Judicial Profiles
by
Mark A. Sylvester*
Judge John Schlesinger
by
Mark A. Sylvester*
Judge John Schlesinger
In January of 2005, Judge John Schlesinger was formally sworn in as a Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Schlesinger served as a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office in Miami for over 15 years. In 1998, he briefly entered private practice with the law firm of Clarke, Silverglate, Campbell Williams & Montgomery, P.A. After just over a year in private practice, the Judge was encouraged by his friend, colleague, and former United States Attorney, Guy Lewis, to return to the United States Attorney’s Office in 2000, serving on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he remained until opting to run for a seat on the Circuit Court bench in 2004.
Serving the community from the bench was a career that Judge Schlesinger had considered for many years. “From the time that I first began practicing law, I always aspired to one day serve the community from the bench,” the judge said. “After 16 years as a trial attorney, it felt like the time was right.” In addition to crediting his experience in the courtroom for preparing him for his roll on the bench, Judge Schlesinger expressed gratitude and a great deal of admiration and respect for all of the judges that he practiced before during his career with the United States Attorney’s Office. “I had the honor of practicing in front of some great judges. During my career at the United States Attorney’s Office, I was assigned to Judge Hoevler’s division, as well as Judge Atkins, and Judge Scott to name a few. These judges epitomized what it means to be a judge. I learned a great deal from these judges and they helped form my judicial philosophy.”
While the judges that he practiced in front of helped form his judicial philosophy, Judge Schlesinger’s work ethic was formed in his childhood in Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised. The judge comes from a largely blue collar family in which his grandfather, father, and brothers all worked for the local steel mill at one time or another. That was the path that he found himself on until his older brother convinced him that he should go to school to become a lawyer. “My brother told me that I was a ‘good talker’ and should give law school a try, and that’s what I did,” the judge said.
The judge received his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1982, and graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School in 1987. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way he became a Boston Red Sox fan, but no one is perfect.
After graduating from law school, Judge Schlesinger applied for the Attorney General’s Honors Graduate Program through the Department of Justice. He was offered a trial attorney position with the INS in Miami, and in 1987, Judge Schlesinger moved to Miami and began his legal career. While with the INS, Judge Schlesinger served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and worked hand-in-hand with the United States Attorney’s Office on immigration matters. In 1990, he was offered, and accepted, a position as an Assistant United States Attorney.
After his election in 2004, Judge Schlesinger was initially assigned to the criminal division. In January of 2009, he rotated into the Civil Division General Jurisdiction Division where he currently presides. “The Civil Division, General Jurisdiction, has been truly enjoyable,” the judge said. “There is never a dull moment. It’s intellectually stimulating and challenging. There are so many different areas of law that we deal with in the General Jurisdiction Division, from contract cases to personal injury cases and everything in between. The lawyers who come before us are often lawyers who specialize in one area of law and who are extremely knowledgeable in the area of their speciality.”
While his experience as a trial attorney has served him well on the bench, it was initially an adjustment to go from trial attorney to judge. “As a trial attorney, you advocate orally for your client, as a judge you have to learn to talk less and listen more,” the judge said.
As it relates to his courtroom practice and procedures, Judge Schlesinger is a proponent of trial briefs, especially if there are critical evidentiary issues involved in a case. Trial briefs of course are widely used in Federal Court. In addition, if an attorney wants to make sure that a motion is read prior to their hearing, they better make sure that a courtesy copy is hand-delivered to his chambers.
In addition to his service from the bench, Judge Schlesinger is actively involved in the community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Camp Fiesta for the Children’s Cancer Caring Center. The Center, with the guidance of the Board, provides children with cancer a free summer camp program. In the past he has been involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Miami, and has served as a mentor at St. Thomas University’s Law School. He is also a parishioner at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Schlesinger spends the majority of his time with his wife and three daughters. His wife is Marilyn Milian, the judge on the daytime TV show, “The People’s Court.” The two met when he was with the United States Attorney’s Office, and she was a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office. “Convincing Marilyn to marry me was the greatest accomplishment of my life,” the Judge said. “Luckily for me, I minored in Spanish in college, so it made dating Marilyn and meeting her family much easier.”
Prior to assuming her roll on The People’s Court, Judge Milian was appointed to the Miami-Dade County and Circuit Court. Her career takes her away from home for good deal of time during the 22 weeks that “The People’s Court” is filming. During that time, Judge Schlesinger picks up the parental duties for their three girls. When it comes to living with 4 women in the same household, the judge has learned many things. “I certainly learned to put the toilet seat down,” he said. “I also count my blessings every day. I have three healthy children, a wonderful wife, and a great job in a community that I love and where I plan to raise my family.”
Serving the community from the bench was a career that Judge Schlesinger had considered for many years. “From the time that I first began practicing law, I always aspired to one day serve the community from the bench,” the judge said. “After 16 years as a trial attorney, it felt like the time was right.” In addition to crediting his experience in the courtroom for preparing him for his roll on the bench, Judge Schlesinger expressed gratitude and a great deal of admiration and respect for all of the judges that he practiced before during his career with the United States Attorney’s Office. “I had the honor of practicing in front of some great judges. During my career at the United States Attorney’s Office, I was assigned to Judge Hoevler’s division, as well as Judge Atkins, and Judge Scott to name a few. These judges epitomized what it means to be a judge. I learned a great deal from these judges and they helped form my judicial philosophy.”
While the judges that he practiced in front of helped form his judicial philosophy, Judge Schlesinger’s work ethic was formed in his childhood in Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised. The judge comes from a largely blue collar family in which his grandfather, father, and brothers all worked for the local steel mill at one time or another. That was the path that he found himself on until his older brother convinced him that he should go to school to become a lawyer. “My brother told me that I was a ‘good talker’ and should give law school a try, and that’s what I did,” the judge said.
The judge received his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1982, and graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School in 1987. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way he became a Boston Red Sox fan, but no one is perfect.
After graduating from law school, Judge Schlesinger applied for the Attorney General’s Honors Graduate Program through the Department of Justice. He was offered a trial attorney position with the INS in Miami, and in 1987, Judge Schlesinger moved to Miami and began his legal career. While with the INS, Judge Schlesinger served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and worked hand-in-hand with the United States Attorney’s Office on immigration matters. In 1990, he was offered, and accepted, a position as an Assistant United States Attorney.
After his election in 2004, Judge Schlesinger was initially assigned to the criminal division. In January of 2009, he rotated into the Civil Division General Jurisdiction Division where he currently presides. “The Civil Division, General Jurisdiction, has been truly enjoyable,” the judge said. “There is never a dull moment. It’s intellectually stimulating and challenging. There are so many different areas of law that we deal with in the General Jurisdiction Division, from contract cases to personal injury cases and everything in between. The lawyers who come before us are often lawyers who specialize in one area of law and who are extremely knowledgeable in the area of their speciality.”
While his experience as a trial attorney has served him well on the bench, it was initially an adjustment to go from trial attorney to judge. “As a trial attorney, you advocate orally for your client, as a judge you have to learn to talk less and listen more,” the judge said.
As it relates to his courtroom practice and procedures, Judge Schlesinger is a proponent of trial briefs, especially if there are critical evidentiary issues involved in a case. Trial briefs of course are widely used in Federal Court. In addition, if an attorney wants to make sure that a motion is read prior to their hearing, they better make sure that a courtesy copy is hand-delivered to his chambers.
In addition to his service from the bench, Judge Schlesinger is actively involved in the community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Camp Fiesta for the Children’s Cancer Caring Center. The Center, with the guidance of the Board, provides children with cancer a free summer camp program. In the past he has been involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Miami, and has served as a mentor at St. Thomas University’s Law School. He is also a parishioner at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Schlesinger spends the majority of his time with his wife and three daughters. His wife is Marilyn Milian, the judge on the daytime TV show, “The People’s Court.” The two met when he was with the United States Attorney’s Office, and she was a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office. “Convincing Marilyn to marry me was the greatest accomplishment of my life,” the Judge said. “Luckily for me, I minored in Spanish in college, so it made dating Marilyn and meeting her family much easier.”
Prior to assuming her roll on The People’s Court, Judge Milian was appointed to the Miami-Dade County and Circuit Court. Her career takes her away from home for good deal of time during the 22 weeks that “The People’s Court” is filming. During that time, Judge Schlesinger picks up the parental duties for their three girls. When it comes to living with 4 women in the same household, the judge has learned many things. “I certainly learned to put the toilet seat down,” he said. “I also count my blessings every day. I have three healthy children, a wonderful wife, and a great job in a community that I love and where I plan to raise my family.”
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.
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