Sarah Israela Zabel

Practice Areas

• Civil and Family Mediation
• Co-Mediation
• Pre-Suit Mediation
• Arbitration
• Non-Binding Arbitration
• Neutral Umpire
• Special Magistrate
• Private Judge
• Elder Law
• Trial Strategy Consultant
• Guardian ad Litem for Minor’s in Probate Cases

Education

Juris Doctor – Shepard Broad Nova Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication – Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Associate of Arts Degree – Miami-Dade Community College

Background

• January 2003 – 2018 CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE
• Civil Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Family Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Juvenile Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Criminal Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Eleventh Judicial Circuit Appellate Panel
• August 2000 – November 2002
• Private Practice: Civil Litigation, Employment Litigation and Family Law
• Certified Circuit Court Civil Mediator
• Certified Circuit Court Family Mediator
• Southern District Court of Florida
• August 1993 – July 2000
• Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office
• Position responsibilities included administrative, training, case monitoring, and litigation. Litigation in the areas of child support enforcement within the context of worker’s compensation, garnishments, and executions of judgments, probate and bankruptcy.

Professional Activities

• Miami-Dade County Commission for Women Advisory Board
• Mentor for the Women of Tomorrow, an organization for at-risk high school girls.
• Mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters Member of Miami Dade FAWL, former Secretary, Treasurer, and President and now on the Leadership Committee.
• Member of the Florida Bar Committee on Professionalism.
• Member of the Miami Dade County Committee on Professionalism.
• Judge for Mock Trial Competitions and Appellate Competitions for Undergraduate and Law School
• Certified to teach at Judicial Conferences, and is a member of the education committee for the Judicial Conference.
• Certified Collaborative Family Law Practitioner
• Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law.
• Adjunct Professor at Miami-Dade College.
• Former Member of the Board of Directors for Legal Services of Greater Miami and Lawyers and Advocates for Special Education Advocacy.
• Former Member of the Board of Directors of Nova Law School Alumni Association.
• Former Member of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for three years.
• Former Member of the Commission on the Status for Women in North Miami Beach.
• Former Member of on the Public Board of Advocates for Special Education Advocacy.

Awards & Recognitions

• Florida Trailblazer, Daily Business Review, 2020
• Florida Trend, Legal Elite, Mediation & Arbitration, 2020
• Ally Award for Her Tireless Fight for Equality
• Miami Shine Award
• Goodwin Research Fellowship
• FAWL President’s Award for Outstanding Service
• Special Recognition Award from Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Achievement Award from the State Attorney’s Office
• Pro Bono Service Award
• Hannah G. Solomon Award for Outstanding Leadership, Commitment and Service to our Community
• Women of Achievement Award from Shaare Zedek
• 2016 Visionary Award – Collaborative Family Law Institute for Outstanding Leadership in the Implementation of the Collaborative Law Pilot Project
• Miami Dade Justice Association Appreciation for Public Service
• Nominated in 2015 for the Chief Justice’s Judicial Excellence Award
• Judicial Lifetime Achievement Award
• The Devorah Judge Award

Lecturers & Presentations

• NBI Judicial Forum Panelist on Civil Trial Techniques
• Numerous Lectures on Professionalism for the Florida Bar and Various Law Schools
• ALFN 13th Annual Leadership Conference/Mock Trial
• Presented on Mediation vs. Litigation with retired Chief Judge Joseph Farina Presented on Arbitration Issues with retired Judge Scott Silverman
• Bench and Bar Conference on Social Media Keynote Speaker at FACP Conference Social Media in Family Law
• Facilitated Lunch And Learns On Behalf Of The Eleventh Judicial Circuit:
• Survival Skills in the Real Estate Jungle: From Boundary Disputes to Quiet Title to Everything Else in Between Can they really do that? Sizzling Condo and HOA Issues that you will confront
• The Daubert Evidence Standard Judicial Ethics: Pathway of Dos and Don’ts of Judicial Conduct
• A Presentation on Voir Dire
• The CFPB’s Mortgage Servicing Rules Receiverships: What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen? State Law Receiverships – Key Considerations for the Judiciary
• Timing is everything: A Primer on Foreclosure and the Statute of Limitations
• Legal Ethics & Social Media: A New Order in the Court Impacting Civil Litigation The Angle on Engle Tobacco Litigation: Then and Now
• Nuts And Bolts of the New Proceedings: Supplementary Statute § 56.29
• Judicial Management of Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence

Projects

• Initiated a project with the Worker’s Compensation Judges in Miami-Dade County, the Central Depository and Child Support Enforcement to create a program where past child support could be collected from Worker’s Compensation Settlements.
• Established Miami Shine which is now a statewide youth advocacy group for youth who are transitioning out of the Foster Care System.
• Created Pro Bono Pilot Project for pro se litigants in the Family Division where pro se litigants would be represented by lawyers through the Collaborative Law Process. The project is called TLC for The Law Collaboratively.