The Hon. Lisa Smith Bedwell is a general magistrate for the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. She was appointed to the bench in 2016.
The 9th Judicial Circuit encompasses Osceola County and Orange County.
Prior to her appointment, Bedwell was a sole practitioner in her own private practice, a law firm she opened in 2015. Before that, she spent time as an associate at Rachel & Associates (2012 to 2015). Bedwell specialized in family law litigation, family law appeals, family mediation, and collaborative divorce.
Bedwell earned a B.A. from Flagler College (1996) and an M.A. in English literature from Stetson University (1998). She worked as a staff writer for various publications before completing a J.D. at Stetson University College of Law in 2004. She is admitted to practice in Florida (2005) and the District of Columbia (2006), and she is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator (2009).
After graduating from law school, Bedwell began her legal career as a legislative fellow in the United States House of Representatives. She eventually returned to Florida, where she worked as staff counsel in the Family Law Division of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
Her memberships have included the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Central Florida Family Law Inn of Court, the Collaborative Family Law Group of Central Florida, the Stann W. Givens Family Law American Inn of Tampa, and Next Generation Divorce.
She has also served on the Magistrates and Hearing Officers Committee of the Florida Bar, the Family Committee of the Orange County Bar Association, the Judicial Reception Committee of the Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the Mentoring Committee of the Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers, and the Diversity Committee of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.
When not presiding over legal proceedings, Bedwell enjoys cooking, yoga, reading, music, and science fiction.