Leslie B. Rothenberg

Florida Appellate Lawyer

Leslie Rothenberg is a former judge who served as a Florida trial judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court (Miami-Dade County) for eleven years, and as an appellate court judge on the Third District Court of Appeal for fourteen years. During her tenure on the Third District Court of Appeal, she was elected by her peers to serve as Chief Judge and President of the District Court of Appeal Judges, where she represented the appellate judiciary state-wide and ran the judicial education program. Her twenty-five years on the bench, experience trying cases, rulings, and written opinions, have earned her the respect of her colleagues, the legal community, and the community at large.

Prior to Judge Rothenberg’s tenure on the bench, she served as a prosecutor for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted violently and repeat offenders, homicides, and capital sexual batteries while supervising an entire felony division.

Over the course of her career, Judge Rothenberg has tried over 100 jury trials as a lawyer and over 300 jury trials as a judge. She has authored nearly 1,000 published opinions on the law. Her opinions include comprehensive opinions regarding tobacco and asbestos litigation, wrongful death, and product liability cases, closing argument error, and corporate liability. Judge Rothenberg is comfortable in the courtroom and is known for her dedicated work ethic and effectiveness both in and out of the courtroom.

Judge Rothenberg has lectured on a number of topics including human trafficking, public corruption, sexual predators, preservation of error, how to avoid closing argument error, effective appellate advocacy, stare decisis, constitutional issues, statutory interpretation, ethics, and professionalism. She has also served on the Dade County Criminal Justice Council Victim’s Rights Sub-Committee, on the Board of Directors for Kristi House (which provides services for abused children), as a Guardian Ad Litem for abused, neglected, and abandoned children, as an instructor for the Police Explorers of Homestead, Florida, on the Board of Directors for the Manhood Development Council (sponsored by the Urban League), as the co-chair of the National Council of Jewish Women Israeli Affairs Committee, and worked on an army base in Israel in the Volunteers for Israel Program during Operation Desert Storm.

Education

• JD, Nova Southeastern School of Law, 1986
• BA, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • University of Denver, Denver, CO.

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1986
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 2019

Professional Associations

• Dade County Bar Association
• The Florida Bar Association
• Cuban American Bar Association
• Florida Association for Woman Lawyers

Awards