Chief Judge Jack Tuter and Judge Jeffrey Levenson were honored with Special Appreciation Awards from the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Fort Lauderdale Chapter during their annual Judges Night Reception dinner on January 19, 2018. Both judges received the special recognition for their extra time and attention spent fostering ABOTA’s mission, to preserve and protect the right to a trial by jury.
Friday, January 19, 2018, the judiciary, staff, friends and family gathered at the central courthouse for the 2018 Judicial Procession and State of the Circuit Address. Three of our newest judges, the Honorable Yael Gamm, the Honorable Fabienne Fahnestock, and the Honorable Thomas Coleman, were all recognized, and Chief Judge Jack Tuter delivered the State of the Circuit. The Broward Bar also presented “Friend of the Bar” awards to Judge Jeffrey Levenson, Judge Jennifer Hilal and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler.
The inaugural Broward County Domestic Violence Summit took place Wednesday, January 17, 2018 with nearly 300 in attendance. The purpose of the event was to review county-wide services available to adult survivors of domestic violence and their children, and to identify gaps and unmet needs, while addressing dedicated future funding in order to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with issues surrounding domestic violence with solutions that are inclusive, sustainable and effective in breaking the cycle of family violence. One of the day’s breakout sessions included “Judicial Responses to Domestic Violence,” led by Lynn Allen and paneled by Judges G. Cohen, Kaplan, Davis, Tuter, Bristol and Trial Court Administrator Kathleen Pugh.
Twenty one young ladies from Nova High School visited the central courthouse on Friday, as part of the Women of Tomorrow mentoring program. They had the chance to speak with Circuit Court Judge Andrea Ruth Gundersen and observe circuit criminal court, but what may have been the highlight of their visit was an in-depth tour of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab and Crime Scene Unit. The students and chaperones learned about DNA, ballistics, evidence collection, and more. Special thanks to Detective Currie for giving the students such a unique experience!
The Broward County Young Lawyers had their first quarterly Breakfast with the Judiciary on Friday, January 12th. Many judges and young lawyers gathered to meet in an informal setting and discussed getting back to work in the new year. Thanks to all lawyers and judges who participated!
