Robin Bresky
Appellate Attorney
As managing partner of the Florida office of Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP (SSRGA), appellate attorney Robin Bresky has built a reputation as a skilled practitioner and a strategic leader driving the firm’s Florida growth and innovation.
Since merging her boutique firm, Bresky Law, with New York–based SSRGA in 2022, Bresky has focused on positioning the office as a full-service firm in South Florida. She recently identified a way to enhance the firm’s litigation offerings while addressing a challenging issue: overcrowded court dockets.
Her solution was to create a private judging practice —an underutilized option allowing litigants to resolve civil disputes efficiently within Florida’s judicial framework. To lead the initiative, Bresky recruited James Martz, a retired Palm Beach County Circuit Court judge who spent more than 20 years on the bench.
“Private judging is available under Florida law, but it isn’t widely utilized,” says Bresky. “We’re approaching it differently — with a concierge-level, white-glove experience.”
Martz will preside over cases in a newly built private courtroom in a separate suite within SSRGA’s Boca Raton office. When both sides agree, cases can be removed from the public docket and heard by a private judge under an existing Florida statute — allowing disputes to be resolved more quickly. They’ll also offer mock trials to attorneys seeking the perspectives of a judge and appellate attorney.
Bresky expects the private courtroom to handle disputes, including business litigation and divorce. For many litigants, the benefit is simple: speed.
“Private judging entices parties who don’t want to wait for their day in court on an overcrowded docket,” Bresky says. “Time is money and people want resolution.”
While parties pay for the service, Bresky notes the overall cost can be lower if cases are resolved faster. Importantly, litigants retain their appellate rights if they wish to appeal the outcome.
“Some confuse private judging with mediation or arbitration,” she says. “That’s inaccurate. A private judge still applies the law and issues rulings — just in a more efficient setting than a public courtroom.”
SSRGA’s Florida office also includes appellate, family law, trusts and estates, civil and probate litigation and community association representation.
Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP, 2424 N. Federal Highway, Ste. 456, Boca Raton, 561-769-5600, ssrga.com
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