PBCBA BAR BULLETINS pbcba_bulletin_july2018 | Page 12
JUDICIAL P r o f i l e
Judge Carolyn Bell
JEAN MARIE MIDDLETON
She also taught legal writing and trial
advocacy as an Adjunct Professor at
George Washington School of Law.
After Washington, Judge Bell served
as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the
West Palm Beach office of the Southern
District of Florida. Although while
there she prosecuted virtually every
type of federal crime, the bulk of
Judge Bell’s work was in white-collar
economic crimes.
She
recently
prosecuted
an
ophthalmologist who falsely diagnosed
elderly Medicare patients with eye
diseases they did not have, and lasered
and injected their eyes with treatments
they did not need. After a two-month
trial, he was sentenced to seventeen
years in prison shortly before Judge
Bell left the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Judge Bell also served as Professional
Responsibility Ethics Officer for the
U.S. Attorney’s Office, and regularly
taught law enforcement, prosecutors
and state and local bar associations on
a wide variety of topics.
After she finished her backpack tour,
Judge Bell returned to the University
of California at Berkeley to attend law
school. Once again, after graduation
she took time to do some more
traveling. This time, she traveled the
Pacific Rim and toured places like
China, Malaysia and New Zealand.
Her legal career began at a large law
firm in Los Angeles, California where
she practiced bankruptcy law and
commercial litigation.
A fun fact about Judge Bell is that
coincidentally, her husband, Judge
Bruce Reinhart, was sworn in as a
United States Magistrate Judge for the
Southern District of Florida in the same
week Governor Rick Scott appointed
her to the Circuit Court bench. Judge
Bell and Judge Reinhart are the proud
parents of two sons, Jake and Brian,
both of whom will be in college in the
fall. (See picture)
Judge Bell is currently assigned to
Juvenile Division JK.
North County Section
Welcomes
to the North County Courthouse
Not only has Judge Bell worked in
public service positions, she is also
active in Palm Beach County and
Florida Bar committees.
She has
served as Chair of the Florida Bar
Standing Committee of Professional
Ethics and the Advertising Standing
Committee. Her Palm Beach County
Bar service includes serving as Chair of
the Professionalism Committee.
Judge Bell received her undergraduate
degree from the University of California
at Berkeley. After graduation, Judge
Bell took a year off and backpacked
throughout Europe, North Africa and
the Middle East. She supported herself
by doing odd jobs including working as
a photographer, working on an Israeli
kibbutz, and playing the piano in bars.
NCS Members - FREE!
Attorneys who are not Section
Members $10.00
Jean Marie Middleton has the pleasure of serving
as a Senior Attorney for the Palm Beach County
School District practicing employment and labor
litigation. She can be reached at jean.middleton@
palmbeachschools.org.
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN
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