Judge Jeffrey E. Lewis: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Jeffrey E. Lewis is a judge for the 1st Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Rick Scott in 2016, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Thomas R. Santurri.

The 1st Judicial Circuit encompasses Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties. Lewis has held assignments in Walton County.

Prior to his appointment, Lewis served as regional conflict counsel for Florida's First District Court of Appeal, a position to which he was named in 2007. Before that, he was an assistant public defender for the Office of the Public Defender in Pensacola (1998 to 2007).

Lewis earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Alabama School of Law in 1984.

Shortly after graduating from law school, Lewis began his legal career as an assistant state attorney with the Office of the State Attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit. He served in that capacity until 1992, at which time he became a staff attorney for the First National Life Insurance Company. He spent the next year with the company, eventually leaving to open his own private practice as a sole practitioner in 1993.