Dade County Courthouse entrance plaque Betsy Alvarez-Zane has been formally sworn in as a Miami-Dade County Court judge. She was a solo insurance, family and traffic litigator who also handled real estate closings when she ran unopposed for an open seat last year. She now presides in a criminal division. Alvarez-Zane graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1987 and has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1991.