Joseph Farina

Hon. Joseph P. Farina (Ret.)

Retired Chief Judge | Florida Circuit Civil Mediator | Qualified Arbitrator

Commercial • Business • Insurance • Complex Civil Disputes

Miami, Florida | South Florida & Statewide

Professional Overview

The Honorable Joseph P. Farina (Ret.) is a Miami-based mediator and arbitrator with more than three decades of judicial experience handling complex civil disputes. A retired Chief Judge of Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Judge Farina served on the bench from 1979 through 2012, including 14 years as Chief Judge.

Since joining JAMS in 2012, Judge Farina has devoted his practice to mediation, arbitration, special magistrate appointments, neutral evaluation, and other forms of dispute resolution.

During his judicial career, Judge Farina presided over approximately 3,500 complex civil cases, including nationally significant asbestos and Chinese drywall litigation. His experience encompasses commercial and business litigation, insurance disputes, personal injury and wrongful death, professional liability, construction, real estate, employment, class actions, mass torts, and other sophisticated civil matters.

Judge Farina has also been recognized by the Dade County Bar Association for his work in alternative dispute resolution, including its Legal Luminary Award for Best Mediator and Circle of Excellence recognition for ADR.

Commercial, Business & Complex Civil Disputes

Judge Farina's judicial and neutral experience encompasses a broad range of commercial, business, financial, property, and complex civil matters.

His experience includes disputes involving:

• Breach of contract
• Shareholder and partnership disputes
• Joint ventures and business governance
• Banking and lender liability
• Fraud and financial disputes
• Construction and construction defects
• Commercial real estate
• Commercial foreclosures
• Condominium and homeowner association disputes
• Employment and non-compete matters
• Class actions and mass torts
• Complex multi-party litigation

His decades of experience evaluating sophisticated civil disputes provide perspective on the legal, financial, evidentiary, and practical considerations that can influence settlement.

Insurance, Personal Injury & Professional Liability

Judge Farina also brings extensive experience involving insurance, tort, and professional liability matters.

His background includes:

• Insurance coverage and bad faith
• First-party property and hurricane claims
• Catastrophic personal injury
• Wrongful death
• Automobile and premises liability
• Negligent security
• Product liability
• Medical malpractice
• Legal malpractice
• Other professional liability claims

This experience is particularly relevant in significant civil disputes requiring parties and counsel to evaluate liability, causation, damages, insurance considerations, expert testimony, and the risks associated with continued litigation.

Mediation Approach

Judge Farina approaches mediation with an emphasis on preparation, careful evaluation of the legal and factual issues, and realistic assessment of litigation risk.

Drawing upon decades of judicial and dispute-resolution experience, he works with parties and counsel to identify the issues driving a dispute, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, address obstacles to settlement, and explore practical opportunities for resolution.

His background is particularly relevant in sophisticated, high-value, and multi-party matters where participants may benefit from a neutral experienced in evaluating complex legal issues and managing difficult litigation.

Arbitration

Judge Farina also serves as an arbitrator, bringing more than 30 years of trial-court experience to the arbitration process.

His approach emphasizes preparation and active case management, including preliminary conferences, discovery issues, substantive motions, status conferences, and final hearings. He reviews party submissions in advance to promote an informed and efficient proceeding.

Judicial & Professional Background

Judge Farina served on Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit from 1979 through 2012 and as Chief Judge from 1995 through 2009.

As Chief Judge, he led one of the nation's largest trial court systems and served on Florida Supreme Court committees addressing judicial administration, strategic planning, ethics, budgeting, and court governance.

His professional recognition includes the Chief Justice's Commendation, Outstanding Leadership & Vision Award from the Florida Judicial Branch, David W. Dyer Professionalism Award, Jurist of the Year, and Justice Harry Lee Anstead Professionalism Award.