Please join us in congratulating Bedell Director Ashley Wells Cox, who was elected to Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Court last week. Ashley has been a valued member of the Bedell team for 18 years, but our loss will be to the benefit of our community. Thank you to all who participated in voting Ashley to this prestigious seat.
“I am honored to have been elected to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court,” Ashley said. “I am thankful for the support of the Bedell Firm, and it will be hard to leave after 18 years here. At Bedell, I have worked with some of the best attorneys in the Circuit who practice with the utmost professionalism and ethics that I will carry with me to the bench.”
As Circuit Court Judge, Ashley will now handle a wide range of cases from felony criminal trials to complex civil litigation and family law matters. She will serve a six-year term on the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, which encompasses Jacksonville and its surrounding areas, including Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties.
Ashley’s Journey to the Bench
Inner-City Teaching Corps & Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Ashley Wells Cox began her career teaching students in underserved communities in Chicago, as a member of the Inner-City Teaching Corps. After attending Northwestern University School of Law, she spent two years practicing as a Skadden Fellow at Atlanta Legal Aid Society. There, she assisted low-income individuals with a variety of legal matters.
Prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office
After her fellowship ended, Ashley moved to Florida and worked as a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville, handling both misdemeanors and felonies and and working on a high profile grand jury investigation. This diverse background allowed her to handle even the toughest cases with skill and compassion after she joined Bedell in 2006.
Leadership at Bedell
Ashley spent her first ten years at the firm practicing criminal defense, administrative law, and representing clients before The Florida Bar and Florida Board of Bar Examiners. Eventually, she shifted her focus to found and serve as lead counsel of the firm’s family law practice — a first in Bedell’s history since 1865. The family law practice grew tremendously under Ashley’s leadership and continues today.
Community Service
In addition to her legal work, Ashley has a history of service to the Jacksonville community. She has been a volunteer Guardian ad Litem since 2013, representing the best interests of children who are the subject of abuse or guariandship proceedings. Ashley has also served as the School Advisory Chair for Atlantic Beach Elementary School, the President of Friends of Atlantic Beach Elementary School, and has volunteered weekly at the Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry food pantry. In the legal community, she served as Chair of the Jacksonville Bar Association Bench & Bar Professionalism Committee from 2016 to 2017.
Honors and Awards
Ashley is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, was a Fellow for The Florida Bar Leadership Academy in 2013, and won the Barry Sinoff Award of Excellence in Family Law in 2019.
In 2020, the Jacksonville Business Journal honored Ashley out of a record-number nominees as one of the First Coast’s Women of Influence. This award recognized Ashley for her leadership, shaping the next generation and providing a model for the community.
About Bedell
As the oldest law firm in continuous existence in the State of Florida, Bedell has a long-standing history of providing exceptional legal services to our clients. Our core practice areas include civil litigation, criminal defense, and family law litigation. If you have a legal matter that requires a depth of experience, contact Bedell at (904) 353-0211.
