Suzanne Meyer Judas, a veteran attorney with more than two decades of distinguished service, is recognized for her extensive expertise in maritime law and her longstanding commitment to pro bono advocacy and community service. Throughout her legal career, Ms. Judas successfully represented clients in federal court in maritime matters involving oil spills, ship damage, injured seamen, and longshoremen.  

Ms. Judas began her legal journey in 1992 with Gabel & Hair, becoming a partner just one year later. Following the firm’s 1998 merger with Holland & Knight LLP, she continued her partnership and remained with the firm until retiring from active practice in 2017. At Holland & Knight, she served as hiring partner of the Jacksonville office and later as the Pro Bono and Community Service Partner, directing charitable initiatives that supported over fifty local organizations benefiting at-risk youth.  Following her retirement, she became the inaugural Community Outreach Coordinator for the U. S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, serving in that position until 2023.  

In addition to her legal practice, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, appointed Ms. Judas, to chair multiple Magistrate Selection and Magistrate Retention Committees between 2004 and 2009 providing the Court with qualified magistrate candidates for its consideration.  Her leadership extended to the state level when in 2004 the Chief Judge of the Florida Supreme Court appointed her to the Florida Board of Bar Examiners on which she served until 2008, serving as its Chair from 2007 to 2008. Nationally, she has contributed to the American Inns of Court, serving as a Trustee to promote professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence in the legal profession.  Internationally, Ms. Judas was named a Pegasus Scholar of the Inner Temple in London in 1992 and chaired for many years the committee responsible for selecting U. S. attorneys for this international program. 

Her professional affiliations include the Florida Bar Association, Southeast Admiralty Law Institute, and the Maritime Law Association of the U.S.   Ms. Judas has also been active in the American Inns of Court and other civic organizations since the early 1970s. Her outstanding service has been honored with accolades such as “Maritime Person of the Year” by the Propeller Club of Jacksonville, inclusion in Jacksonville University's “80 Dolphins You Ought to Know,” and the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award in for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in 2012. 

Ms. Judas expresses special gratitude to her longtime mentor and colleague George D. Gabel Jr., her husband, Colonel Robert A. Judas, USAF (Ret.), and her son, Harry Alan Schnabel, for their enduring support. 

Now retired, Ms. Judas remains an engaged advocate for her community and continues to serve as a role model for excellence in law, leadership, and public service.