Miguel M. de la O is a Circuit Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida in the Criminal Division, where he serves as an Associate Administrative Judge.  Judge de la O has presided over more than 160 jury trials.  He serves on the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee which provides advisory ethics opinions to Florida judges concerning the Canons of Judicial Conduct.  He is also a member of the Florida Supreme Court’s Criminal Court Steering Committee.  Judge de la O is on the faculty of the Circuit Court Conference, Advanced Judicial Studies, and New Judges School, and has taught trial advocacy as an Adjunct Professor at the Florida International University College of Law.

The League of Prosecutors presented Judge de la O with its Justice Award in 2016.  In 2018, he was given the Maxine Cohen-Lando Community Service Award by Transition Inc.  And in 2020, he received the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Honorable Gerald Kogan Judicial Distinction Award.

Judge de la O practiced law in Miami for over 20 years before his election as a Circuit Judge in 2012.  He attended Florida State University, graduating cum laude with degrees in political science and criminology, and with high honors from the Florida State University School of Law, where he served as an Editor on the Law Review.  After law school, he worked for Steel Hector & Davis and Sonnett, Sale & Kuehne.  In 1994, he co-founded de la O & Marko.  Judge de la O was an AV-rated trial and appellate lawyer.

Judge de la O was an active member in his community before joining the bench.  He served on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners for 10 years, including one year as Chair.  He chaired the City of Miami Civil Service Board for 8 years.  Judge de la O also served on the City of Miami Community Relations Board, Charter Review Committee, and Nominating Committee for the Civil Investigative Panel, and on the Boards of Directors for the Human Services Coalition, People with AIDS Coalition, and the Dade County Bar.