Candidate Profile: Asima Azam

Orlando attorney Asima Azam is running for the open seat in Group 5 on the Orange County Court. She’s spent more than 20 years focusing on civil law — expertise she recently told VoxPopuli that sets her apart since more than 80 percent of cases filed in county court are civil matters. 

County court is known as the “peoples’ court,” handling violations of traffic laws, municipal and county ordinances, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims up to $8,000, lawsuits up to $50,000 and misdemeanor crimes. 

Azam, 46, faces private practice attorney and law professor Kafi Kennedy in the Aug. 18 nonpartisan election. County Court judges serve six-year terms and earn $189,755 annually.

Azam spent 20 years at Divine & Estes where she represented developers and worked as a community association attorney, mediating disputes between neighbors and managing evictions, contract disputes and foreclosures. She is certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a circuit civil mediator. In 2020, she was appointed to be a special magistrate to the Orange County Value Adjustment Board, a quasi-judicial role in which she conducts hearings on tax-related matters. She started her own firm, Azam Law and Mediation in 2022. 

Azam is also the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, who despite their high levels of education still “encountered difficulties” with the English language barrier. She told VoxPopuli that she often helped her parents navigate procedures, like obtaining a permit. 

“That definitely has informed how I handle cases with individuals who do not speak English as a first language who find the legal system complicated,” Azam said. “Many times in my life I sat with my parents and went through explanations of legal processes like getting permits … I think both being a mom and being the daughter of immigrants absolutely informs who I will be behind the bench if I’m elected judge.”

Here, Azam answers questions from the News Collaborative of Central Florida.

What professional experiences have best prepared you for the bench?

For the past 23 years, I have built a civil practice that closely mirrors the work of the county court. Approximately 80 percent of county court cases are civil matters, and my practice has focused on many of the disputes that regularly come before the court, including contract actions, landlord-tenant cases, collections, lien foreclosures, business disputes and real estate litigation.

I have handled every phase of litigation, including case evaluation, pleadings, discovery, motion practice, mediations, hearings, and trials. In addition to representing clients in court, I have negotiated settlements with opposing counsel and self-represented litigants, developing the ability to resolve disputes efficiently while ensuring that all parties are heard and treated fairly. My experience as a Florida Supreme Court-certified circuit civil mediator has further prepared me for the bench. Mediation requires impartiality, active listening, patience and the ability to identify the key issues in a dispute while encouraging communication and dispute resolution. For the past six years, I have also served in a quasi-judicial role as a special magistrate for the Orange County Value Adjustment Board. In that capacity, I preside over evidentiary hearings, evaluate witness testimony, interpret and apply Florida law, rule on evidentiary issues, and prepare written recommendations based solely on the evidence and applicable law.

My career has also given me significant experience working with self-represented litigants and individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. I understand that, for many people, appearing in court is unfamiliar and hard. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity, patience, and respect while receiving a fair opportunity to be heard.

What role should personal values play in judicial decision-making?

A judge's personal values should not dictate the outcome of a case. Every person is entitled to a decision based on the law, the facts, and the evidence presented. My experience as a special magistrate for the Orange County Value Adjustment Board has reinforced this principle. For the past six years, I have presided over evidentiary hearings, weighed testimony, ruled on evidentiary issues and issued written recommendations based solely on the evidence presented and the applicable law. Regardless of my personal opinions or beliefs, my responsibility has always been to apply the law fairly, consistently, and impartially. That experience has strengthened my ability to separate my personal views and values from my legal decision-making.

How do you balance precedent with evolving societal standards?

The role of a judge is to apply the law as it written. Throughout my 23 years of practice, I have advised clients through significant changes in Florida law, particularly in community association, real estate and business law. My role has always been to understand changing statutes and written decisions and apply them accurately when they provide clear guidance.

As a special magistrate for the Orange County Value Adjustment Board, I have been required to decide cases based on the evidence, applicable statutes, and controlling legal authority,when it is available. When the law is unclear and there is no controlling precedent, a judge must rely on established principles of statutory interpretation, the evidence record before the court and the purpose and intent of the law. The goal should be to reach a decision that is sound, consistent with existing legal principles, and faithful to the spirit and intent of the statute, while providing a well reasoned analysis for the decision. At the same time, my experience as a mediator has taught me that every case involves people with their own specific circumstances who deserve to be heard. I would aim to insure every person has a meaningful opportunity to present their position

What steps do you take to avoid conflicts of interest?

Throughout my 23 years of practice, I have represented a broad range of clients and developed professional relationships within the legal community. If appointed, I would carefully review each case for any actual or potential conflict before presiding. If there is a prior representation, personal relationship, or any circumstance that could call my impartiality into question, I would disclose this to the parties involved. If the conflict cannot be addressed through disclosure, I would recuse myself. Protecting my reputation and the integrity of the process is more important than presiding over any specific case.

While serving on the Board of Zoning Adjustment for over six years, and as a special magistrate, I have encountered situations where I either I had a prior business relationship with the parties coming before me, or had a personal relationship with a party involved. In both situations, I have disclosed the potential conflict and if I felt the relationship could impact my decision making, I recused myself. Disclosure and recusal when appropriate are the best safeguards against conflicts of interest.

What barriers to justice do you see in the current system, and how would you address them?

One of the greatest barriers to justice is delay and the complexity of the legal system, particularly for self-represented persons. Improving judicial efficiency begins with active case management. The recent Florida Supreme Court case management rules recognize that judges play an important role in moving cases forward by setting fair deadlines, holding attorneys accountable to meeting deadlines and ensuring cases progress on a timely basis.

Another significant barrier is the growing number of self-represented litigants. Throughout my 23 years of practice, I have worked with individuals unfamiliar with the court system, many of whom are scared by the process. While judges cannot provide legal advice, they can clearly explain courtroom procedures, ensure each party understands what is expected, and treat every person with patience, dignity and respect.

Finally, I believe courts should encourage early alternative dispute resolution whenever appropriate. As a Florida Supreme Court-certified circuit civil mediator, I have seen how mediation can resolve disputes more quickly, reduce costs and narrow the issues before the court. Early mediation benefits the parties but also reduces court congestion, allowing judges to devote more time to cases that truly require judicial intervention.