About Zarina
Zarina Hernandez earned her Juris Doctor from Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in 2016 after completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Central Florida in 2004. She entered the legal field following law school and built her early career in Florida’s public defender offices. Her academic path laid a clear groundwork for courtroom work and client advocacy.
She began her public defense career in 2017 at the Office of the Public Defender in Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit. There she handled an array of pretrial matters, arraignments and client meetings. In 2019 she moved to the 9th Judicial Circuit’s Office of the Public Defender, continuing work on criminal matters and deepening her experience in case management and courtroom procedure.
In 2021 Hernandez launched Z. Hernandez Law, PLLC and began practicing as a lawyer in private practice. Her background in the public defender system informed the types of matters she took on after opening the firm. She carried experience in negotiations, pretrial strategy and trial preparation into her private practice, representing clients in Florida courts and handling the day-to-day demands of litigation and client counseling.
Colleagues and former supervisors describe her work as practical and hands-on. Her public defender roles required rapid case assessment, client interviews and frequent court appearances. That work involved plea discussions, motion practice and preparation for hearings and trials. At Z. Hernandez Law she continued to work directly with clients on case strategy and courtroom matters while managing administrative and business aspects of a small practice.
Hernandez is licensed to practice in the state of Florida and maintains an active practice based out of her firm. She is known for steady courtroom presence and experience gained across multiple circuits of Florida’s public defender offices. She currently concentrates her practice on criminal defense, representing clients in Florida courts.
