Broward County celebrated its new Veterans Court on Monday, April 30, 2012, with a distinctive opening ceremony, featuring guest speaker Will Gunn, Esq., U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs General Counsel. County Judge Edward H. Merrigan, an 18-year veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, was officially honored as the presiding judge for Broward’s Veterans Court by Chief Judge Peter M. Weinstein. Kicking off the event was the Color Guard representing the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

The first docket for the county’s Veterans Treatment Court will be held on Monday, May 7, 2012, in courtroom 344.

Broward County Veterans Court is a voluntary 12-18 month program designed for veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and are currently experiencing legal problems due to suffering from behavioral, mental health, or substance abuse disorders. An alternative to the traditional court setting, Veterans Court will provide services such as intensive probation supervision, counseling and peer mentoring, random drug and alcohol testing, medication monitoring and social services. The Court promotes sobriety, recovery, and stability by providing veterans with the tools to move forward with their lives while satisfying the legal requirements of the court process.

Circuit Judge Nicholas Lopane was recently honored for his dedication to community service in the first annual Golden Nugget Awards Gala, hosted by Mount Bethel Human Services Corporation on March 16, 2012. The award honors members of the community who “have the desire to help the least, the lost, and the left out.”

Judge Lopane was honored for all he does both on and off the bench including his work as a General Magistrate and also as a Circuit Court judge helping families, and his extracurricular community involvement such as his work in creating the “Fighting Chance” boxing and fitness club at Carter Park which gives children an option for better use of idle time.

Congratulations Judge Lopane!

The 17th Circuit’s Chief Judge, Peter M. Weinstein, was honored with the Judge of the Year Award by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Fort Lauderdale Chapter, at the organization’s annual Judge’s Night Dinner on January 21, 2012.

 
Also honored at the reception was local Fort Lauderdale attorney Jay Cohen, who was awarded the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. Both award recipients were chosen by their ABOTA chapter peers.

 
Pictured above are Judges Charles Greene and Paul Backman congratulating Judge Weinstein, and award recipients Judge Weinstein and attorney Jay Cohen.

ABOTA’s mission is to uphold the jury system by educating the American public about the history and value of the right to trial by jury.

 
Congratulations to all!

Barbara Beilly, General Magistrate in the 17th Circuit, was honored with the Visionary of the Year Award by the Florida Bar family law section, on January 27, 2012. She was recognized for her “tireless efforts and contributions to the enhancement of family law practice and procedure throughout the state of Florida.” On behalf of the 17th Circuit family, congratulations General Magistrate Beilly!

The 17th  Judicial Circuit welcomes its newest General Magistrate, Lucy Ramos Miller, who will begin in the Family division on February 3, 2012. Ms. Miller began her career with the 17th  Circuit in November 2009 as a staff attorney, working on civil, family, and civil appeals cases. Prior to her work in Florida, Mrs. Miller practiced law in Ohio for five years, both as an assistant prosecutor handling dependency and delinquency cases and also in private practice handling family, dependency, delinquency, and criminal defense cases. Congratulations Ms. Miller!

When loss of funding and workforce reduction hit the foreclosure division in the 17 th Circuit in July of this year, Judge Garcia-Wood had to get creative with ways to manage the heavy docket of the Residential Foreclosure Division. Judge Garcia-Wood reached out to the Nova Law School where Ms. Denise Corin, Associate Director of Career and Professional Development at Nova, immediately responded, sending two students per day, Monday through Thursday, for the morning and afternoon dockets. The foreclosure division was delighted to have the assistance of the law students and the students, in turn, had the opportunity to observe and participate in the residential foreclosure proceedings. Judge Garcia-Wood would like to thank Ms. Denise Corin for coordinating the interns and the following law students who volunteered countless hours in the Residential Foreclosure Division:

Caroline Lewis

Vanessa Romero

Harry Dominguez

Robert Jackson

Jaclyn Kennard

Julie Liva

Jenna Kulbersh

Katherine Hustis

Nicole Sanchez

Lisa Bloch