Helene Daniel
Florida 13th Circuit Court
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Helene Daniel is a judge of the Florida 13th Circuit Court. She assumed office on January 5, 2021. Her current term ends on January 5, 2027.
Daniel won election for judge of the Florida 13th Circuit Court outright in the primary on August 18, 2020, after the general election was canceled.
Daniel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Helene Daniel was born in Paris, France. She obtained an undergraduate degree in August 1982 after attending Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and the University of Freiburg, Germany. She obtained a J.D. from the Nova University College of Law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in May 1986. Daniel's professional experience includes practicing law as a trial lawyer, a Florida Supreme Court certified circuit civil mediator, and a Florida Supreme Court qualified arbitrator. She has been rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell since 2016.[1]
Daniels is a member of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, the Sun City Chamber of Commerce, the Working Women of Tampa Bay, the Tiger Bay Club, and the Nativity Catholic Church; a supporter of the Hands of Hope Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation and the Black Business Bus Tour; and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She previously served as president of the Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers and was the director of the National Conference of Women Bar Associations from 2010 to 2012. Daniels was a member of the Ferguson White American Inn of Court from 2009 to 2011. She was appointed to and served on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for 13th Judicial Circuit Hillsborough County from 2005 to 2008.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Hillsborough County, Florida (2020)
Nonpartisan primary election
Endorsements
To view Daniels' endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Helene Daniel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Daniel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Expand all | Collapse all
I have over 30 years of legal experience as a trial attorney having practiced civil and criminal law. I am a Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. Since 2016, I received the rating of AV-PREEMINENT® from Martindale-Hubbell® , its highest rating for legal abilities and ethics. Originally from France, I came to America when I was almost 13 years old when I first began to learn how to speak English. I am privileged to have received an American education. I am passionate about the law, and for me, becoming a judge is about service and compassion. I want to serve the law and the people in our community with dignity, integrity and respect.
- I believe a judge should treat courtroom participants fairly and without bias, regardless of their social, economic or cultural background.
- I have the legal and life experiences, integrity and temperament needed to be an effective judge.
- Experienced. Fairness. Integrity. I will serve on the bench without bias.
I am passionate about the law and serving our community. Over the years, I have represented many pro bono clients. I have been involved with or supported the following: Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success, Paint your Heart Out, Team Captain for Pancreatic Cancer Cure Walk, itaalk.org Autism Foundation, Metropolitan Ministries, Hands of Hope Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation, Black Business Bus Tour, Metropolitan Ministries and Meals on Wheels. I am also a member and past President of HAWL (Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers), and a member of Hillsborough County Bar Association and BALS The Collective. I am also an active member of Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Tiger Bay Club, Sun City Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Working Women of Tampa Bay.
I have proven courtroom experience, integrity and demeanor necessary to serve the bench fairly and without bias.
The core responsibilities for a judge, whether elected or appointed to office, are the same. Judges are responsible for large dockets of cases. These cases represent people who seek out the courts to resolve significant life issues. To be effective, judges must be prepared and willing to serve the law and the public, fairly and without bias. Courtroom experience coupled with the ability to understand the law, the rules of evidence and procedure are necessary to fulfill these responsibilities. Judges represent our system of justice and fair access to courts.
Watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon made a significant impact on me. I had just turned 9. It filled me with wonder and possibility. My whole family was riveted to our small TV. Together, we watched in awe, as he walked on the moon and planted the American flag. My most lasting impression is that I knew the entire world was watching at the same time and in that moment, I felt hope and peace.
When my mother and sisters and I moved to America, we settled in West Palm Beach. My mother was a seamstress and a single mother with 4 daughters. To earn extra money, she and I would clean empty apartments in the apartment building where we lived. Together, it would take us 2-3 days to clean everything depending on what condition the apartments were in when they were vacated. For our hard work, my mother and I were paid $50 per apartment. This lasted about 2 years until we moved. When we worked side by side, my mom would stress the importance of a good education. From her, I learned work ethics and commitment to family.
Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher; fosters thinking outside the box in finding new and different ways to reach a resolution that is mutually satisfactory to all parties involved in a dispute; also applies to everything in life
Over the years, my litigation practice has taken me all over the state of Florida. I met many good judges who share common traits. Collectively, they are my role models. They are humble, respectful of their office, the law, and the parties who appear before them. They serve the law and the community. They are prepared for court and treat all litigants and counsel with courtesy and dignity. Sometimes, these judges express regret the laws they are applying are not clear or fair, but they remind us they are duty bound to apply the law just the same. They apply the law to the facts and evidence before them, regardless of their own personal preferences or beliefs. If there are pro se litigants in their courtroom, these judges are patient and respectful and take the time to explain procedure to them. They are fair to everyone even when they show empathy and compassion. Because of these qualities, I want to be like them. Over the years, they taught me that it is not about winning or losing a case. It is about access to courts and ensuring the process is fair to all.
Yes. I believe judges should express empathy and compassion to those who appear before them, while remaining fair and impartial in their application of the law. Empathy is an important component of judicial temperament and a quality good judges should possess. When judges treat litigants-- especially pro se litigants --with empathy, patience and dignity, they ensure the process will be orderly and fair. Judges who exhibit the right judicial temperament improve the public's confidence and perception of our legal system. It is that same public confidence that maintains faith in our legal profession and judiciary.
With the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, access to courts to all, but especially those who are less privileged, will become more of a challenge than ever before. Throughout our state, our judiciary is bracing itself in anticipation of reopening our courts with a significant backlog and a likely reduction in jurors willing to serve on jury duty. This will have severe ramifications to access of courts, due process, speedy trial, and will affect how the judiciary conducts court business going forward.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 27, 2020
