Admissions by a Party Opponent Usually Saves the Day but Not Always

“. . . Rules of Evidence can be confusing . . . , particularly the rules about hearsay. Is a statement hearsay but admissible under an exception? Or, is the statement non-hearsay and, therefore, admissible under another rule?” Judge Lopez-Castro takes a look at admissions you will want to read!

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Judge Corali Lopez-Castro

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District of Florida

Judge Corali Lopez-Castro. On May 30, 2023, Judge Corali Lopez-Castro was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge for the Southern District of Florida’s Miami Division, making history as Florida’s first Hispanic bankruptcy judge.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, Judge Lopez-Castro moved to Miami at the age of seven. Judge Lopez-Castro received a degree in Business Economics from Brown University, and her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. At Miami Law, Judge Lopez-Castro was an Articles and Comments editor for the Inter-American Law Review—the journal that in 2021 presented her with the Lawyer of the Americas Award for her outstanding service in the field of international law.

After law school, Judge Lopez-Castro joined Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton as a commercial litigation and bankruptcy associate, where she built her successful career over the course of three decades. At KTT, Judge Lopez-Castro served as managing partner on three occasions and earned national recognition for her work in bankruptcy matters by Chambers USA and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite.

In 2006, Judge Lopez-Castro served as the Cuban American Bar Association’s President—only the second woman president in the organization’s history. Judge Lopez-Castro was also involved in the ABA Business Law Section’s Business Bankruptcy Committee, serving as Chair of numerous subcommittees and Chair of the Florida Bar Business Law Section’s Bankruptcy/UCC Committee. In 2011, she was presented with the Kathryn R. Heidt Memorial Award by the ABA Business Law Section’s Business Bankruptcy Committee for her service in the ABA and dedication to the bankruptcy profession.

In 2014, she was also inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Bankruptcy, an organization that recognizes individuals for their professional excellence and contributions to the field of restructuring and insolvency. In 2017, Judge Lopez-Castro was also invited to be a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in recognition of her ability in trial practice.

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