Zuckerman, Fung vie for county judge seat
Replacement for Evans could end up in civil or circuit courtroom.
Seven years out of law school and competing against seasoned lawyers, 34-year-old Ashley Zuckerman wasn’t expected to win the crowded Aug. 28 primary election to replace retired Palm Beach County Judge Peter Evans. But she crushed it. Zuckerman captured 59,000 votes in the five-person contest — 12,000 more than the second-place finisher, attorney Allegra Fung, who has been practicing for nearly two decades. Since neither captured more than 50 percent of the vote in the nonpartisan race, they will face off on Nov. 6.
Zuckerman is well aware some consider her age an issue. She’s equally convinced it shouldn’t be.
“Some say I’m too young. Some have called me a young girl,” she said. “But there’s something more
than years that matter and that’s the years you’ve spent in the courtroom and the jury trials you’ve handled.”
As an assistant public defender, she said she has represented indigent clients in more than 70 jury trials and handled more than a dozen bench trials as well as hundreds of other hearings. While most of her time has been spent in county court, she also did a stint in circuit court, where she defended people accused of serious felonies. She is now back in county court, supervising other attorneys.
“I’ve been fortunate to be in court every day of my legal career,” said Zuckerman, who graduated from Nova Southeastern University law school in 2011.
Fung, 43, said she knows what it’s like to be an assistant public defender. After graduating from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2000, she spent three years working for the public defender’s office, handling hundreds of cases in juvenile court and worked as chief of the domestic violence division.
What differentiates her from Zuckerman, she said, is the breadth of her experience. After leaving the taxfunded agency, she went to work for herself as a criminal defense attorney. She then spent two years working for a civil law firm where she represented insurance companies.
Since 2011, she has represented homeowners in foreclosure fights and handled consumer protection lawsuits. During her 18-year career, she estimates she has handled more than 60 jury trials and more than 200 trials before a judge.
“I’m the most wellrounded candidate,” Fung says, pointing to her experience in both criminal and civil court. “I’m the only candidate who can hit the ground running.”
Whoever is elected could be assigned to either criminal or civil court. County court judges handle misdemeanor cases, such as simple battery or drunk driving, and civil matters where less than $10,000 is at stake.
While Zuckerman acknowledges she has never practiced in the civil arena, she said she is up to the task. “I think judges should be open to learning new things,” she said. “I wouldn’t run and think I know everything. The law is constantly changing.”
Fung said there’s a sizable difference between civil and criminal litigation. “The learning curve was tremendous when I switched after eight years practicing criminal law,” she said.
Zuckerman said her greatest asset is her demeanor. From a young age, she said her grandmother told her “stay cool, calm and collected no matter what.” That has been her credo. It has earned her the support of assistant state attorneys, who face off against her in court but are supporting her because they respect her professionalism, she said.
Her goal as a judge would be to treat everyone with respect. She said she would model herself after judges who have the ability to make people feel that their voices were heard even if the outcome wasn’t favorable.
Fung said she began thinking about running for a seat on the judiciary while working in juvenile court. The presiding judge took a holistic approach to the youngsters who came before him. He tried to curb their delinquency problems by addressing their home life and school environment.
“Seeing that inspired me,” Fung said of the monumental changes she saw the judge make in young people’s lives.
Since then, Fung said she has been setting aside money to make her dream reality. She amassed $100,000 in her so-called “judge fund,” which she put in her campaign war chest. She has raised another $15,280 in contributions, according to most recent campaign finance reports. Zuckerman has spent $20,000 of her own money on her campaign and raised another $27,000, recent reports show.
The winner of the race will take office in January and earn an annual salary of $151,822.