The Honorable Linda Lopez was born and raised in Miami. She was interested in the legal profession from a young age. Her mother passed away at age 40, when Judge Lopez was 11 years old, from a medical malpractice situation that left the family in and out of lawyers' offices for much of her childhood. She found an interest in the law through these meetings, often serving as a translator for her father.
Lopez, the first child in her family to go to college, attended Miami-Dade College for her associate's degree with the intent of becoming a paralegal. While at MDC, she worked as a secretary and paralegal for two defense attorneys. She then transferred to Florida International University, where she received her bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, followed by her law degree at the University of Miami, all while working full-time for the same firm.
In 2007, Lopez, a single mother of two young children, wanted to transition out of private practice. She applied to several offices in different states and ended up relocating to San Diego. She gained much experience working on various cases and increased her involvement in community organizations. Some of her outreach included being the lawyer representative for the 9th Circuit and a liaison for community involvement, hosting open doors to courts for schools, and offering mock trial experiences for students.
Additionally, she was on the board of the Federal Bar Association and a master for the Welsh Inn of Court. She became interested in applying for the bench, first applying to be a magistrate in 2016. She was eventually sworn in as a magistrate judge for the Southern District of California in 2018. In 2021, she was nominated by President Biden to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. She was surprised to receive the appointment, believing that her background as a community college attendee lacked the prestige required for a District Court judge; she explains that she forgot that "your hard work, reputation, commitment, and consistency get you places."
While at Miami Law, Lopez was an editor for the University of Miami Law Review. She received the CALI Award in Constitutional Law, was on the Dean's List for multiple semesters, and graduated magna cum laude. She loved participating in Beer on the Bricks.
In her free time, Lopez loves to exercise. Her family affectionately compares her to a border collie because she loves to walk and lift weights. She enjoys spending time with her family, drinking wine, and cooking good meals. Lopez advises alumni to stay involved in the school, even from a distance. She says, "my greatest times, as hard as they were, were the years I spent at the University of Miami."
