Administrative Law Judge Hetal Desai currently serves with the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH). Judge Desai grew up in Tallahassee and graduated with Honors from Florida State University with a B.S. in Economics. Judge Desai practiced commercial and employment litigation in Miami and New York before returning to Tallahassee in 2002, where she served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Tallahassee for almost nine years handling employment, ethics, public records, and land use issues. While at the City Judge Desai also served as counsel for various committees and projects including Cascade Park and the Civil Rights Sidewalk Project. Judge Desai last worked at the firm of Sniffen & Spellman before joining DOAH.
Judge Desai currently serves on the Board of Governors for Leadership Tallahassee (Class XX) and The Villages Square. She also is a member of Leadership Florida (Class XXXIV), the Hindu Temple of Greater Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Indian Association, and various legal organizations. In her free time, Judge Desai hosts a podcast, “Never Contemplated” for the Florida Bar Center for Professionalism, enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.