Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer D. Bailey (J.D.'83)

2.   What is your most memorable experience from your time at Georgia Law?
Professor Julian McDonnell was illustrating some contract issue with u-pick farms and described them as "the sort of liberal arts exercise that the Volvo crowd is fond of."  The classroom rolled with laughter, and the line still makes me smile.    

3.    Who was your favorite law professor? Why?
Professor Ron Ellington taught me Civil Procedure and how to use the rules.   As a young lawyer, my understanding of those rules gave me a real advantage over other attorneys.  To this day, the first advice I give young lawyers is to read the rules. And keep reading them until you know them.  

4.   What was your favorite thing about living in Athens?
The combination of the elegance and earthiness of the South with the funky and quirky character of Athens.  I was there during the B-52 years and when the 40-Watt Club really only had one light bulb and a cooler.

5.   Where was your favorite place to study during law school? 
My porch.

6.   What advice would you give to current Georgia Law students?
Be open-minded about career options.  There are great ways to use your law degree to make a difference in the world beyond what you see on "Law and Order."

7.   Please give a brief description of your responsibilities as administrative judge for the Miami-Dade Circuit Civil Division.
Ours is the fourth largest court system in the country, right behind NY, LA and Chicago. I am responsible for 26 judges assigned to our 1926-era downtown courthouse.  Keeping the court's  systems running smoothly, supporting my colleagues in their work, dealing with the media, and making sure that competent justice is delivered in a timely and effective manner are my responsibilities.  

8.   What do you enjoy most about your job? What is the most rewarding aspect?
I like solving problems. The most rewarding aspect is moving a case from resolution to solution.  It's not so hard to resolve a matter by picking a winner, but if you can come up with a judgment that the parties believe is just, then you've solved the problem. When litigants come up to you years after their case was heard, shake your hand, and thank you for doing a great job for them - that's meaningful.   

9.   What is one of the greatest challenges facing your field right now?
Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, and Miami was ground zero in the foreclosure crisis.  We went from caseloads of 2,000 pending cases per judge in 2007 to over 6,000 per judge in 2008-2012.  Handling the cases was complicated by disarray within the lender/servicer industry.  We are digging our way out with successful case management and have reduced the caseload, guided by the principle that it is more important to do things right than to do them fast.  Our economy demands we move these cases, but never at the expense of the integrity of the judicial process.