Juan Ramirez, Jr.
Adjunct Professor,
Law, Science and Technology
Education
B.A., Vanderbilt University
M.A., Vanderbilt University
J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law
Judge Juan Ramirez, Jr. is the former Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeal. His term commenced July 1, 2009 and expired June 30, 2011. He has served as a district court judge since January 2, 2000. He previously served as a circuit court judge (1990-99) and as a county court judge (1988-90). He is the author of a three-volume treatise entitled “Florida Civil Procedure,” originally published by Michie / Lexis Publishing in 1997 and a three-volume set entitled “Florida Evidence Manual” published in 2000, also by Lexis. He writes yearly updates for both treatises. He has also written for a number of Florida Bar publications and a casebook on Florida Civil Procedure, published by Carolina Academic Press.
He has served as a member of the Executive Committee (2010-11) and the Education Committee (2009-10) of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal (CCJSCA). He hosted the Annual Education Conference of the CCJSCA held at Miami Beach in October 2011. He has also represented the Third District on the Court Technology Committee for the Appellate Courts of Florida and the Education Committee of the Conference of District Court Judges. He is currently serving on the Editorial Board for Lexis Publications. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Law and Economics Center of George Mason School of Law and was the Associate Dean of the College of Advanced Judicial Studies. He also served in the Florida Courts Education Council. As a chief judge, he served on the DCA Budget Commission.
As a trial judge, Judge Ramirez served in the Criminal, Family and General Jurisdiction Divisions and, during his last year, was the Administrative Judge of the Appellate Division of the Circuit Court. He was elected by his peers to serve as the Third District representative to the Conference of Circuit Court Judges, and also served as Civil Section Chair and Education Program Chair. He has previously lectured at various meetings of the Conference of Circuit Judges on civil topics.
Judge Ramirez has taught numerous law school courses as an adjunct professor at Florida International University, St. Thomas University School of Law and Nova Southeastern University School of Law, including Florida civil procedure, medical malpractice, criminal procedure, evidence and family law. He currently teaches Florida Civil Procedure at both the FIU College of Law and the UM School of Law, and he is teaching Law, Science and Technology at the FIU COL. He lectures every year at the East Region Construction Defect and Construction Law Conference, and will be on the Judges’ Panel at the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Construction Litigation.. He has also lectured for Lawline and will be participating in the Circuit Court Book Camp Miami – 2012. Judge Ramirez has also served in other numerous bar activities, including on Florida Rules of Civil Procedure Committee, as well as the Appellate Rules and the Family Law Rules Committees.
Judge Ramirez earned a B.A and an M.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, followed by two years at the University of Florida, where he worked on a Ph.D. in Latin American History. He graduated with honors in 1975 from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He was born in Havana, Cuba and has been married to Josefina Rovira Ramirez (Josie) since 1979. They have two children, Juan Luis (a lawyer at Debevoise and Plimpton, NYC) and Julian (a certified sommelier). He is also active in the community, having participated in School-Based Mentoring with Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Greater Miami, and other civic organizations.