Hon. Joseph P. Farina (Ret.)

Joseph P. Farina, retired Chief Judge 11th Judicial Circuit, is highly regarded as an active and effective settlement judge who has handled and managed numerous settlements of complex cases. He served as a Circuit Judge in the Circuit Civil Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida. From 1995 to 2009, he served for 14 years as Chief Judge and supervised the full operations of the Miami-Dade Court system, which is comprised of 123 judges, 15 general magistrates, 20 traffic hearing officers, and more than 500 administrative court staff serving in 10 courthouses. 

Joe Farina has been recognized by many national, state, and local organizations for his leadership, professionalism, and accomplishments. During his more than 30 years on the bench, Joe was consistently rated one of the top judges in bar association polls.

Joe has been a full-time ADR professional for more than 10 years. He received the Legal Luminary Best Mediator Award from the Miami-Dade Bar Assocaition. And Joe is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator and Florida Supreme Court Qualified Mediator.

• Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, 1979-2012
  • Chief Judge, 1995-2009
  • Administrative Judge, Circuit Criminal Division, 1992-1995
  • Judge, Circuit Court, 1981-2012
  • Judge, County Court, 1979-1981 
• Mayor, Miami Shores, Florida, 1977-1979
• J.D., University of Florida College of Law, 1970
• B.A., George Washington University

• Advisory Board Member, Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), 2013
• Founding Advisory Board Member and guest instructor for the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School, a Miami-Dade County magnet high school dedicated to Legal Studies, Forensic Science and Homeland Security, 2010-present
• Member, Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Judges Advisory Committee for American Bar Association, 2011-present
• Florida Chief Justice Representative on Executive Council of the Florida Clerk of Court Operations Corporation, July 2010-July 2012
• Vice Chair, Florida Supreme Court’s Judicial Branch Governance Study Group, 2009-2011
• Chair, Florida Supreme Court’s Strategic Planning Committee on Long Range Planning for the State Court System and Task Force on Judicial Branch Planning, November 2004-June 2009
• Chair, Florida Supreme Court’s Judicial Management Council, 2006-June 2008
• President of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts, which is composed of the Chief Judges of the Nation’s Metropolitan Courts, October 1998-September 1999
• Chair of the Judicial Administration Section of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, which is comprised of all Chief Judges of the State of Florida, July 1997-June 1999
• Chair, Florida Conference of Circuit Judges, July 2001-June 2002
• Member, Executive Committee of the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges, July 2002-July 2012
• Member, Executive Committee of the Florida Supreme Court’s Trial Court Budget Commission, July 2004-March 2012
• Member, Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, July 2002-present
• Member, 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society, October 2006-present
• Member, Alliance for Human Services Board of Directors, July 1998-December 2008

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