Judge Rosa Figarola

Rosa Figarola is a retired Circuit Court Judge from Miami, Florida. Judge Figarola graduated from the University of Miami in 1982 and joined the Office of the Public Defender where she served as a trial and appellate lawyer. In 2001 she was appointed to the County Court Bench. As a county court judge, she served in the Criminal and Domestic Violence Divisions. In 2011, Figarola was appointed to the Circuit Court Bench where she served in the Dependency, Family, Unified Family, and Probate Divisions.

During her tenure as a judge, she served on the Miami Dade County Domestic Violence Oversight Board; was an adjunct family law professor and trial advocacy coach at St. Thomas School of Law; and was a faculty member for the National Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' curriculum on Enhancing Judicial Skills and other issues addressing interpersonal violence. She participated in a multi-national Caribbean Dialogue on the Rule of Law and Gender-Based Violence at the Florida International University in 2012 and conducted a presentation on trauma informed courts in San Juan, Puerto Rico for family and juvenile court judges in 2016. She has also conducted several presentations on the interrelationship between interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, as well as issues surrounding cultural responsiveness for judges and child welfare workers.

Judge Figarola is presently a member of the Steering Committee for the National Link Coalition and serves on the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judge's judicial advisory on animal cruelty. She serves as a Senior Judge in Miami-Dade County and continues to participate in educational programs related to the interrelationship between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence.

Session: Justice for All: Integrating Animal Law into Judicial Education and Courtrooms