Ursula M. Ungaro

Judge Ursula Ungaro retired from the federal bench of the Southern District of Florida in 2021.  Judge Ungaro was appointed to serve as a federal judge in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In her time on the federal bench, she presided over and ruled in numerous major civil and criminal cases. These matters required the application of constitutional, federal and state law and the resolution of complex legal issues in virtually every area of the law.  

During her long tenure on the federal bench, Ms. Ungaro served on national, regional, and local committees responsible for court administration.  Most notably, she served for eight years as a member of the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which committee is responsible for making compensation and other human resource-related recommendations to the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  She also served as Chair of the Southern District of Florida’s Clerks Committee and the Magistrate Judges Committee from time to time at the pleasure of the Chief Judge.

Following her graduation with honors from the University of Florida School of Law in 1975 (one of just 17 women in a class of about 250), Ms. Ungaro practiced law in Miami, Florida where in 1981 she became a partner in Tew, Critchlow, Sonberg, Traum & Friedbauer, P.A. (later merged into Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, a national law firm). She subsequently joined Sparber, Shevin, Shapo & Heilbronner, a prestigious local law firm, as a partner. She practiced law mainly in the area of complex commercial litigation, including in the areas of securities, corporate and tax law. From 1987 to 1992, Ms. Ungaro served as a trial judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida. She has authored published articles in the areas of administrative law, legal ethics, and civil procedure. She is the recipient of many awards and has been recognized on several occasions for her achievements in the law and service to the community.

Ms. Ungaro serves on the board of directors of Longeveron, Inc., a publicly traded company registered on the NASDAQ and on the board of directors of Bradford Holdings, Inc. a privately held holding company.  She also has had numerous community involvements. Among others, she served on the Florida Supreme Court Race and Bias Commission, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Family Learning Partnership, a not-for-profit that supports needy families with educational and related resources, and participates on a voluntary basis (having formerly participated in her judicial capacity) in CARE Court, a court-assisted reentry program for moderate and high risk offenders recently released from prison.