VOTE411 Voter Guide

My more than thirty years of litigation practice representing clients in both civil and criminal matters.

Throughout my career, including my service as a Public Defender, I have appeared regularly before a trial court and handled complex legal issues, conducted evidentiary hearings and jury trials, and negotiated the resolution of challenging cases.

This extensive courtroom experience has required me to analyze the law thoughtfully, evaluate facts objectively, make sound decisions under pressure, and uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. In addition to my years of courtroom experience, I have supervised and trained attorneys and I am an adjunct professor at FIU College of Law,

I also bring something less traditional but equally important. Growing up, I spent summers on my grandparents working farm. The lessons I learned there have guided me throughout my life; hard work ethic, patience, humility, respect for others and importance of helping people in need. These values have shaped who I am as a lawyer, teacher, and leader, they are the same values I bring to the bench because it is who I am.

For more than 30 years, I have had the privilege of serving the people of Miami-Dade County as an attorney in both the public and private sectors. Throughout my career, I have witnessed the profound impact a judge’s decision has on the lives of individuals, families, and our community. Those experiences have reinforced what I have always believed: experience matters, fairness matters, integrity matters and every person who enters a courtroom deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I am committed to applying the law fairly and consistently, listen carefully before making a decision and treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Judicial efficiency and fairness go hand in hand and are not competing goals. I would come to court prepared with a strong work ethic, use effective case management tools, calendar regular status hearings, and conduct meaningful pretrial conferences to narrow issues and resolve matters whenever appropriate. I would also use resources available through the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to improve case flow. Whenever possible, I would schedule witnesses in 45-minute windows so they are not waiting all day to testify.

I have represented thousands of clients in my nearly fifteen years of practice in various areas such as general civil practice, (including but not limited to, complex civil litigation, foreclosure defense, commercial evictions and residential evictions, corporate disputes, contract disputes, insurance claims, personal injury, appeals, federal trademark disputes, federal disabilities act violations defense, federal fair labors standard act claims defense and others), family law, (including dissolutions of marriage, paternity actions, step parent adoptions, child support, modifications of parenting plans, modifications of child support, federal Hague matters, jurisdictional family disputes including child abductions, domestic violence, sexual abuse domestic violence petitions, stalking petitions, risk protection orders, service as both paid and pro-bono guardian ad litem), probate cases, criminal cases, and appeals in both the Third District Court of Appeals and the Fourth District Court of Appeals (24). I have practiced state wide since covid and have handled more than 400 bench trials, and 2 jury trials. I additionally have handled several business closings, and real estate closings.

I am deeply committed to justice, due process, and service to the system that gave my family the life we enjoy. The concept of justice and due process is something that is near and dear to my heart. As a son of Cuban immigrants who fled from oppression in search of freedom, fairness, and the rule of law, I am eternally grateful to this great country and our community for the liberty and opportunities that were afforded to us. It is a privilege and an honor to be afforded the opportunity to serve in the capacity of a judge and to be charged with the duty to not only to neutrally safeguard the proper administration of justice, but also to be afforded the opportunity to improve it where possible. Due process, in other words, notice and the ability to be heard, is pivotal to our system of government. Determining, enforcing, and ultimately vindicating rights is just as important as the rights themselves. Ensuring that when litigants finally reach their day in court, that they are greeted by a judge who is neutral, just as knowledgeable as the attorneys, who is patient, understanding, and really goes above and beyond to ensure that the litigants feel that they have been heard fairly. This not only serves the proper administration of justice, but also limits the degree to which these litigants feel disenfranchised. My philosophy in short is to apply the law as written, fairly, and impartially irrespective of the parties before me.

I would adopt a balance approach with an emphasis on resolving matters on the merits. Litigants must be afforded the time they need to gather evidence, to prepare, and to present their side of the case. This is not to say that litigants should be provided unlimited time in which to prepare as justice delayed is justice denied. I would approach this balance by implementing meaningful case management conferences, and through the use of jointly prepared scheduling orders. I envision meeting with the parties and their respective attorneys and discussing the case, determining the case's needs, and setting forth reasonable timetables for accomplishing the preparation of the case for trial, while at the same time working in additional time for the foibles of human life, such as illness, and unforeseen circumstances. This approach provides objective metric to gauge whether parties are actually working toward resolution or simply sitting on their hands. My continuance policy would be best described as firm but fair because after all, judges are charged with following the law and the law requires good cause for any continuances. I also believe in special set trials, as this too, minimizes expenses for the litigants and provides certainty with respect to the attendance of fact and expert witnesses.