Hon. Ursula Ungaro served on the federal bench as a United States District Judge in the Southern District of Florida for 29 years. Her judicial experience spans more than three decades, with Judge Ungaro serving as a Florida state trial judge for five years before being confirmed to the United States District Court. Before becoming a judge, she was a litigator in Miami, Florida, and a partner in two prestigious law firms. Her practice was heavily concentrated on complex commercial litigation.
While a federal judge, Judge Ungaro presided over a heavy caseload that included numerous high-profile matters and sat as a visiting judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. During her tenure on the federal bench, Judge served on national, regional and local committees responsible for court administration. Most notably, she served for eight years as a member of the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which is responsible for making compensation and other human resource-related recommendations to the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She also served as Chair of the Southern District of Florida’s Clerks Committee and the Magistrate Judges Committee. From 1987 to 1992, Judge Ungaro served as a trial judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida. Judge Ungaro has numerous community involvements. Among others, she served on the Florida Supreme Court Race and Bias Commission; she currently serves on the board of directors of the Family Learning Partnership, a not-for-profit that supports needy families with educational and related resources; and she participates on a voluntary basis (having formerly participated in her judicial capacity) in CARE Court, a court-assisted reentry program for moderate- and high-risk offenders recently released from prison. She also serves as a director on the board of a public company, Longeveron.
She has authored articles in the areas of administrative law, legal ethics, and civil procedure. She is the recipient of the ORT Jurisprudence Award and has been recognized on several occasions by other organizations for her achievements in the law and service to the community.
Admitted to practice in Florida only; not admitted to practice in New York.