Judge Laura Shaffer: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Laura Shaffer is a judge for the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. She was elected to the bench on November 6, 2018.

The 9th Judicial Circuit encompasses Osceola County and Orange County. Shaffer has held assignments in Osceola County, presiding over cases in the Unified Family Court and the Juvenile Dependency Division.

Prior to her election, Shaffer worked as an attorney in her own private practice, a law firm she opened in 2008. She represented clients in juvenile defense, family law, and human trafficking matters. Before that, she was a supervising attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families, handling dependency and abuse cases for seven years.

Shaffer earned a B.A. from the University of West Florida in 1994. She then completed a J.D. at Stetson University College of Law in 1998. She is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Florida Bar (2017).

Her memberships have included the Orange County Bar Association, the Osceola County Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida, and the Central Florida Family Law Inns of Court.