. 16, 2013) Icon Medical Centers v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 2013 WL 4805063, 20 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1086(b) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Aug. 28, 2013) 3 P a g e
Doral Health Center, P.A. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 2013 WL 4026972, 20 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1088(b) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Aug 8, 2013) Alonso v. Susana, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 341(a) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jul. 10, 2013). Doctor s Alliance Group, Corp. v. Neytman, 2013 WL 5234316, 20 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1229(b) (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Jul. 1, 2013) Perez v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 2013 WL 1852257, 20 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1232(a) (Miami- Dade Cty. Ct., May 3, 2013) Michigan Condo. Ass n, Inc. v. Michigan, LLC, 2012 WL 6929832 (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Nov. 5, 2012) Karen L. Fisher Revocable Trust v. Sock, 2012 WL 4983773 (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Oct. 17, 2012) Mimo on the Beach I Condo. Ass n, Inc. v. Prados, 2012 WL 4844546 (Miami-Dade Cty. Ct., Sep. 25, 2012) LECTURES AND PANELS Judicial Ethics Roundtable Dade County Bar Association, Bench and Bar Conference, Feb. 20, 2015 Analysis of the 2013 Amendments to the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act Dade County Bar Association, County Court Seminar, Oct. 21, 2014 Managing the Contested Attorneys Fees Hearing in Florida Florida Conference of County Court Judges, Annual Education Program, Jul. 9, 2014 Emerging Issues in Landlord-Tenant Law Coral Gables Bar Association CLE, Mar. 19, 2014 Emerging Issues in Landlord-Tenant Law South Miami-Kendall Bar Association CLE, Feb. 28, 2014 Landlord-Tenant Issues Arising on Miami Beach Miami Beach Bar Association CLE, Jun. 18, 2013 2013 Amendments to the Personal Injury Protection Statutes Miami-Dade County Civil Judges Presentation, Mar. 15, 2013 Litigation and Presentation of Value Adjustment Board Appeals Miami-Dade County Attorney s Office Presentation, Jun. 22, 2011; Apr. 28, 2010 4 P a g e
Red Flag Identity Theft Prevention Miami-Dade County Attorney s Office Presentation, Mar. 30, 2010 BAR ADMISSIONS Florida Bar United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS Justice Teaching Program Volunteer Teacher, 2013 Present Educate Tomorrow Mentor, 2013 Present Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee Admissions Interviewer, 2012 Present Dade County Bar Association Chair, Schools Committee, 2011 2012 American Bar Association Hispanic National Bar Association National Association of Women Judges Co-Chair for Conference Security, 2012 Cuban-American Bar Association Federal Bar Association, South Florida Chapter Florida Association of Women Lawyers Miami Beach Bar Association Coral Gables Bar Association South Miami-Kendall Bar Association 5 P a g e
HONORS AND AWARDS Distinguished Leadership Award Florida Conference of County Court Judges, 2014 Justice for All Award for Outstanding Contributions to Victims of Crime Coral Gables Police Department, 2013 Miami-Dade County Proclamation Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, 2012 6 P a g e