Orlando, Fla. – The Hon. Jose R. Rodriguez, a judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, was the speaker at the 2012 commencement ceremony for the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law on May 12 at 11 a.m. The commencement ceremony washeld for 202 graduates and their families at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Rodriguez has served on the bench since 1987, when he became the first Hispanic-American to serve as an Orange County judge. Among his professional activities, he is a member of the Florida Supreme Court Commission on Fairness and a bencher of the Inns of Court. He served on the Florida Supreme Court Task Force on Treatment-Based Drug Courts and presided over the first fully operational drug court in the Ninth Circuit. Rodriguez is also a member of the Barry Law School’s Board of Advisors.
Rodriguez immigrated to Miami from Cuba at the age of nine and became a U.S. citizen on July 4, 1976. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law in 1977.
His daughter, Ani Rodriguez, was among the graduates crossing the stage at the commencement ceremony. She was the fourth generation to be an attorney in the Rodriguez family.
“Professionalism and ethics are critical components of a Barry Law education, and Judge Rodriguez is widely recognized for upholding these values in his courtroom,” said Leticia M. Diaz, dean of the Barry Law School. “He was an inspiration for our graduates as they prepare to enter the legal profession.”