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HON. BARBARA ARECES is a Circuit Court Judge in the General Jurisdiction Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida in Miami-Dade County. Judge Areces serves as an adjunct professor at Florida International University. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration at the Florida International University and her J.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Law. HON. JERALD BAGLEY was elected Circuit Court Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit serving Miami-Dade County in 1995. Judge Bagley has served in the Civil Division since October 2009. He is a Former Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court Appellate Division (June 2006-September 2009); and has served in the Family Division (2006-2009); Civil Division (2004-2005); Criminal Division (1997-2003); and Juvenile Division (1995-1996). Judge Bagley also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Miami School of Law where he teaches Litigation Skills since 2000. Prior to the bench he served as the Assistant State Attorney, Miami-Dade County Office of State Attorney (1985-1994). Judge Bagley earned his J.D. degree at Rutgers University School of Law. HON. RONALD C. DRESNICK is a Dade County Circuit Court Judge appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles on March 1, 1996. Judge Dresnick has served in the Family Court Division (March 1996 to September 1996, and February 2007 to January 2009); the Criminal Division (September 1996 to 2003, and January 2006 to February 2007); and the General Jurisdiction Division (January 2003 to January 2006, and January 2009 to present). Prior to his position on the bench, he practiced law from 1971 to February 1996. The last ten years of his practice, he was a founding partner, with the late Richard E. Gerstein and F. Lee Bailey, in the distinguished law firm of Bailey, Gerstein, Rashkind & Dresnick. Judge Dresnick is an adjunct professor of evidence, litigation skills and trial advocacy at the University of Miami Law School. He is the author of numerous law publications and lectures for organizations including The Florida Bar, the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers and the American Polygraph Association. HON. GILL S. FREEMAN has been a Circuit Court Judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County since 1997. She is presently assigned to the Complex Business Litigation Section of the 11th Judicial Circuit. She is the first judge to serve in that capacity in Miami-Dade County. She received her Bachelors of Education degree from Temple University, her Masters of Education degree from the University of Miami and her Juris Doctorate degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami. She practiced commercial and family law for 20 years prior to her appointment to the bench. Judge Freeman is presently Dean of Advanced Studies for the State of Florida. She most recently was chair of the Florida Supreme Court Standing Committee on Diversity and Fairness. She was vice-chair of the Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Commission and chair of the Gender Bias Study Implementation Commission. In March of 2008, Judge Freeman was invited to be a panelist at the State Department on issues of international access to justice. In addition, Judge Freeman has been chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miami Dade County Law Library and has spearheaded fundraising efforts to keep the library open despite cuts in government funding. Judge Freeman has been Chair of the Board of Directors to Spectrum Programs, which provides drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and the Journey Institute which provides counseling services to victims of sexual abuse. She is past president of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. She has received Dade FAWL’s Mattie Belle Davis Award and Dade County’s “In the Company of Women Award”. She is a recipient of State FAWL’s Rosemary Barkett Award. More recently she received Sabadell Bank’s Community Service Award in conjunction with the Dade County Bar Association. Judge Freeman routinely teaches courses to judges on fairness issues and civil case management. HON. ELLEN L. LEESFIELD is presently assigned to the Circuit Court General Jurisdiction Extended Trial Division. She has served in the civil division for six years and has also served in the family court, as well as the Criminal Division, where she was the administrative judge until May 2002. Presently, Judge Leesfield teaches trial skills to all incoming judges in the State of Florida, as well as litigation skills to students of the University of Miami Law School. Judge Leesfield has lectured to the bench and bar on the subjects of evidence (specifically expert witnesses), mental health, professionalism and ethics. HON. ISRAEL REYES is a Circuit Court Judge in the General Jurisdiction Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida in Miami-Dade County. Prior to the circuit court, Judge Reyes served as a county court judge, as assistant state attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Organized Crime Unit, and as a police detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department. He earned his B.S. degree, with honors, from Florida International University and his J.D. degree from Nova Southeastern University-Shepard Broad Law Center. HON. WILLIAM L. THOMAS is a Circuit Court Judge in the General Jurisdiction Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida. Prior to the bench, Judge Thomas served as an assistant federal public defender for the Southern District of Florida and a state public defender with the Dade County Public Defender's Office. He earned his B.A. degree at Washington and Jefferson College and his J.D. degree at Temple University. MODERATOR - GLENN P. FALK SR. founded the Coral Gables, Florida, law firm of Falk, Waas, Hernandez, Cortina, Solomon & Bonner, P.A., in 1983. Since that time, he has handled and tried cases for virtually all of the firm's clients in matters related to auto negligence, general liability, medical malpractice and insurance coverage issues. Mr. Falk has lectured before claims associations and various hospital groups on topics relating to litigation, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, where he taught trial advocacy. Mr. Falk earned his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Miami. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the American and Dade County bar associations (former director of the latter) and the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. He has consistently been voted as a "Top Lawyer" in the South Florida Legal Guide. MODERATOR - ZOE L. LEINOFF is a partner in the Coral Gables law firm of Falk, Waas, Hernandez, Cortina, Solomon & Bonner, P.A. Ms. Leinoff concentrates her practice in the areas of civil practice, insurance defense, medical malpractice defense. She is a member of The Florida Bar; the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association. Ms. Leinoff earned her B.B.A. degree, with general honors, at the University of Miami and her J.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Law. Ms. Leinoff has also lectured for hospital groups on various topics related to litigation and co-wrote "Investigating the Plaintiff's Expert" in the FDLA's The Defense Speaks with Glenn Falk.
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