Leslie B. Rothenberg

Leslie Rothenberg is a former Florida trial judge and appellate court judge. She served for eleven years on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court (Miami-Dade County), and fourteen years as an appellate court judge on the Third District Court of Appeal. 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 and her experience trying cases and issuing rulings and written opinions have earned her the respect of her colleagues, the legal community, and the community at large.

In 2021, Judge Rothenberg marked her return to the 11th Judicial Circuit court when she was elected to the Florida Bar's Board of Governors, Seat 6 for the 11th Circuit. As one of just 52 members of the Florida Bar's Board of Governors, Judge Rothenberg and her peers serve all 109,000 members of The Florida Bar and are responsible for creating and implementing all policy changes.

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 violent 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 errors, and corporate liability. She also has extensive expertise in personal injury, appeals, and expert witness, making her an invaluable resource to her colleagues and clients. Judge Rothenberg 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.