PBCBA BAR BULLETINS pbcba_bulletin_April 2019 | Page 17

JUDICIAL PROFILE
Judicial Profile: Judge Ashley Zuckerman
LAUREN JOHNSON
When Judge Zuckerman decided she would
go to law school, she knew she wanted to
stay in South Florida to remain close to
who she lovingly refers to as her “Nana,”
who was the biggest influence in her
life. That was when she decided on Nova
Southeastern University Shepard Broad
Law Center for law school. As a law student,
she interned at the public defender’s office
of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. It was
there that she felt the happiest helping
people and serving the public, which is why
it was a natural choice for her to continue
her employment as a public defender after
her law school graduation.
Now that Judge Zuckerman is in the
county civil division, it’s a far leap from
her former criminal days. But if you meet
Judge Zuckerman, her work ethic and
dedication will be abundantly clear. She
prides herself on receiving this work ethic
from her Nana. And she feels extremely
lucky to walk into the courthouse every
day and continue serving the community
of Palm Beach County.

*Lauren Johnson (Ljohnson@mccaberabin.
com) is an associate at McCabe Rabin,
P.A. practicing business, securities, and
whistleblower litigation.
At the public defender’s office, Judge
Zuckerman trained in the appeals division,
worked in the county court division trying
misdemeanors, and then moved to the
circuit court division to try felony cases.
Eventually, she returned to the county
division as a supervisor and resource
director to train and work with new public
defenders.
She filed to run for judge in December
2017 because she loved her time in the
courtroom and wanted to continue serving
the public. Her proudest moment wasn’t
from one of the over 80 jury trials that she
tried as a public defender. It was when
she told her Nana that she had officially
filed to run for Judge. While most people
would take time off from work and hire a
campaign manager while running a judicial
campaign, Judge Zuckerman ran her own
campaign and continued to work. She also
relied heavily on her friends and family
and had a close friend serve as treasurer
of the campaign. And in November of 2018,
Judge Zuckerman was able to tell her Nana
that she was elected to serve the public as
a Palm Beach County Judge.
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN
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