Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Bain. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Judge Bain’s life has always been about service to his faith, his family, and his community. In addition to serving on the bench, he is married to Dr. Andrea Singh, and together they have two beautiful daughters, Alana (5) and Amayah (4). He is also a professor at Florida A&M College of Law, serves as a mentor to students at all levels, and serves on the elder board at his church. Judge Bain is committed to being faithful and fair, and to ensuring that all are treated equally under the law.
Judge Bain grew up in Lauderdale Lakes, FL, right outside Fort Lauderdale. Being a pastor’s son meant weekly Sunday services and church meetings in his home. At one point or another, Judge Bain served in every capacity at the church, from leading worship to cutting grass, to serving as a handyman, and even scrubbing toilets. This experience taught him some very valuable lessons about being committed to faith, love, and humility.
As a child, he spent most of his free time playing sports. His first love was baseball, before moving on to basketball and football over the years. When it came time to focus on one of the three, Judge Bain chose football. In his final year of high school, he was a team captain, All-American, and laundry worker for his teammates who did not have a washing machine at home, while he helped lead his football team to win the 5A State Championship in Tallahassee. He also headed an award-winning peer tutoring program for his fellow classmates.
In college, Judge Bain joined the University of Miami Hurricanes football team, becoming their master of the “pancake block” as an offensive lineman. When he wasn’t on the field, he dove headfirst into his studies and mentoring at-risk youth. He majored in Psychology and African-American studies and minored in Business Law. It was in college that Judge Bain’s interest in the field of law continued to grow.
After his graduation, Judge Bain pursued his love of football by signing to the New York Giants as a free agent. Although he loved the game, he knew he wanted to go to law school eventually. After some prayer, thought, and deliberation with his new wife, he knew law school was his calling. He graduated from Florida A&M University in 2013 and joined the State Attorney’s office not long after.
Although Judge Bain enjoyed his time as a prosecutor and the experience that he gained, the opportunity to serve on the bench was something that he could not turn down. It was a conversation while volunteering as a county court mediator with the late Donna Dorer, Court Mediation Program Coordinator for Osceola County, that solidified his plans. She told him she knew he would become a judge someday, and right she was. In 2020, Judge Bain was appointed by the Governor to the Orange County bench, becoming the only African American male judge serving on the county bench, and the first since Judge Reginald Whitehead was appointed in 1994.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The process to greatness is full of failures. As a young child, I struggled with a disability that did not allow me to develop my reading skills because my right eye would not move to track the words on the page. It took years of my parents driving over 1 hour away from home for treatments before I was able to overcome the issues with my eye.
I played team sports my whole life. Team sports teach character, discipline, and community. You have the opportunity to experience life with people of every race, culture, and religion. Accountability to your teammates makes you have to push yourself to be ready to perform, and come back from injury as soon as possible. I suffered the most injuries in football. I have broken ankles, bones in my feet, and ribs; I have undergone surgeries on both shoulders and one of my knees. This meant pain was a great teacher. Pain is an invitation to challenge, your will and heart to succeed. Pain brings a choice to quit or push through. I have chosen to push through in the pain, and I have learned many lessons in the process. The main lesson is that you are going to fail, but you are strong enough to get up, learn, and push forward. In my senior year at the University of Miami when I tore both my quadriceps down to the bone, I knew I could come back. The comeback was brief, but it got me to the NFL.
The most impactful struggle has been the loss of life of my classmates and teammates. Three of my teammates have been murdered and three more have died because of the lack preventive health care. Bryan Pata was the hardest because he was killed less than 100 feet from my front door while my now wife was home alone. Tyrone Moss was at one time a high school leading rusher, top 10 leading rushers at the University of Miami, and he died of a stroke and heart attack because of high blood pressure. It has only been by God’s grace I am still here today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an Orange County Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida and a professor of law at Florida A&M University College of Law. As an Orange County Judge, I am the people’s judge. Many of my cases deal with self-represented parties, not just lawyers. As the sitting judge, I have served in all areas on the county court. I have presided over thousands of hearings and trials in my two years on the bench. Each and every hearing and trial brings more experience and an opportunity to learn. The greatest skills I have improved on is becoming a more empathetic listener, more patience, and even more dedicated to the people of Orange County.
Becoming an Adjunct Professor of Law at Florida A&M University College of Law has aided me with sharping my communication skills. They say teaching is the best way to learn. That statement cannot be more true. As a county court judge, you are the people’s judge. As a part of my job on the county court bench, I teach self-represented parties about the law, and I in turn learn about people. Just like my students, I cannot give self-represented parties the answers to the test questions, but I can instruct them on what the law is and how it is used in their case.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was funny, caring, and defensive of others. As a son of a pastor, I enjoyed singing and service in the church. I was also involved in drama clubs and played the saxophone in middle and part of high school bands. I am from South Florida so the ocean was a big part of my life. I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau, become a marine biologist, and study caves under Florida. Before high school, I have played virtually every sport except football because I was too big.
I have an uncle that introduced me to grilling when I was about 10 years old, and now I am a great all-around cook. I have five different grills, smokes, or cookers. My talents have extended inside where I boil, bake, and braise.
My culture and history have always been important to me. My paternal grandfather was from the Bahamas and my grandmother was from Tallahassee. She performed migrant work with others in my family all the way to Key West. I enjoyed spending time on the island with the exception that my grandmother lived in a low-income housing community with no air conditioner. My maternal grandfather was from the country side surrounding Little Rock, Arkansas and my grandmother grew up sharecropping in Alabama. The lives of my ancestors are of great interest to me outside of cooking, church, and sports.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.judgebain.com
- Instagram: @KeepJudgeBain
- Facebook: Keep Judge Bain
