Judge Daniel E. Traver: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Daniel E. Traver is a judge for the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. Traver was appointed to the bench by Governor Ron DeSantis in November 2019, filling a vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Wendy W. Berger to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Traver began his judicial career as a judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County in 2014. He was appointed to the post by former Governor Rick Scott in 2014. He was subsequently re-elected to the position in 2016. During his tenure there, he held assignments in the Complex Business Division, the Criminal Felony Division, and the Family-Domestic Violence Division.

Prior to his appointment, Traver was a shareholder at Gray Robinson, P.A., where he practiced complex commercial litigation from 2005 to 2014. Before that, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. G. Kendall Sharp of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Traver earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and law and society from Cornell University. He then completed a J.D. at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. As a law student, Traver was a member of the Loyola Law Journal.

His memberships have included the Orange County Bar Association, the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers, and the Robert J. Mansbach Literary Society. He was the co-founder and vice president of Dorothy’s Family as well as the president of the Track Shack Foundation.

A resident of Orlando at the time of his elevation to the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, Traver was raised in Chicago. While at Cornell University, he was a Division I athlete, competing in Varsity Track and Cross Country. His wife is a physical therapist.

He is registered without party affiliation.