A Judicial Profile
by Mark A. Sylvester*
With each Judge that I profile, I have a few questions that I always ask. One of those questions is what would you do if you weren't a judge? When I asked Judge Maria Espinosa Dennis, she paused and responded, "I don't know, I love my job. I love the excitement of being in the courtroom. My whole life I wanted to be a judge. I can remember watching motion calendar when I first started practicing law; I would sit there and say to myself 'one day I will be there, one day I'm going to be a judge.'"
Judge Espinosa Dennis' passion for her work stems not only from the thrill of the courtroom, but from her true desire to give something back to the community. To Judge Espinosa Dennis, taking the bench was the best means for her to make a difference in as many lives as possible.
"Judges possess an incredible power to make a difference in peoples' lives. My goal is to do that by applying the law fairly to those who appear before me, whether they be poor, rich, elderly, or otherwise, my goal is apply the law uniformly and make sure that justice is done," she said.
Judge Espinosa Dennis took the bench in January of 2001, and has served in the juvenile and criminal divisions; she currently presides in the civil general jurisdiction division. While the circuit court judges currently work on a rotational basis between the different courts, Judge Espinosa Dennis finds working in the juvenile system the most rewarding. It is in the juvenile system where the judge feels that she can make the greatest difference.
"In the juvenile system I feel most useful. I feel like I'm giving back to the community that has given so much to me," she said.
Judge Espinosa Dennis explains that in the juvenile system she feels that she can help steer children away from making potentially terrible mistakes with life-long consequences.
"It starts with children and families," she said. "Reaching them when they're young offers the best chance to keep them out of trouble when they're older."
While on the bench in the juvenile division, Judge Espinosa Dennis utilized the "5-day rule." The 5-day rule was a policy she implemented whereby she gave the kids certain conditions as part of their release. Her rule provided that in lieu of detention, the kids would be required to attend school regularly with no unexcused absences or suspensions, a curfew was imposed, the kids were prohibited from using drugs, and they were required to treat their parents and family members with respect. If they failed to abide by any of these conditions, they faced a contempt hearing, and thereafter would be arrested and potentially serve up to 5 days in the detention facility. "I even gave the parents my card and told them to call me if they had any trouble with the kids," she said.
While Judge Espinosa Dennis finds the juvenile system incredibly rewarding, she also finds it very frustrating. She describes a system that is in dire need of improvement. The building itself is old and deteriorated. In addition, the resources available for the number of children coming through the courthouse, whether it be attorneys, judges, or staff, are very limited.
"We do not prioritize our youth in this community and it's a shame, because that is our future," she said.
Outside of the courtroom, Judge Espinosa Dennis tries to make a difference by volunteering her time to speak at local schools. She answers the questions of many of the youth that she seeks to help. Most often she explains that their actions have consequences, that poor decisions could affect them for the rest of their lives. She also explains the difference between the juvenile criminal system and the adult criminal system, and addresses issues of truancy and drug use. The judge has also organized moot court competitions at the court house. "Information and knowledge is the first step," she said.
She welcomes all attorneys to take a moment out of their busy days and stop by the juvenile court house, walk through it and ask themselves; can our legal community do better? Are we proud to be a part of this system? If not, then ask themselves what they can do to help.
Amazingly, Judge Espinosa Dennis is able to balance her role as a judge, as a teacher, and a volunteer with being the mother of 5 children; ages 30, 18, 14, 11, and 9. "I'm pretty good at multi-tasking," she says with smile. She makes it a point to emphasize that it helps having a wonderful and supportive husband in Benny Diaz. "We compliment each other well and share in the responsibilities and duties which makes life much easier," she said.
Judge Dennis Espinosa was born in Cuba, and arrived in Miami when she was about 3 years old. An alumni of Miami Springs High School, she graduated summa cum laude from Florida International University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. She received her Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the University of Miami, and after a year of private practice joined the State Attorney's Office where she practiced for 4 years. In 1990, the judge returned to private practice and shortly thereafter became a circuit court mediator for the 11th Judicial Circuit. In 1991, she founded the Espinosa Law Firm handling general litigation, while at the same time continuing and specializing in mediating civil and family law cases. She continued in private practice until taking the bench in January of 2001.
When she has a moment away from her job and volunteer work, she enjoys traveling, deep sea fishing, spending time with her family, and learning something new each and every day.
Mark A. Sylvester is a partner at the law firm of Leesfield, Leighton & Partners, P.A. He specializes in representing plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases.
