Judicial contenders for 2010 throwing early hats into ring

There’s already a contested judicial race brewing for a Miami-Dade Circuit Court seat.

Two days after Miami solo practitioner Patricia Kopco filed last month, criminal defense attorney Miguel de la O submitted papers to run against her for the seat being vacated by Judge Judith Kreeger, who is reaching the state’s mandatory judicial retirement age.

With investiture ceremonies from the latest round of judicial elections just wrapping up, Kopco and de la O join Miami criminal defense lawyer Milton Hirsch and civil litigator Robert Kuntz Jr. with Devine Goodman Rasco & Wells in Miami as early entrants in the 2010 judicial election.

Kopco, who lost a November runoff to Yvonne Colodny, became a lawyer after a long career as a television reporter that included hitches in Latin America.

De la O is managing partner of de la O Marko Magolnick & Layton and previously worked with Miami attorney Neal Sonnett, Sonnett Sale & Kuehne and Steel Hector & Davis before it was absorbed by Squire Sanders & Dempsey.