S P E C I A L
F E A T U R E
by Lyndsey E. Siara - Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Meet the Judge: Judge Joelle ann ober
T
“Most of us serve in these roles because we love the community, and we want
to do good for this community.” — Judge Joelle ann ober
he fifth segment of this
recurring series on
Thirteenth Circuit judges
highlights Hillsborough
County’s longest serving
county court judge: Judge Joelle Ann
Ober. How does one survive more
than four decades in the courthouse
(or any one place for that matter)?
Relationships. Building and maintaining
strong relationships with the people she
works with has been a career-long
constant for Judge Ober. “The people
I met during my first visit to the
courthouse are still my friends today,”
16
Judge Ober said. A self-described
“people person,” Judge Ober took great
joy in sharing how close she is with her
high school friends some 44 years later.
“It just enriches your life to have those
relationships,” she explained.
Judge Ober began cultivating those
friendships from the moment she
walked into the courthouse in January
of 1979 as a college intern. She spent
that semester shadowing Judge Harry
Lee Coe III and became fascinated by
the role of a judge in the judicial system.
Judge Joelle Ann Ober
continued on page 17
NOV - DEC 2019
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HCBA LAWYER