The Honorable Ed Newman grew up in Long Island, New York. He attended Duke University from 1969-1973 and went on to play for the Miami Dolphins for 12 seasons. In much of that time, he considered a career in law unsuitable due to a family bias against the legal profession.
While in the NFL, Newman was constantly taking classes and seeking education. He pursued several careers – such as a real estate salesman and real estate broker, but the fruits of his labor weren’t paying off. This came to the attention of his brother-in-law, Andy Leinoff, and another lawyer-friend, who both encouraged him to consider law school. Newman thought Andy was joking when he first suggested it.
At the time, Newman was doing a lot of highly visible charitable work for the NFL, particularly with The South Florida Blood Service. When he arrived at Dean of Students Jeannette Hausler’s office, there were a few people who recognized him and thanked him for his community service. No introduction to the Dean was necessary.
In 1984, Newman’s law school education overlapped with his NFL career. He calls it “a year of amazement” because he was in his first semester of law school – as a night division student – and had to contact the Dean to reschedule one of his final exams because he was playing in Super Bowl XIX at the same time. He anticipated the Dean to reschedule the exam after the Super Bowl, but she asked him to take it beforehand.
With UM’s anonymous grading system, Newman was not able to tell his professor that he had to take the exam early. However, when he opened his test, there was a note from his professor saying, “Since I got word that one person was missing the exam and had to take it early, I have a pretty good idea it’s you, Ed. Congratulations on making the Super Bowl.”
In 1985, Newman entered his second year of law school as a full-time student due to a knee injury that occurred in Super Bowl XIX. He wrote an article for the Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. He had every intention to retire from the NFL at the same time he graduated from Law School; however, that knee injury accelerated his departure from the Dolphins.
To this day, Newman stays active with the Law Alumni Association. He attends meetings and Breakfast with the Bench networking event.
He explains that his time spent at Miami Law was one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life, and he doesn’t think he ever had as much effort and concentration packed into one time as he did in the amazing year of 1984. “Being challenged in that way and succeeding was extremely rewarding.”
Newman launched his legal career as a litigator, doing a lot of divorce, claims, and contract work. He found the academic challenge was the same as a lawyer or judge and wanted to work for the greater good. He always trusted his own core values and never compromised them. He was encouraged by his friend, Judge Michael Genden, to run for office. Newman felt that it was a wonderful transition and a perfect opportunity. He was elected in 1995 and served 28 years as a judge.
Newman noted that there’s some similarity between entering Miami Dolphins stadium and seeing the fans rise to their feet and entering a courtroom to the same response – “All rise for the Honorable Judge Ed Newman.”
Newman and his daughter, Holly Newman Greenberg, recently published a memoir covering the span of his life, titled Warrior Judge: One Man’s Journey from Gridiron to Gavel. He recommends the book to anyone as it is a unique, subjective experience—on what it was like to come all the way from a no-name rookie to an All-Pro Super Bowl champion and then a judge. Much of the book deals with serious life lessons about overcoming obstacles and barriers, proper self-assessment, adequate preparation, dedication, and sacrifice. Newman shares the expression, “You don’t have to be a cork bobbing in the ocean. You’re allowed to swim to shore.”
Warrior Judge was purely an effort of love, and he had a great experience writing it with his daughter. You can find the book here.
