Post-Judicial References and Recommendations:

Rating:9.4
Comments:
A breath of fresh air on the bench. Is doing very well for a judge
that has been on the bench a short time. She is fair and impartial and
works hard to make the right decision.
www.therobingroom.com
http://www.therobingroom.com/florida/Judge.aspx?id=1810

"Since she took the bench, Judge Ansbro has been hard-working and fair-minded. She has served the citizens of Orange County well."
Tad Yates, Esquire, 
Kirkconnell, Lindsey, Snure & Yates, P.A.

Pre-Judicial References and Recommendations:

In support of Debbie Ansbro's nomination to the bench in 2006, the following letters were written and delivered to the members of the Judicial Nominating Committee (JNC) and/or to the Governor of the State of Florida:

"I have the privilege of knowing and having worked closely with Deborah Ansbro....Deborah was my partner for four years and worked in a basic litigation practice. Deborah Ansbro would make an outstanding County Judge. She has a very high level of legal knowledge and has an even temperament which would serve her well on the bench. Her trial experience is very substantial, involving everything from simple County Court cases to federal litigation. Deborah possesses very high character and ethics.  She is very well regarded by other lawyers in Orlando....She is extremely thorough, reliable and fair-minded. She does her work diligently and on a timely basis.  Deborah was a little older than average when she became a lawyer...Her maturity manifests itself in her even-handed manner of dealing with others respectfully and appropriately.  She is always one to see both sides of a question, which is, of course, an essential attribute of a good judge. My experience with Debbie is that she views legal questions in the context of common sense and the real world; not from a theoretical or doctrinaire perspective.  She is also very decisive and will be capable of ruling promptly and fairly on issues brought before her....
Deborah will make a fine judge...and will serve the citizens of our community well."
Richard H. Adams, Esquire
Pleus, Adams & Spears, P.A., 2/24/06


"Ms. Ansbro is of the highest moral character. She is enthusiastic, creative and proactive in her business and personal affairs. Ms. Ansbro views challenges as opportunities for growth and expects perfection from herself as well as those around her....On mutual client engagements, she obtained outstanding results through hard work and case law analysis. As a consulting expert for her, I found her to be a great resource in understanding the obligations of both parties in the litigation, as the law applied to the facts of the particular case. She was firm in advancing her client's case. In addition, she maintained a balance and often sought resolution without proceeding to trial, unless trial was unavoidable. Ms. Ansbro often employs a
team approach to management of her cases and
she expects perfection from all team members."
Marcia S. Babione, CPA, Babione, Kuehler & Company,  7/15/05


"Some years ago in a highly contested lawsuit, I first met Debbie Ansbro. I was taken by the manner in which she handled the highly-charged emotional issues involved in that lawsuit. She possessed a wonderful sense of humor, she was always prepared, she was a tough advocate on behalf of her client, but
clearly understood that the role of advocacy is always clearly
within prescribed norms of professional behavior."
Bruce B. Blackwell, Esquire
King, Blackwell, Downs & Zehnder, P.A., 7/19/05


"...I have known Ms. Ansbro for over 17 years....I personally know her to be a woman of high integrity. She also possesses the intellectual vigor and knowledge of the law to be an outstanding judge. Ms. Ansbro has had a varied legal career which will be a great asset to her on the bench. Furthermore, she has the temperament, maturity and judgment that one expects in a judge.
She will be a great addition to the Orange County bench."
Darryl M. Bloodworth, Esquire
Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth, Capouano & Bozarth, P.A., 2/21/06


"I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the nomination of Deborah Ansbro as Orange County Judge. I believe that Ms. Ansbro has the intellectual ability, professional experience and above-all the sense of personal integrity to be an outstanding county judge. Almost 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to work closely with Ms. Ansbro early in her career when she was a young litigator at the Baker & Hostetler law firm. The qualities she displayed then--hard working, thoughtful, calm and tough--have served to make her a first-rate litigator and will serve her equally well as a judge.  Ms. Ansbro has been a leader within the profession...She has a deep respect for the law and understands the proper role of judges in our system of government. I am confident that she will follow and apply the law fairly and impartially."
John A. Boudet, Esquire
Greenberg, Traurig, 3/15/06


"Our law firm was formed in 1990 and our practice consists primarily of litigation in the state and federal courts in Florida.  We have dealt with Ms. Ansbro for more than a decade as an adversary as well as co-counsel in several cases.  We strongly believe that Deborah's intellect, experience, judgment and temperament would make her a credit to our county's judiciary. Deborah, in all our dealings, has proven to be informed, prepared, decisive, and the consummate professional.  Moreover, her integrity is beyond reproach, making her an ideal candidate to serve the people of Orange County as a county judge.  In additional to maintaining a successful legal practice, Ms. Ansbro has been an active participant in community affairs, supporting numerous organizations such as The Boggy Creek Gang Camp and The Ronald McDonald Houses of Orlando. She has also worked to support and raise money for The American Red Cross and The American Cancer Association.  We believe Deborah Ansbro would make an outstanding county court judge and
would bring to the position the maturity and commitment required
to undertake the responsiblities of such a position."
Richard Lee Barrett
Victor L. Chapman
R. Steve Ruta
Barrett, Chapman & Ruta, P.A., 3/15/06

"What really matters is: Will Deborah Ansbro act with a firm commitment to precedent and believe that her prime responsibility is to follow the law? ... the position of County Judge is one which requires a serious dedication to principles of justice and knowledge of the law that is applied each day to the individual, whether that individual enjoys enormous wealth or suffers from grinding proverty. As will be the case with Deborah Ansbro...every person who appears in her courtroom will find her to be a fair and evenhanded jurist. I am confident that the resolution of controversies will be made on their merits based on existing law....She is a woman of high integrity, unimpeachable ethics, enviable intelligence, and
a person whose value system is matchless."
Bernard H. Dempsey, Jr., Esquire
Dempsey & Associates, P.A., 3/1/06


"I met Deborah in 1988....During the time I worked with Deborah, I found her to be an excellent counselor at law, who quickly identified her role in the litigation process, outlined all areas of strategy and moved towards each phase of the litigation resolution or settlement process in an organized and systematic manner. Deborah always represented the client and the firm in an ethical and positive manner. Deborah is extremely intelligent, displays an excellent work ethic, and interacts with clients and colleagues in a fair and considerate manner. I find her energy and drive to be commendable; yet, she always maintains balance in her work and home life.
I cultivated and have maintained a personal friendship with Deborah through the present...I admire that Deborah has always known her desire to serve in the legal community, working first as a paralegal and then pursing law school at the University of Florida (while remaining committed in her role as a devoted wife and mother of a then young daughter). Deborah worked hard and made many sacrifices in order to achieve her goal and fulfill her dream to practice law. Deborah is a woman of high moral character, and remains focused and serves as a role model for others. She has the unique ability to juggle multipe tasks, to implement a plan of action, and to assist others in the area of problem resolution and future development. All of these things she approaches with integrity, hard work and fairness, striving for perfection and completion. Deborah utilizes her time well, and is proactive in following matters to conclusion. She litigates fairly and with conscience, always within the letter of the law and always as a representative that she is called to by the highest order. Deborah is an optimist and utilizes her resources fully, while incorporating real life experiences to the legal work she has mastered so well.
Deborah has never lost sight of the fact that to be an excellent attorney, she must continue in her pursuit of professional and personal development, including her civic responsibilities. Deborah has a humble spirit to serve others,
as I have witnessed in her tireless efforts in community involvement with
the Ronald McDonald House and the Boggy Creek Gang Camp."
Karen L. Didea, Paralegal, 7/16/05


"I am a partner in the firm of Baker & Hostetler LLP and have known Ms. Ansbro since her employment as an associate attorney with our firm in 1988. During her tenure with [B&H], Ms. Ansbro performed in an exemplary manner...During her tenure with our firm, I found her to be an extremely capable lawyer whose writing and analytical skills were outstanding. Likewise, she always displayed a professional and deliberative demeanor in her dealings with adversaries and the judiciary....she has continued to maintain an excellent professional reputation among her peers. I firmly believe that she possesses the intellectual capacity and professional demeanor to discharge the responsibilities of an Orange County judge in a manner which would bring credit to the Florida Bar and the members of the Florida judiciary."
Denis L. Durkin, Esquire
Baker & Hostetler, LLP, 3/15/06


"I have known Debbie for approximately 15 years and have always found her to be exceptionally talented as an attorney, and equally important, compassionate and concerned about all with who she interacts. I feel these, and her other outstanding qualifications, make her an excellent choice for the County bench. In that forum, her keen understanding of the law and ability to implement it in contessted situations will bring honor to the State judiciary."
Theresa M. Gallion, Attorney at Law
Fisher & Phillips, LLP, 3/7/06


"I have known Ms. Ansbro through the Women's Executive Committee for approximately six years, and I continue to be amazed at her many accomplishments. She is extremely involved in activities through WEC. When she gets involved in the many nonprofit organizations she supports, it is always with compassion,
caring, and great enthusiasm. Extremely well organized,
Ms. Ansbro always exhibits fairness, honesty, integrity,
and lots of common sense."
Joan S. Hansen, Director
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of Orange County


"...Throughout these [19] years, I have come to know Deborah as both a person and attorney of the highest caliber. In addition to her considerable substantive knowledge, she would bring to the bench a demeanor and personality ideal for the responsibilities she would be assuming. I also know her to be a person of the
highest moral character, and one who has been quite involved in
various community and service organizations and activities."
David J. Kohs, Esquire
Pohl & Short, P.A., 3/8/06


"I have known Deborah both pesonally and professionally for more than twenty-five years. She has always been a person of the utmost integrity, upstanding character, hard working and loyal. I have worked with Deborah on many professional organization committees over the years and found her to be extremely reliable, thorough, capable and willing to pitch in and help wherever she is needed and always up to the task. She works well within an organization along side others and also on her own always keeping her attention on the ultimate goal."
Shirley Perdue


"...if there were a template for a judge, then Ms. Ansbro would be the gauge. Firstly, I know firsthand that she exercises the utmost integrity in all situations, including difficult or perhaps unpopular situations, and is, without a doubt, duty bound to ethics. Secondly, Ms. Ansbro displays consistently a rapid understanding of complicated fact patterns and thorough analysis of the law combined with common sense and an ability to write and speak easily, logically and with clarity on any legal issue which is sprung upon her. Thirdly, in this regard, Ms. Ansbro's communication skills seem, to me, to be a hallmark of her style. Not only does she possess outstanding written, verbal, and nonverbal skills, but she is also noticeably attentive, responsive, engaging, courteous, and respectfully even when under tremendous pressure, which, I believe, are all requisite traits for a superb bench judge. Fourthly, she combines this graceful, patient, and harmonious demeanor with a diligent and enthusiastic commitment towards preparation, planning, meeting deadlines, and doing whatever it takes
within the bounds of law and ethics to get the job done--right."
D. Kim Ratcliffe, Attorney at Law, 10/4/05


"...I have known Ms. Ansbro professionally and personally for most of her legal career and have had the opportunity to observe her impressive professional development. From personal experience, I know that Ms. Ansbro has an outstanding intellect and an admirable work ethic. She is quick to identify the central issues of any particular matter, is determined in her focus and ability to identify the correct and fair soluation to the matter and is ultimately correct, fair and confident in her final conclusions.
In terms of judicial temperament, Ms. Ansbro is particularly well-suited to bring to the courtroom an assurance to those citizens engaged in the criminal or civil court system that their cause has been fully heard and fairly adjudicated by an authority who is genuinely concerned for their well-being. At the same time, Ms. Ansbro has the personal and professional confidence to maintain order and
efficiency in the courtroom and to stand firm in her final conclusion."
Paul L. SanGiovanni, Esquire
Shutts & Bowen, LLP, 3/20/06


"I've known Debbie for a long time now and believe her integrity, temperament, intelligence and work ethic will make her a truly outstanding member of the Ninth Circuit judiciary. I met Debbie as part of my Leadership Orlando class in 1992. At that time she was an associate with Dean Mead and I quickly recognized that she was the type of lawyer that I wanted working with us in my firm, Pleus, Adams & Spears. I was able to steal her from Dean Mead and benefitted tremendously from practicing with her in the area of commercial litigation for several years. We were not only colleagues, but became close friends and remain so today.
Debbie is what I tend to think of as a 'ground up' lawyer. She began her legal career as a legal secretary, then became a paralegal, and then put herself through law school. She is a thorough, diligent practitioner with an exceptional work ethic. Her organizational skills and efficient manner have always let her handle a substantial work volume while producing an exceptional work produce. She has the instincts and judgment essential to being a fair and impartial jurist and during the years we worked together I was able to trust her implicitly with any manner for any client. I can say that without qualification, I have never heard an ill comment made regarding Debbie,
her legal skills or ethics since I've known her."
Douglas C. Spears, Esquire
Stump, Dietrich & Spears, P.A., 7/25/05


"I have known Deborah since we attended law school together more than 18 years ago. I know her to possess both the intellect, temperament, and integrity necessary for the bench, and I know from colleagues in the bar that she is widely respected by opposing counsel, the judiciary, and litigants for her abilities as a commercial litigator. I have no doubt that she will be a fair and impartial judge....Deborah will also bring to the bench a documented history of professional involvement and volunteerism in her community. Notwithstanding the demands of a busy practice, she has managed to find time in her life for both the local bar association and the Florida Bar Association, as well as for the Junior League, local
Ronald McDonald House, and the Women's Executive Council."
William E. Sublette, Esquire
Sublette, Sanders & Sanders, 3/9/06


     "We, the women of Woodside, agree and believe that a good judge ought to be, above all things, a person of unquestioned, demonstrated integrity, scrupulously fair, highly intelligent, a clear thinker, but also kind and compassionate.  We think a good judge should be patient and respectful, an individual who listens well and is able to sort efficiently through large amounts of data to discern truth and form genuine solutions to problems. A good judge needs not to be disconnected in his/her thinking but ideally, be part of and active in the community and always eager to make the community a better place for all of us to live in. A good judge ought to be hard working, always ready to 'step up to the plate' and contribute to the common good, to accomplish whatever task needs to be done, small or large. A good judge must be morally sound, with high ethical standards and honorable intentions.  We, the women of Woodside, believe Deborah Ansbro has always embodied all of these qualifies in her associations with Woodside Village and with each of us in diverse ways.  We know Deborah to be extremely hard-working, as evidenced by her many accomplishments, to be generous and compassionate, extremely intelligent and discerning. She always approaches things with an instinctive commonsense kind of wisdom and is a natural leader, while possessing the grace and ability to be a cheerful, valuable team player as well. Deborah does not alienate those around her but rather attracts them and has the unusualy knack of being genuinely interested in others while clearly affirming them. She is a solid and dependable citizen, neighbor and friend of unquestionable moral character and an unselfish heart.  We...wholeheartedly recommend Deborah to yourself ... as an exemplary candidate who will be a lasting asset to our Florida courts and to your judicial legacy of fairmindness, compassion and common sense."
Residents of Woodside Village Subdivision, East Orange County, 2/27/06


"...I have known Deborah for eight years in a business/professional capacity and, of course, over that time have come to know her in a personal capacity also....My acquaintance with Deborah began when I hired her into a business role in our company. We searched long and hard in the Orlando area to hire a seasoned lawyer with excellent interpersonal skills, who also had innate business skills. Deborah easily won our confidence. She was charged with building a legal staffing business from the ground up, developing both clients (law firms and corporations), staff (managing sales and operations personnel who were also former lawyer or paralegal practitioners), and candidates for placement (as contract lawyers, paralegals and legal office support positions). She had profit/loss/budget responsibility, management responsibility, and lead sales responsibility. Mch of the business turned on the reputation that Deborah and her staff could build in the legal community, and the internal motivational environment that she built among the staff that she hired, trained, rewarded and sometimes terminated. Many issues that she encountered were hotbeds of contention (e.g. sales territories, individual sales budgets) and her days always required juggling many competing priorities. Deborah was a standout in all respects. Her office, though in a small marked for our company, had one of the fastest paths to profitability among 14 legal markets across the country, and in fact hit its 'break-even' point
more quickly than any other office in the history of the company. We viewed this success due to Deborah's fine leadership and hard work.
...Deborah is a very positive person and a delightful colleague. She attracts others who are positive and ambitious. She can inspire others to work hard, and to enjoy their work. She is extremely good at defining objectives, developing strategies to achieve those objectives, and delivering on time. She is not a procrastinator. She is excellent with people, and a quick study of them,
being able to move them forward to get things done (issues resolved, goals achieved). Most importantly, Deborah has integrity, which I have seen her bring to all of her activities be they professional or personal."
Christine L. Young, Attorney at Law, 2/27/06
 Senior Vice President, Co-Counsel, Inc., Chicago, Illinois