Ana María Polo

{{short description|Cuban-American lawyer and television arbitrator}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Ana María Polo

| image = Ana María Polo (2982570311).jpg

| caption = Polo in 2008

| birth_date = {{bda|11 April 1958|df=y}}

| birth_place = Havana, Cuba

| birth_name = Ana María Polo González

| native_name_lang = Ana María Cristina Polo González

| othername =

| website =

| years_active = 1978{{ndash}}present

| occupation = {{hlist|Arbitrator|television personality|lawyer|singer}}

| partner =

| children = 1

}}

Ana María Cristina Polo González (born 11 April 1958) is a Cuban-American lawyer and television personality, best known as an arbitrator on the Spanish-language court show Caso Cerrado and the Anglophone spin-off counterpart Ana Polo Rules.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/veronicavillafane/2017/08/07/telemundos-ana-maria-polo-debuts-english-language-court-show-on-fox-stations/|title=Telemundo's Ana María Polo Debuts English-Language Court Show on Fox Stations|website=Forbes}}

Early life

Born in Havana, Polo's family moved to Miami when she was 2 years old. They later moved to Puerto Rico, where she participated in different musicals including Godspell, Jubilee and Show Boat in addition to singing with the choir of Jubilee, which was invited by Pope Paul VI to sing at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome as part of the celebration of the 1975 Holy Year.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=24 February 2017|title=La dura historia de vida de Ana María Polo, la conductora de "Caso Cerrado"|url=https://www.infobae.com/teleshow/infoshow/2017/02/24/la-dura-historia-de-vida-de-ana-maria-polo-la-conductora-de-caso-cerrado/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224120116/http://www.infobae.com/teleshow/infoshow/2017/02/24/la-dura-historia-de-vida-de-ana-maria-polo-la-conductora-de-caso-cerrado/ |archive-date=24 February 2017 |access-date=12 October 2020|website=Infobae|language=es-ES}}

Career

Polo graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1987, and is a member of the Florida Bar. She was a member of the law firm of Emmanuel Perez & Associates, P.A. in Coral Gables, Florida.[https://www.floridabar.org/mybarprofile/794538 Ana Maria Polo]. The Florida Bar

From 2 April 2001 to 10 December 2019, she arbitrated the popular Spanish language TV show Caso Cerrado, which airs on Telemundo and can also be viewed on the YouTube channel. In 2010, Caso Cerrado, which Polo created, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program.{{Cite web|title=Telemundo's 'Caso Cerrado' nominated for an Emmy. {{!}} HispanicAd.com|url=http://hispanicad.com/blog/news-article/had/television/telemundo%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98caso-cerrado%E2%80%99-nominated-emmy|access-date=20 August 2020|website=hispanicad.com|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} This marked the first time a program from a Spanish-language network had been nominated for an Emmy.{{Cite web|date=25 June 2010|title=Telemundo's 'Caso Cerrado' breaks ground with Daytime Emmy nomination|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/06/telemundos-caso-cerrado-breaks-ground-with-daytime-emmy-nomination.html|access-date=20 August 2020|website=LA Times Blogs|language=en}}

In 2017, Polo created the English-language spin-off of Caso Cerrado called Ana Polo Rules with the same synopsis, however it was canceled after only 15 episodes due to declining ratings.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

Personal life

A breast cancer survivor, Polo frequently speaks about it and raises funds for the cause.Soraya (2007). Soraya: A Life of Music, a Legacy of Hope. John Wiley and Sons, {{ISBN|978-0-470-17127-1}} She has also advocated for LGBT rights throughout her career.{{Cite web|title=Las confesiones de la Dra. Ana María Polo|url=https://www.laprensa.hn/espectaculos/936884-410/las-confesiones-de-la-dra-ana-maría-polo|access-date=19 February 2021|website=Diario La Prensa|language=es-HN}}