JUDICIAL CORNER
JUDICIAL CORNER
Judicial Profile: Judge Dane Leitner
ALISON BROWN
Born, and raised in Boca Raton, Florida by his parents Patty and Scott Leitner, along with his big brother Bryan Leitner, Judge Leitner learned the importance of family and faith from an early age. Judge Leitner credits his parents with instilling within him his fundamental morals and values, as they led by example.
He’ s been a lifelong churchgoer. Teaching the next generation is something that he finds particularly impactful. To that end, he currently teaches Sunday school for kids in first through fifth grade and regularly leads bible study. Judge Leitner is grateful for his division placement in the Family Division to be able to help families, and children especially, during some of the most difficult times of their lives.
Love of the outdoors has likewise been a lifelong passion. This dovetailed nicely into the Boy Scouts of America where he joined as a Cub Scout and ultimately earned the rank of Eagle Scout, an achievement only 4 % of Scouts obtain. His Eagle Scout Project was creating a prayer garden at his church. The Scout motto is“ Be Prepared.” This is something Judge Leitner still lives by, preparing for the cases before him, and conversely expects the same from those that come before him.
His Dad was from the Chicago area and his family had a tradition of summering in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lake Geneva is a small town that looks like something you would see in a movie. There he enjoyed the small-town atmosphere, water sports( especially water skiing) and family connection. And this family tradition he enjoyed as a child is one that he has passed down to his own wife and children, who love Lake Geneva even more than he does.
Judge Leitner is a proud‘ Girl Dad’ to two daughters who he loves spending time, along with his amazing wife Sami, when he is not working. He is active in the girls’ activities, that vary from coaching soccer, to attending years of competitive cheer performances. And he’ s all in with support and pride.
But don’ t let that fool you, Judge Leitner is an avid football fan. On the college front, he is an avid Seminoles fan. He watches games devotedly and goes in person when he can-especially when they play Miami. You can catch his school pride through his personal style – often sporting his FSU gear. But there is room in his heart for even more football. He has been a Green Bay Packers fan for as long as he can remember. As the only NFL franchise that is publicly owned, Judge Leitner has a share of common stock in the Packers, thereby making him an owner of the team. Go Pack Go!
Like so many, his parents noticed his aptitude to argue so they suggested sometime in middle school that he become an attorney. He never looked back. Judge Leitner practiced law at reputable firms, primarily as a litigator, but also handled transactional matters and served as general counsel for various clients. His practice was diverse handling general civil, family law, and real estate matters. He learned from the diversity of his practice how much overlap there is amongst the different disciplines and how that benefited his practice. And through this overlap he learned an overriding principle: to look at both the legal and practical solutions to reach resolution. Further, while he understands that all disputes carry some level of emotion, especially in family law, it is always important to look at the path forward and toward resolution as many times there is no true“ winner” at the end of a trial
Appointed on April 16, 2026, Commissioned
on June 8, 2026, with an Investiture on September 18, 2026, this perspective- along with his strong belief in faith and family – will be a guiding principle for Judge Leitner as he has the privilege of beginning this new professional role.
This judicial profile is submitted by Alison Brown on behalf of PBCBA’ s Judicial Relations Committee. Ms. Brown is a senior attorney at the South Florida Water Management District.
SPOTLIGHT ON JUDICIAL APPRECIATION
Chief Judge Glenn Kelley, Judge Marci Rex and PBCBA President Jack Rice
In October, PBCBA President Jack Rice continued the Association’ s tradition of presenting an engraved gavel to a newly invested judge, presenting Judge Marci Rex with one on behalf of PBCBA members during her investiture ceremony.
Congratulations to Judge Rex!
Missed Judge Rex’ s Judicial Profile? You can read her recently published Judicial Profile in the July / August issue of the Bar Bulletin available online.
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 21