Three little words piqued Judge Lucy Chernow Brown’s interest.
“Nature all around,” the advertisement boasted, describing a house for sale in Ocean Ridge. Brown and her husband, Terry, both nature lovers, were hooked before they even saw the house. And, 20 years later, it’s still home sweet home. They’ve put in a native plant garden and it — like Brown’s career — has blossomed.
Despite a hectic, demanding job as a Palm Beach County Circuit Court judge, she has always carved out time for volunteer work, including early dawn and late night monitoring of sea turtle nests, working on native plant restoration projects with the Ocean Ridge Garden Club, serving on the Supreme Court jury instruction committee and designing the turtle logo for the new stone signs to Ocean Ridge’s entrances.
Recently, the 65-year-old mother of two was honored with the prestigious Justice Barbara Pariente Award by the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. The award, which recognizes an individual or organization who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing women in the legal profession through their effort, innovation and leadership, was presented by Florida Supreme Court Justice Pariente, which made it even more special, said Brown, who has been a circuit court judge since 1991.
“I didn’t expect it. I was overwhelmed and very honored to get it and even more so because it is an award in her name. I really admire her,” said Brown, who has mentored young lawyers and students in many ways, including serving as judge and mentor in the Youth Court Program and participating in the Justice Teaching Program in schools. “I wasn’t expecting an award, I just do what I do. I try to spend time mentoring young women and helping them advance in the legal profession. You really have to turn around and help other people climb up,” Brown, a Nova Law School graduate and former teacher, explained. “I want to help them develop, and so to speak, get a seat at the table, which is very tough.”
In November, Brown will join a Women’s Learning Journey, which will travel to South Africa to explore women’s roles in transforming communities there. They will meet women who are legislators, corporate executives and leaders in other areas, along with women who have started fishing groups, knitting groups and other organizations to help their communities.
Brown’s time off the bench also includes riding her bike, enjoying the butterflies in her yard (which was given a Native Garden of Excellence award from the Ocean Ridge Garden Club) and visiting her first grandchild, 1-year-old Josephine. She also spends time relaxing at the beach, one of the reasons she moved to Ocean Ridge.
“It is a great community. It is small and most people are here because they like the beach and they are environmentally oriented. People here walk and talk to each other. It is a great place to live,” she said.
And of course, there’s “nature all around.”
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