Greider sworn in as judge in Collier

Whether it was in her years as a divorce attorney or prosecuting domestic violence cases, Christine Greider saw many sides of what compassion means.

It means one thing to a client. It means another to a crime victim.

So as Greider puts on the black robe of a judge, she wants to keep in mind for whom she works, she said — the state of Florida, and the residents of Collier County.

So at Friday's investiture, which is a swearing-in ceremony, at the Collier County Courthouse, Greider told the more than 150 people in attendance she'll follow the same advice she'd give someone else who was becoming a first-time judge. Greider, 47, was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush in April to handle misdemeanor criminal, small claims and county-court-level civil lawsuits.

She said she'll remember the value of ruling consistently. She'll be faithful to the law but flexible to the people in her court. She'll honor and respect all who appear before her. She'll be open-minded and willing to listen to all sides. And she'll respect everyone's time, she said.

"Judges are servants to the law, not the other way around," Greider said.

Greider was raised in Naples, graduating from Lely High School in 1977. With more than two dozen fellow judges from the five-county region and Tampa in attendance, Greider and some of her closest friends reminded the audience of what it means to be a judge, and why Greider will be a good one.

Tom Grogan, a longtime Naples attorney who gave Greider her first job as a legal secretary at the beginning of her 26-year legal career, said he and now- Circuit Judge Lawrence D. Martin talked her into going to law school. They saw the potential within her to be a great attorney, Grogan said.

Fort Myers appellate attorney Gerald W. Pierce was Greider's last client as a divorce attorney before she left her practice to work as a domestic-violence prosecutor at the Naples State Attorney's Office. She left that office as the supervisor over all the county-court attorneys.

Pierce said Greider's love of the law, compassion and strength of character will help her as she presides over cases.

"It's not a system of law or a system of justice, it's a system of people, and it's only as good as the people who are in it," Pierce said.

Greider was one of four judges appointed in April.

Southwest Florida Chief Circuit Judge Hugh Hayes told the audience the five-county region, which includes Lee and Collier counties, could end up with 13 new judges in a 12-month span if Bush approves the proposed bills to fund them. That many judges would be unprecedented and would help keep pace with the area's explosive population growth.

Also appointed for Collier was Rob Crown, a sex-crimes prosecutor at the Naples State Attorney's Office.