A Judicial Profile
by Mark A. Sylvester*
Judge Bronwyn C. Miller
Judge Bronwyn Catherine Miller was appointed in 2005 to fill the County Court vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Richard Suarez to the Third District Court of Appeal.
Judge Miller is currently assigned to the Dade County Courthouse, Civil Division. She received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was an Assistant State Attorney in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. There, she served as a Division Chief and Training Director. Judge Miller was responsible for the training of approximately three hundred prosecutors and prosecuted both capital cases and law enforcement related shootings. During her tenure at the State Attorney’s Office, Judge Miller tried over eighty cases to verdict in the Circuit and County Courts.
Judge Miller has served as both an Adjunct Professor and a guest lecturer at Florida International University. She has critiqued at the University of Miami and St. Thomas Moot Court Competitions, and has worked with children in the community through both the Bayview Financial “I Have a Dream Foundation,” and the Communities in School Mentoring Program.
Judge Miller is also a mentor with “Take Stock in Children.” In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Volunteer Center and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Agency Support Committee. Judge Miller is an instructor for Lawyers for Literacy and the Justice Teaching Program. She also serves on the board of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Women’s Committee. Judge Miller has been awarded the Millennium Movers “Celebration of Urban Professional Women” Shaker Award.
Judge Bronwyn Miller’s attraction to the legal profession began at a relatively young age. “When I was in college, and acting as a mentor in the New York public school system, I saw a lot of injustices, and the effect they had on people and families,” she recalled. “I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to help tackle those injustices, and that is what drove me toward the law and a career where I thought I could make a difference.”
While in law school, Judge Miller spent a summer participating in a court monitoring program in California focused on gender sensitivity issues. “I watched a lot of trials and a lot of hearings, and it really piqued my interest in the litigation side of the law,” the judge said. “That experience led me to the State Attorney’s Office and thereafter to the bench.”
When it comes to her career on the bench, the Judge feels like she found her calling. “I really enjoy being a judge,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to problem solve, and to help people.”
Judge Miller found that entering the courtroom as a Judge, as opposed to an attorney advocating for your client, provides an entire new prospective on the law and presents new challenges.
“As an attorney, you are advocating for your client, and naturally present the best case for your client,” she said. “As a judge, we don’t pick sides, we apply the law in an objective manner.”
Judge Miller has found that one of the more challenging aspects of taking the bench in County Court is the number of pro se litigants that appear in the courtroom.
“Typically attorneys know the rules of procedure and evidence, but pro se litigants usually do not,” she said. “As a judge we are limited on the advice we can provide. We cannot provide legal or substantive advice to a pro se litigant, we can only provide advice on court room demeanor and some procedural issues. At times it is very difficult, especially when you have an attorney on one side and a pro se litigant on the other.”
As it relates to the legal professional in general, Judge Bronwyn Miller loves the law, but similar to many of her colleagues on the bench, is concerned about the lack of civility and professionalism that she sees at times in the courtroom and the legal community.
“Unfortunately, the public’s perception of the legal professional has suffered in recent years,” the judge said. “The profession is not the esteemed profession it once was many years ago. As someone who loves this profession, and believes that it serves as a cornerstone to our society, it causes me great concern. I think all attorneys need to step up and help raise the level of professionalism in the legal community and do everything we can to restore the public’s perception of lawyers and judges.”
From speaking with her staff and colleagues, it is clear that Judge Bronwyn Miller is living by her words and trying to make a difference. Judge Miller’s judicial assistant, Roxalyn “Roxy” Mendez, had this to say about Judge Miller: “Not only is Judge Miller bright, intelligent, and a well respected judge whom I aspire to be like; she is also a warm and caring person dedicated to making a difference in our community....I am very grateful to be working for someone that I have the utmost respect for, who is also someone that I can call a friend.”
In her free time, Judge Bronwyn Miller spends as much time as possible with her family and friends; first and foremost her husband, Maury Udell, an attorney specializing in civil litigation. Mr. Udell is a partner at Beighley, Myrick & Udell, P.A.
Judge Miller is also an avid runner; a passion that she developed at a young age when she ran cross-country in high school. Judge Miller runs with a group 3-4 times a week, and recently completed the Miami Marathon. When the opportunity permits, which is not too often with her busy schedule, the judge also enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures.
If she had to choose another career outside of law, Judge Miller said she might choose either a career as a veterinarian or as a museum curator as she has a love and passion for animals and art.
Mark A. Sylvester is a partner at the law firm of Leesfield & Partners, P.A. He specializes in representing plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases.
