Joseph Farina

Joseph Farina, retired Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, is highly regarded as an active and effective settlement neutral who managed the resolution of countless complex matters as a Judge for over thirty years.

Most recently, he was awarded the 2016 Dade County Bar Association Legal Luminary Mediation Award as “Best Mediator”.

As a full time mediator, arbitrator, special magistrate, neutral evaluator and neutral umpire at JAMS, Mr. Farina has quickly distinguished himself as a knowledgeable and efficient neutral who works diligently every step of the way toward helping parties arrive at the best possible outcome to their dispute.

Prior to joining JAMS, Mr. Farina served as a Circuit and County Judge in the Civil Divisions of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida from 1981 to 2012.  From 1995 to 2009, in addition to presiding over complex civil cases, he served for 14 years as Chief Judge, supervising the full operations of the Miami-Dade Court system, which is comprised of 123 judges, 15 general magistrates, 20 traffic hearing officers, and more than 500 administrative court staff serving in 10 courthouses.