Family law, personal injury lawyers face off in Orange-Osceola judicial race

Two Orlando attorneys -- one focused on personal injury, the other specializing in family law for men -- are squaring off in the race for circuit judge in Group 1 for Orange and Osceola counties.

Judicial races, which are nonpartisan, are open to all voters on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. Circuit judges serve six-year terms and have jurisdiction over matters including criminal felonies, major civil lawsuits, guardianship and probate issues, tax disputes, domestic relations and juvenile cases.

Who they are

Mikaela Nix, 37, runs a law firm focused on representing men in custody, divorce and child support cases. Nix, who has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2011, ran unsuccessfully for state House District 47 in the 2018 Republican primary.

Rhiannon Arnold, 40, is the founding partner of her law firm, which specializes in personal injury, premises liability and vehicle collisions. She joined the Florida Bar in 2006 and practiced criminal defense in state and federal courts exclusively until 2014.

Nix said her family history in Florida stretches back to the late 1880s in the small town of Rochelle near Gainesville. She graduated from the University of Central Florida, where she was president of the UCF Black Alumni Association and a founding member of the UCF Blue Key Honor Society.

After earning her law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law, she opened her practice and said she has completed more than 60 bench trials and 250 mediations. Nix said she is also a former Florida Supreme Court certified mediator.

“Because of [my family’s] sacrifices, I have lived my ancestor’s dream as a college graduate, successful attorney, business owner, wife and working mom,” she said.

Arnold said she was born and raised in Pensacola. She graduated with a communications degree from the University of Mobile in Alabama and earned her law degree at Florida State University, as well as a certificate in comparative legal studies from Oxford University in England.

For more than two years, Arnold said she worked as an assistant public defender with the Ninth Judicial Circuit before entering private practice. After her daughter was born in 2014, she left criminal defense to specialize in personal injury litigation.

“I took the trial skills I had spent years sharpening and using to save peoples liberty and freedom and began using them to seek justice for those injured by the acts and negligence of others,” she said.

Arnold said she has tried more than 50 jury trials to verdict and 30 bench trials. She has received service awards for providing free legal services with the Guardian ad Litem program and Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, she added.

Both attorneys have had run-ins with law enforcement.

Nix said she was 19 when she was arrested in 2001 for petty theft after taking a $14 shirt without paying for it while out with a group of friends.

“Nothing came from it,” Nix told the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board in an interview. “My charges were dismissed and my record expunged, but I do want to talk about it to make sure that I’m transparent on the issue.”

Arnold was arrested by Orlando police in 2009 on charges of burglary with assault or battery after someone driving in her neighborhood said she reached into his car and battered him. Officers detained her in an “unlawful arrest” at her home, according to Arnold.

The charges were quickly dropped, and Arnold later filed a federal lawsuit against OPD that she ultimately lost at trial, she told the editorial board.

Arnold said she also had a notice to appear filed against her when she was 18 for a misdemeanor charge of using a fake ID. Court records show the case against her was closed through pre-trial diversion.

“I know first-hand how scary the courtroom can be for those that find themselves having to be in it, and I can empathize with that,” Arnold said.

Where they stand

Nix said she believes being a judge is about serving the community. She said treating everyone with respect and dignity will be her guiding principles.

“I will be firm but compassionate, give proper judgement under the law and will understand that people make mistakes in life,” she said. “I love the rule of the law, the separation of powers and believe in equal access for everyone.”

Arnold said her judicial philosophy is that everyone deserves to have access to the court and be treated equally with fairness and respect.

“Justice is not meant to see race, or religion or socioeconomic status or sexual orientation,” she said. “Justice should only see the facts and the law. ... I am hopeful that every day I will be mindful that I am meant to be an extension of Lady Justice, and that I, too, should be blind when it comes to administering justice.”

Where they differ

Arnold said what sets her apart from her opponent is that she’s a career trial lawyer.

“I have spent the last 15 years in the courtroom learning what it takes to be a judge,” she said. “... My experience in the courtroom and within the courthouse, coupled with the broad knowledge of the areas of the law that I have practiced and the rules of procedure and evidence I have had the ability to master in my 15 years of litigation and trial practice as well as my innate capacity for fairness makes me a better fit for the position.”

Nix said courts currently have a backlog in the family division, where she has the experience to step in and get cases moving quickly.

“That translates into saving tax dollars and more importantly helping families find resolution more quickly and hopefully save money from prolonged cases,” she said.

Nix contends she can connect easily with young people and people of color, and cites her volunteer work as an inspirational speaker at the juvenile detention center.

“To really reach people, especially our youth, they need to be able to identify and trust the authority figure,” she said. “... Currently, women of color are still underrepresented on the bench. It is important to see that courtrooms reflect the communities they serve.”

mcordeiro@orlandosentinel.com

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