Judge Michelle Alvarez Barakat: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. Michelle Alvarez Barakat is a judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Miami-Dade County. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2019, filling the vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Eric Hendon to the Third District Court of Appeal.

Barakat holds an assignment in the Unified Children's Court Divison. Prior to her appointment, she presided as a judge for the Miami-Dade County Court since 2013.

Prior to beginning her judicial career, Barakat worked as a criminal and civil litigation attorney in private practice. She also served as bar counsel at The Florida Bar.

She received a B.A. from the University of Miami in 1995. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Miami School of Law in 1998.

Barakat, who is Cuban American, is a member of the Cuban Bar Association. She has also served as a board member of the Granada Day School and a member with Of His House Orphanage and the Big City Mountaineers.

She was born and raised in Miami, Florida.