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Home › Dad of the Month

Judge Alex Ferrer

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a father who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a man and a father. Above all, the Dad of the Month is dedicated to his children. Richor poor, famous or not, he shines as an example of what fathering is all about.

Parenting teenagers isn't easy for anyone not even someone who has made a career out of getting people to follow the rules. Judge Alex Ferrer, the star of the courtroom reality show Judge Alex, knows the difficulties of keeping his kids close to home when all they seem to want is to go farther and farther away.

As the father of two teens, Ferrer struggles with balancing his urge to protect his kids with giving them the freedom they want. And his work in law enforcement makes him even more cautious. Ferrer is the only television judge with extensive law enforcement, litigation and judicial experience.

And throughout his tenure on the bench, he has handled cases ranging from first-degree murders, drug charges, kidnappings and armed robberies to child custody battles, adoptions and paternity suits. "I deal with the worst of the worst," says Ferrer. "And a part of me wants to protect my kids, which becomes a tug of war." But at the same time, Ferrer recognizes the beauty of each stage of his children's growth.

"When they were little, I always said, 'I hope they stay like this,'" says Ferrer, who knows how great it feels to be a parent. "I was mesmerized from day one and every stage seems to get better."

Cultural Roots
Ferrer, who grew up in Miami, Fla., was born in Havana, Cuba. But he and his family escaped Castro's Communist regime when he was less than a year old. He says he never felt displaced because America is all he's ever known, but Cuban culture was still a big part of his life. "I've never forgotten where I came from, and yet I'm as American as I can be," says Ferrer.

His grandparents only spoke Spanish and his parents spoke Spanish and English with a heavy accent. "Throughout history, people have complained that immigrants don't assimilate fast enough and this causes conflict," says Ferrer. "But assimilation does happen; it just takes a while because immigrants tend to stick together when they first come to America."

Ferrer has watched his family's Americanization through the generations, and although he recognizes that complete assimilation is inevitable, he wants his kids to take an interest in their culture. "I want them to learn Spanish," says Ferrer. "They are completely Americanized, but I try to keep them interested."

Life in Law Enforcement
Ferrer took an interest in law enforcement at a young age. When he was 19, he joined the Coral Gables Police Department and served as a patrolman, detective and also trained to be on the department's SWAT team. He continued working as a police officer while he completed college and law school. He received his Juris Doctorate degree form the University of Miami School of Law. He practiced law in Miami, focusing on civil litigation cases such as medical malpractice, wrongful deaths, personal injuries and commercial business disputes. In 1995, at 34 years old, he was elected judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, making him the youngest Circuit Court Judge.

Even before landing his own show, Ferrer enjoyed a successful career. Aside from his position on the Circuit Court, Ferrer presided as an appellate judge over appeals from the Miami-Dade County Court, County Commission and numerous other governmental bodies. In 1999, his peers elected him as their District Representative to the Executive Committee of the Conference of Circuit Court Judges, a role he held until 2001. And he served on the Conference's Legislative Subcommittee from 2003 to 2005. Ferrer is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars, and has taught graduate courses in criminal law and procedure as an adjunct professor at Florida International University. He also teaches media relations and closing arguments to other judges at judicial conferences, the New Judges College and the College of Advanced Judicial Studies.

Ferrer had been a judge on the bench of circuit court for 10 years, and Governor Jeb Bush was considering him for a seat on the appellate court when Twentieth Television approached him with the possibility of doing a television show. Essentially, he found himself at a crossroads with two very prestigious paths in front of him. But his final decision came down to which job gave him more time with his kids. "My daughter will be going off to college in two years and my son is 14, so I want to spend as much time as possible with them," says Ferrer.

The taping schedule of the show allows him to maximize his time with his family and gives him the flexibility to take vacations. "We just got back from a trip to Hawaii, which is somewhere I've always wanted to go," says Ferrer.

And as far as life at home being affected by his celebrity, the Ferrers have gotten used to it. "They still get excited when someone at school says, 'Your dad is Judge Alex?'" says Ferrer. "But they've become pretty desensitized."

Finding Balance
In his television courtroom, Ferrer is a cool-headed judge with a straightforward approach to helping people solve their problems. And it is hard to imagine him playing any other role at home. When asked about the most challenging aspect of parenting, he jokingly says, "Having a 16-year-old daughter."

For Ferrer, parenting is all about striking a balance. He recognizes that kids need freedom to grow into adults, but at the same time he doesn't want to regret giving them too much freedom later. "I'm struggling to raise my own kids," says Ferrer. "But I hope that all parents find their balance of supervision and freedom."

See for Yourself

Judge Alex is syndicated in 96 percent of the country, and it was the top-rated syndicate in its first season. The new season premieres on Monday, September 11, 2006. Learn more at www.JudgeAlex.com.

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