KYJKnow Your Judge v0.6.2by SwansLake
Judge directoryLaura E. Ward

Active Trial judge

Laura E. Ward

Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court

Florida · Hillsborough

Identity verifiedOfficial profile locatedOfficial sources collectedPresentation intelligence
01

Overview

Identity and service

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

Judicial role
Circuit Civil Judge, Division O
Service status
Active
Court level
Trial
Jurisdiction
State
02

Before you appear

Preparation checklist

  1. 01

    Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.

  2. 02

    Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.

  3. 03

    Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

Scope note

Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.

03

Presentation rules

What the public sources say

CourtwideExplicit
Hearing And Trial

Allowed with notice

The Thirteenth Circuit strongly encourages electronically stored exhibits through the Portal as individual PDF or PDF/A files; exhibits over 50 MB may be delivered on USB, CD, or another agreed electronic method.

Page
Administrative Order S-2024-046
Section
16. Exhibits
Effective
June 1, 2024
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
parties are strongly encouraged to file electronically-stored exhibits through the Portal.

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Public Judicial Proceeding

Allowed with notice

Electronic media and still-photography coverage is allowed in Florida public trial and appellate proceedings under Rule 2.450's equipment and conduct standards, always subject to the presiding judge's control of decorum, distractions, and fair administration.

Page
Official court page
Section
Rule 2.450(a)-(d); public trial and appellate proceedings; equipment requires advance judicial approval
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
Subject at all times to the authority of the presiding judge to: (i) control the conduct of proceedings before the court; (ii) ensure decorum and prevent distractions; and (iii) ensure the fair administration of justice in the pending cause, electronic media and still photography coverage of public judicial proceedings in the appellate and trial courts of this state shall be allowed

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

04

Courtroom technology

Published equipment guidance

No technology specification indexed

Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.

05

Published opinion footprint

Decisions and citations

Opinion data is not yet indexed for this profile

This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.

06

Sources

Public documents behind this profile

07

Change history

How this profile entered KYJ

Current profile indexed

Identity imported from Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court. 2 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.