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In Recognition of College of Law Benefactors Torch Society Platinum Flame
President’s Circle
C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation
R. Alexander Acosta
The Costa Foundation
Akerman Senterfitt, LLP Thomas E. Baker Colson Hicks Eidson
Gold
RR Donnelley Foundation
Cesar L. Alvarez & Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Gonzalo R. Dorta
The Miami Foundation
Jay Michael Haft
Judge Aaron B. Cohen
Harper Meyer Perez Ferrer & Hagen, LLP The Knight Foundation Scott F. Norberg
Silver
Louis Aaron Reitmeister Foundation
Ramon A. Abadin & Abadin Cook
Squire Sanders
Maribety & Alex Alvarez
Thomas M. Santoro & Jackson Lewis, LLP
BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Marta & Emilio Tarafa
Mrs. Thomas C. Britton
Turner Construction
Cuban American Bar Association
Vital Projects Fund, Inc.
DeMahy Labrador Drake Victor Payne & Cabeza, PA Holland & Knight, LLP Sharlene & Roy R. Lustig
Dean’s Circle
Theodore Spak
Avila Rodriguez Hernandez Mena & Ferri, LLP Bilzen Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, LLP Cole, Scott & Kissane, PA
Bronze
Matthew P. Downs
Stewart L. Appelrouth
Eddi-Ann & Lewis B. Freeman
Astigarraga Davis
Genovese Joblove & Battista, PA
Berger Singerman
Marisela Cisneros & Robert C. Gross
Citigroup & Citi Private Bank
Hispanic National Bar Foundation
The Florida Bar
Hogan Lovells, LLP
John M. Hogan
Hunton & Williams, LLP
S. Lawrence Kahn, III
Scott J. Link
Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, PL
Michelle D. Mason
Lyn & Robert L. Parks
M.C. & A.B. Mirow
Danielle & Leonard P. Strickman
Pacer Corporation Linda & Luis J. Perez Podhurst Orseck, PA Esther & Bernard Probst Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP Silva & Silva, PA Joan Peven & Harry B. Smith Ginny & Anthony Soto Wells Fargo
Message from FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg More than 10 years ago, a group of visionary leaders came together to fulfill a dream for the South Florida community. They recognized the need for our best and brightest students to have access to a high-quality legal education. The vision was to educate a new generation of attorneys committed to helping the people of South Florida resolve legal issues that affect their lives. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the FIU College of Law, we celebrate and offer our gratitude to these leaders for their pivotal role in making this dream a reality. Critical to our success was the support of many from South Florida’s legal community, among them, George Knox, Carlos Castillo, Cesar Alvarez, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the late Chesterfield Smith, Robert Beatty, FIU alumni Judge Jose Rodriguez and Judge Cecilia Altonaga. Many community leaders also stood with us, including Pat Frost, Darryl Sharpton and Alberto Ibargüen. Without a doubt, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and the entire Diaz-Balart Family. Then a state senator in Tallahassee, Mario Diaz-Balart worked tirelessly against significant odds to win approval for the College of Law. The legislation establishing the law school was signed into law by Gov. Jeb Bush. With that signature, these elected officials transformed the lives of many for generations to come. Ten years later, the FIU College of Law competes with top law schools in Florida and across the country. With Dean R. Alexander Acosta at the helm, our law school continues its impressive climb in national rankings. Our graduates consistently rank among the top of all Florida’s law schools in their bar passage rate and beat more established schools in national moot court competitions. Under his leadership, we are pioneering innovative programs such as LawBridge, which is giving our graduates a jump-start in their legal careers. The College’s legal clinics represent political refugees, victims of bankruptcy, and small investors who have been wronged. We can all take pride in this moment of celebration. The College of Law represents what is possible when we work together – private citizens, elected officials, community leaders and educators. Congratulations to all of you for building a Worlds Ahead law school. I look forward to the decades ahead.
President Mark B. Rosenberg
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“What makes this law school special? An extraordinary, talented faculty. A student-centered administration. And students who are – in the words of one of our experienced professors – “the most engaged I have ever taught.” And we keep getting better: in student credentials, in rankings, in job placement. Our short but impressive history suggests there is nothing to prevent the FIU College of Law from ultimately being recognized as among America’s leading law schools and perhaps the best in achieving high quality and diversity simultaneously. I am grateful to have served as the founding dean, and I am proud of the efforts and achievements of the faculty and the current dean to continue to drive the school forward.” Leonard P. Strickman Founding Dean Emeritus
FIU College of Law Founding Faculty and Administrators Thomas E. Baker Jorge L. Esquirol Elizabeth Price Foley Angelique Ortega Fridman Michelle D. Mason M. C. Mirow Almá O. Miro Scott F. Norberg Ediberto Román John F. Stack Jr. Leonard P. Strickman David D. Walter
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Message from Dean R. Alexander Acosta The FIU College of Law is proudly South Florida’s public law school. President Rosenberg rightly thanked the visionaries, dreamers and achievers who came together to bring about our law college. As Dean, I would like particularly to thank Dean Emeritus Leonard Strickman and our founding faculty and administrators, who formed the foundations of our institution. Today, FIU Law stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the icons of legal education in Florida. We are an institution of excellence, whose U.S. News rankings now exceed those of the oldest of Florida law schools. We are home to a faculty of scholars whose productivity and scholarly impact rank among the highest in Florida. We are an engaged community, whose in-house legal clinics and legal externships have provided more than 27,000 hours of service to the people of South Florida in the last year alone. Though we stand alongside long-established law schools, we embrace our founding principles. We are a majority-minority institution of opportunity, recognized as one of the top five most diverse law schools in the nation. We concern ourselves with value, controlling tuition and offering our students what National Jurist has deemed one of the best-value legal educations in our country. No endeavor is more important to us than the education of our students. Our job is not only to teach them the law, but also to teach them professionalism and help them successfully embark on their legal careers. Our graduates have succeeded in all areas of law. More than fifty alumni work in state attorneys’ and public defenders’ offices. Over the past two years, our graduates have earned more than fifteen federal trial, federal appellate or state appellate clerkships. Our graduates work in public interest law, in BigLaw, as Presidential Management Fellows and as general counsels. As our graduates gain experience, today’s law clerk will become tomorrow’s judge, and in turn offer our future students ever greater opportunities. I want to recognize our many community contributors and supporters, who have helped build FIU Law. As a public law school, we could not have reached as far or done as much as we have without you. Thank you. I also want to thank our faculty, administrators and staff. Your devotion to our school runs deep, as does your commitment to our future. Finally, I want to applaud our students and alumni. Your success is our reward, and we look forward to many rewarding years ahead. If ten years’ time has brought about so much, what might our next decade bring?
Dean R. Alexander Acosta Photo by: J. Albert Diaz/Daily Business Review
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The Mario Diaz Cruz Collection 4
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“The results speak for themselves: graduating classes that are among the most diverse in the country, adding much needed diversity to the profession; bar passage rates that are invariably among the highest of any law school in the state; and countless successes in the representation of clients and in other professional endeavors. These accomplishments are ample reason to be optimistic about the future of FIU law graduates in the legal profession and in the South Florida community and beyond.” Scott F. Norberg Founding Professor of the College of Law
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milestones o 2004
•Leonard Strickman named founding dean
•Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic opens. Costa was one of the four Brothers to the Rescue volunteer pilots shot down by Cuban fighter jets as the men searched for Cuban refugees at sea
•FIU Law begins hiring founding faculty
•College of Law earns provisional ABA accreditation
2001 1988-99 •President Modesto A. Maidique leads effort to establish a law school
2000 •Gov. Jeb Bush signs bill creating College of Law with Alex Villalobos, Mitch Maidique, Mario Diaz-Balart, Rudolph “Rudy” Bradley and Gaston Cantens
2002 •FIU Law welcomes inaugural class
2005 • Inaugural commencement for 67 graduates • Rafael DiazBalart Hall groundbreaking
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s of fiu law 2009
2011
•Former U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta becomes second dean of FIU Law
•Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Council Cesar Alvarez (center), executive chairman of Greenberg Traurig, honored at FIU Law Alumni Gala for dedication to FIU Law and public legal education
•Teaching courtroom named for the C.A.M.P. 4 Justice Foundation
2006 •FIU Law earns full ABA accreditation in shortest time permitted by ABA rules
• FIU Law graduates ranked #1 on Florida February Bar Exam
• FIU Law graduates ranked #1 on July Florida Bar Exam
•College of Law earns membership in the American Association of Law Schools
•FIU Law jumps in U.S. News and World Report rankings
First Class First Class
2007
2010
2012
• U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dedicates Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall
• Princeton Review ranks FIU Law #1 in U.S. for most diverse faculty and #2 for best environment for minority students
• Judge Aaron Cohen establishes the Judge Cohen Judicial Externship Program with $500,000 gift
• FIU Law graduates ranked #1 on February Florida Bar Exam
• FIU Law ranked Top 10 for Best Value by The National Jurist
• U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Judge Rosemary Barkett, and Judge Stanley Marcus judge 2012 Moot Court Final
• Faculty ranked 3rd in Florida for scholarly impact by Leiter Reports
• FIU Law climbs 19 additional spots in U.S. News & World Report, placing 4th among Florida law schools • Hispanic Business ranks FIU Law #2 in U.S. for Hispanics and #1 for percentage of J.D. degrees earned by Hispanics
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“Our students leave the College with a clear appreciation of the international and transnational dimensions of legal practice in the world today. They not only know that there are other legal systems affecting their clients here in South Florida, or wherever they practice, but also have gathered the tools and understanding to deal with these international challenges. I think this sets our college apart and makes us completely in tune with Miami and the world.” M.C. Mirow, Ph.D. Founding Professor of the College of Law
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Ten Years of Excellence
FIU Law Alumni and Students Share Their Stories
Alicia Garcia Priovolos, 2002 - JD ’05 Assistant State Attorney, Homicide Division Bringing closure is a big part of Alicia Garcia Priovolos’ job. Priovolos has been an assistant state attorney since she graduated from the College of Law. As the Homicide Division Chief, she supervises four prosecutors, and says she loves her job because above all, it allows her to do the right thing. “I always get to wear the white hat,” she said. “My job is about executing the law, which in many instances requires punishing criminals, but it’s also about rehabilitating people and helping get them back on track. You need perspective and humility to do this, and to recognize the difference between necessary punishment and effective prosecuting.” For Priovolos, it comes down to looking at all the circumstances of a case and weighing whether second chances are merited. The reward is being there for the victims and their families. “There are times when you know someone has committed a heinous crime, but there isn’t enough evidence to charge them, so you have to refrain,” she said. “Other times, evidence comes to light, and as a prosecutor I can assist police in obtaining court orders or warrants that can help solve a 20-year-old cold case. Bringing closure to families like that is incredible.”
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MacAdam Glinn, 2003 - JD ’07 Vice President of Aviation, Skanska Corporation No way around it: MacAdam Glinn’s journey to the FIU College of Law was meant to be. In 2001, Glinn was working for then-state senator, now Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz when former Dean Leonard Strickman visited her office seeking support to create a College of Law at FIU. Glinn took the meeting and promised to relay Strickman’s visit to his boss. But before he left, Glinn told Strickman of his ultimate dream of attending law school and following in the footsteps of so many members of his family. Strickman, who eventually became the College’s first dean, encouraged him to follow that dream. “I like to think that I helped reinforce the Congresswoman’s support for the College of Law,” he recalls. “At the time, it was pretty controversial to add two new law schools.” Two years later, Glinn was admitted into the newly minted College of Law. “I was accepted into UM and St. Thomas, but FIU just felt right. I loved the energy and excitement I felt there. You could tell they were building something special,” he said. Glinn, who worked full time while attending the College of Law’s evening program, graduated in 2007. He then practiced law for nearly three years before re-joining the international construction firm Skanska, where he is now vice president in the conglomerate’s Aviation Division, overseeing all airport construction business development and contracts work nationally. “But for FIU College of Law, I would not have had access to a truly worldclass legal education while working to support my family, nor would I have had the opportunity to realize my dream of becoming an attorney.”
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Daniel Cervantes, 2004 - JD ’07 Hogan Lovells, International Commercial Arbitration For Daniel Cervantes, being a lawyer is being an advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves, for his clients, and for the law. Following the advice of political science Professor Rebecca Salokar ’81, JD ’09, Cervantes became a volunteer guardian ad litem in 2002. For six years, he served as a guardian of the court in cases involving the rights of children. “I remember one case where an infant was abused by his father. The child was malnourished and had broken ribs,” he said. “I was appointed as guardian ad litem to ensure he had a voice in court and that he was protected from this abuse and neglect by both his parents.” Cervantes says his guardianships combined with his years at FIU made for some of the best of his life. The College of Law’s arrival allowed the native Miamian to stay close to home. “I was thrilled that a public law school would be opening in South Florida and that I could stay here,” he said. While at FIU, he served as an editor for the FIU Law Review. He went on to become the first College of Law alumnus to clerk at the Florida Supreme Court, fulfilling clerkships for Justice Charles Canady and Former Justice Harry Lee Anstead. Today, Cervantes works at Hogan Lovells, one of the largest international law firms in the world, as part of its international commercial arbitration practice in Miami. He remains connected to FIU through the College of Law Alumni Network, of which he is a past president.
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Maria D. Garcia, 2005 - JD ’08 Zumpano Patricios & Winker, P.A., Healthcare Law Among the FIU College of Law alumni is a Miami native of Cuban heritage with the quintessential FIU story. Maria D. Garcia says that when looking at universities, she selected FIU because it offered something different. “The Honors College was fairly new at the time, and I thought the program they offered was exciting,” said the political science alumna. “Throughout the years, I developed an affection for FIU and with the College of Law getting off the ground, I thought, ‘I’ll stay here and be part of making FIU history.’” While at the College of Law, she studied abroad in Spain and was president of the Moot Court. Upon graduation, she received the Appellate Advocacy Award. “I believe FIU is the backbone of our community,” she said. “I wouldn’t have the success I have today without FIU. The legal community respects FIU Law degrees. My entire family believes in the school: My brother and sister have pursued law degrees at FIU.” Today, Garcia is a blue-and-gold ambassador who recently joined the Board of Directors of the FIU Alumni Association. At Zumpano Patricios & Winker, she focuses on healthcare law and commercial litigation. She represents a variety of healthcare providers, including physicians, group practices, hospitals and other specialty facilities. “I never have a boring day because healthcare is a developing area, especially in Miami with our economy and demographics,” she said. “I enjoy healthcare law because it’s dynamic and versatile and touches everyone in our community in some way.”
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Andy Diaz, 2006 - JD ’09 Senior Policy Advisor for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce Call him FIU Law’s unofficial ambassador in Washington, D.C. Diaz, who is now the senior policy advisor to the Under Secretary for International Trade in the U.S. Department of Commerce, realized quickly that there was no support system for the few FIU Law graduates in the nation’s capital. So, he decided to take up the job himself by organizing get-togethers and making sure FIU Law alumni are there for one another. “Facebook isn’t enough,” he said. “What I want to do in an informal way is have all these people connected. It’s for the students who just graduated and the students who are looking for a job. Everyone needs a support network.” Diaz was one of the first FIU Law alumni to make his mark in Washington. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at FIU, Diaz had a brief career in journalism before realizing that his passion was law and foreign affairs. He chose a young, up-and-coming law school because of its size and mission. “The wonderful thing is that you’re in a smaller law school, you know all your classmates, and you’re learning about a modern, connected world at a university that reflects just that,” he said.
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Willard Shepard, 2007 - JD ’11 NBC 6 Investigative Reporter Willard Shepard is a fighter pilot. And a television reporter. And now a lawyer. His father, a former school superintendent in a town outside Chicago, and his mother, a teacher, instilled early on that there was never a limit to education. And since Shepard had so many dreams to fulfill, that advice fit him perfectly. It was just a matter of prioritizing. “After college it was either law school or fly fighter planes,” he said. “There’s an age limit of 27-and-a-half to learn how to fly fighter planes. So I took the airplanes first.” Shepard served in the Air Force for 14 years, serving in the Gulf War before coming to Miami to pursue another dream: working for Miami’s NBC affiliate. Shepard has received three Emmys, including one for his news series, “The State of Black Cleveland.” He has also been honored for his reporting by the Associated Press, United Press International and the Aviation and Space Writers Association. But one dream stayed elusive until 2011, when Shepard graduated from FIU Law. “I would encourage people who ever thought about going to law school to do it,” he said. “You can use this legal education to do many things.” For the award-winning journalist, a law degree has allowed him to cover stories, such as the George Zimmerman case, with a better understanding of the technicalities and nuances of the law. “The stories that I do now are much more thorough, both legally and journalistically,” he said.
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Jarred Reiling, 2008 - JD ’11 Presidential Management Fellow, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Jarred Reiling discovered very early on how the law can change lives. When he was 16 years old, Reiling and his sister convinced a judge to place them in foster care — a process that took them away from their mother and required the teenager to grow up much faster than he should have. But through adversity comes strength. Reiling forged a sense of compassion and empathy that led him straight to what allowed him to take this path in the first place: the law. “I think what I went through helped me develop a zeal for helping others who have faced similar and even more traumatic situations than I ever did,” he said. “The law gives you the power to change the direction of your life.” The valedictorian of his class at FIU Law, Reiling is a Presidential Management Fellow working as a policy analyst at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products. When his fellowship ends, he will start a one-year clerkship for the Honorable Adalberto Jose Jordan at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. “At FIU, there’s recognition of the real importance that everyone has in the school’s success,” he said. “There’s a culture of collaboration, of wanting to contribute to the school in a very altruistic sense.”
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Wendy Jauregui, 2009 - JD ’12 Presidential Management Fellow, Department of Homeland Security One day in Cuba, Wendy Jauregui’s father, a university professor, spoke out against the Castro regime. He was fired, arrested and charged with the crime of peligrosidad— accused of being a public threat. After two years in jail as a political prisoner, Mr. Jauregui and his family applied for political asylum at the U.S. Interest Section in Havana. The man reviewing their application – an asylum officer who acted as an advocate – and the process of coming to the United States made such an impact on 6-year-old Jauregui that it influenced the rest of her life. Today, Jauregui, who graduated from FIU’s College of Law in May, is in the prestigious Presidential Management Fellows Program working in the Department of Homeland Security. And like the man who inspired her nearly two decades ago, Jauregui is an asylum officer, reviewing applications from those seeking safety from persecution. “I’ve always focused my studies on human rights and immigration,” she said. “I never really expected that one day I would serve in the very same role that helped my family flee oppression.” Jauregui met her fiancé during their first semester in law school and both competed on the highly ranked Moot Court team. She liked his tenacity. He loved her joie de vivre. After the couple graduated, Jauregui began reconsidering a sudden move to Washington, D.C., where most fellows are assigned, and delayed the process. But destiny usually gets its way. Even without her application in hand, Homeland Security hired her and placed her where, perhaps, she was meant to be—at the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate.
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Nicholas Greene, 2010 – JD ’13 Third-year law student Ten days – that’s how long Nicholas Greene had to move from UF in Gainesville to Miami, a city he’d never visited, to start law school. The German-born, Orlando-raised future civil litigator says FIU’s location and the College of Law’s growing reputation were key in his choice to become a Panther. Greene was quick to adapt to the rigors of the school’s program. “The program at the College of Law is a lot more challenging than I expected,” he said. “The opportunities I’ve gotten here, like arguing a case in front of Justice Samuel Alito as part of the Moot Court team, have been amazing.” Greene not only has carved himself a place among Miami’s legal movers and shakers, he is building a reputation for himself. “The scene here is somewhat small, everyone knows one another, so you want to be on your game all the time.” He recently finished a second stint as a summer associate at Holland & Knight and spent several weeks working in the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office. Looking ahead to his third year of law school, he’s excited to begin working in the Family and Children’s Advocacy Clinic. “I’m hoping to interact with clients more and get some court experience. It’s another resource to becoming the kind of attorney I want to be.”
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Altanese Phenelus, 2011 – JD ’14 Second-year law student When she was a little girl, while all the other kids in her class said they wanted to be doctors or explorers when they grew up, Altanese Phenelus knew she would be a lawyer. She even drew pictures of herself carrying a briefcase. “I just want to see justice served in this world, and be part of that process,” said Phenelus, who earned a degree in political science from FIU in 2010. “The law is such an interesting arena.” Born and raised in South Florida and the youngest of six siblings, Phenelus is hoping a law degree from FIU will help her effect change. As first-generation college students, she and her sister, Dunier Valbrun, an alumna of the College of Arts & Sciences, are already writing an exciting new chapter in their family’s story. She spent the summer as an intern for the Honorable Marcia Cooke at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Phenelus recently joined the FIU Law Review and wants to become a prosecutor. Her long-term goals: the U.S. Attorney’s Office and, eventually, the bench. “That’s my dream – to become a federal judge,” she said. “The law can be a challenging thing where you read a piece of legislation with two sides of case law supporting each. It relies on a judge to analyze both sides and continue or set a new precedent. I want to be able to change the world, and this is a good way to do it.”
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“The College of Law in a short time has made a remarkable mark on our local community and the legal profession as a whole. We provide South Florida with a much-needed public law school, and we have quickly become a leading law school in the country. Our incredible graduates have excelled on the bar exam and in the profession, and our faculty is known as among the most talented and productive in the land.” Ediberto Román Founding Professor of the College of Law
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Giving Back to the Community By Martin Haro ’05
W
hen Peggy Maisel joined the faculty of the College of Law in 2003, she did so with a clear goal: to establish a flagship clinical program that provides students with hands-on experience outside the classroom.
In August 2004, Maisel and former College of Law Professor Troy Elder launched the inaugural law clinic, the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Currently, there are eight clinics and a ninth is being planned to work on behalf of veterans. About 45 percent of FIU Law students work in a clinic before graduation. Through the end of the 2011-2012 year, the students had provided more than 27,000 hours of free legal services to approximately 400 individuals, groups and organizations. That is equivalent to a court-approved value of more than $2 million in free legal services, exclusive of faculty time. “We are very much a law firm focusing on educating the next generation of lawyers through close supervision of law students as they practice for the first time and provide policy advocacy and community education throughout Miami-Dade,” said Maisel of the clinics, which primarily serve underprivileged individuals and nonprofits that must meet a certain threshold to receive services.
Consumer Bankruptcy Clinic
“We had a client who had deteriorating eyesight. He’d The Consumer
borrowed money to attend a technical school, but by the time
Bankruptcy Clinic
he finished studying, his sight was really bad and he couldn’t
focuses on helping
work and make a living,” Blanco said. “He retained us to seek
people get a fresh
a discharge of some of his student loans in court, which is
start.
incredibly difficult. But his was a special case, and we were able
Clinic Director Leyza Blanco, an attorney with GrayRobinson, PA, says students
to discharge it successfully.” Barry Turner JD ’10 is an attorney in the bankruptcy practice
enrolled in her clinic – which has been operating for about
group at Greenspoon Marder, a West Palm Beach-based law firm.
three years with funding from the Bankruptcy Bar Association
He worked on this particular case as an FIU Law student and
– primarily work under the supervision of bankruptcy attorneys
remembers it being a one-of-a-kind experience.
on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. Typical cases
“I learned the skills to negotiate with other lawyers, how to draft
involve individuals seeking to have their driver privileges
a complaint, how to draft motions, and aspects of the Bankruptcy
reinstated or people who are in financial hardship due to
Code,” he said. “It was great to be part of an enterprise that gives
medical debt or extreme circumstances. They handle 14-16
individuals a fresh start that would, under different circumstances,
cases each semester.
cost them thousands of dollars.”
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Environmental Law Clinic Stephanie Nuñez began working with the Environmental Law Clinic in Fall 2011. “I hadn’t really considered environmental law before, but I discovered I really like it. I’d love to do it as part of my pro bono work.” Nuñez was among the students who assisted clinic director Jim Porter in securing an additional $2.3 million for the mitigation package proposed by MiamiDade County and the state and federal agencies working in Port of Miami’s “Deep Dredge” project. Deep Dredge will see some 600 million cubic yards dredged from the seabed in Biscayne Bay in the next two years. The port then should be able to accommodate new super-sized cargo ships that will be coming through the expanded Panama Canal in 2014. The dredge will impact the bay’s seagrass and coral reefs. The Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, the Tropical Audubon Society, and environmentalist Dan Kipnis joined efforts to safeguard Biscayne Bay’s ecosystem and brought the case to the Environmental Law Clinic. The petitioners originally wanted Deep Dredge stopped, Porter says. Ultimately, the law clinic was able to reach a settlement in May through mediation. The settlement provides for 16.6 acres of new seagrass and reefs to be added for mitigation, and the relocation of small corals to a new artificial reef or to those unaffected by the dredge. Funds also will go to the restoration of coastal dunes on Virginia Key and two mangrove and wetlands projects at Oleta River State Park. “FIU Law students were instrumental in strategizing and following leads that we didn’t always have time to,” said Alexis Segal, the executive director of the Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper. “The deck was stacked against us not winning, so we’re grateful to have gotten us the best outcome possible by settling.”
Family and Children’s Advocacy Clinic At the Family and Children’s Advocacy Clinic, cases often are referred by judges. “We often work with the bench on referrals and also with the guardian ad litem program,” said FIU Law Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor Laverne Pinkney, director of the clinic. “What’s most admirable is that our students show a deep concern and dedication to all of our cases.” In 2009, Pinkney’s team began collaborating with Lawyers for Children America, to represent several foster children in the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Dependency and Family Courts. “The Family and Children’s Advocacy Clinic at FIU’s College of Law has earned a reputation for providing quality legal representation,” said Claire Subran, a Lawyers for Children America attorney. “It is an essential asset to the community.” The clinic has advocated successfully on cases involving special education, mental health, as well as physical abuse, neglect or abandonment. It recently won an appeal in a case involving custody of a 10-year-old girl before the Third District Court of Appeal and made case law in the process. “We mostly work on cases involving low-income families,” said Karina Rodriguez ’03, JD ’08, a staff attorney who works with several of the clinics at the college. “These are people who don’t have very many assets with straightforward cases, like divorces, child/spousal support, custody, that can’t afford representation. We really are a resource that more and more people are discovering.” The other half of the caseload at the clinic revolves around students with special needs who require assistance acquiring the services they need to thrive. “We get a lot of cases of children with ADHD or behavioral problems,” Rodriguez said. “We work with their schools to set up individual education plans to determine how best to place these children and only go to hearings if cases can’t be resolved. We advocate on their behalf.”
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Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic The Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic represents undocumented children and youth arriving in the United States without parents. All of the clinic’s cases are referrals from Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), a Miami-based nonprofit. “We are generally very successful with our cases,” said Mary Gundrum, the clinic’s director and a visiting clinical assistant professor at the College of Law. Gundrum’s team usually handles the dependency aspect of a case; AIJ sees to the immigration aspect. She recalls a case involving a 13-year-old Haitian boy who arrived in Miami four months after the 2010 earthquake. The young boy had never met his father and his mother died when he was 2. In Haiti, he lived with an abusive uncle who died in the earthquake. “We successfully petitioned for him to become a dependent of the state while he was living in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shelter,” Gundrum said. “Together with AIJ, we worked on getting him special immigrant juvenile status and then a green card.” Today – two years after the process began – that child’s case is closed, and he is still in Miami, living with his sister. “He’s thriving in school and very focused on his future,” she said. Russian-born law student Natalia Deluca has worked on about 16 dependency cases at the clinic. She hopes to focus her practice on immigration after she graduates in 2013. “I’m an immigrant and most of my friends are immigrants. This is what I want to do,” she said. “Working at the clinic at FIU Law has been great. I plan on volunteering with the clinic as I enter my last year of law school. It’s been an incredible opportunity.”
Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic Advocating on behalf of community members is the fundamental mission of the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. It won more than $22 million in damages in 2010 for five Liberian victims that brought torture and persecution charges against Charles McArthur Emmanuel, a.k.a. Chuckie Taylor, the head of the infamous Liberian Anti-Terrorism Unit. That spring, students in the Costa Clinic also reached out to the community following the 2010 Haiti earthquake to assist Haitians in South Florida applying for temporary protected status and other immigration relief. Most recently, the clinic has focused its efforts on representing mentally ill individuals being detained by the Department of Homeland Security because of their immigration status. “Most of our clients are unable to help themselves, and they cannot afford to hire an attorney in immigration court,” said Juan Gomez, an FIU Law clinical assistant professor and the clinic’s director. Some case examples include: obtaining cancellation of removal for an undocumented young man who had been tortured by his U.S. citizen stepfather; reuniting a Laotian family with a son thought to be dead for several years; and winning protection in the United States for a transgender Guatemalan. The clinic has also helped hundreds of residents apply for U.S. citizenship, and students are involved in helping create systems that will help young people eligible for relief under President Obama’s new DREAM ACT/Deferred Action policy apply for benefits. “Our clinic will not only help someone with their immediate immigration needs,” Gomez said. “We often find ourselves trying to find shelter space for our clients, and working with other organizations that will help them with their personal problems, which range from health services to job placement.”
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Investor Advocacy Clinic The goal of the Investor Advocacy Clinic is to fill the gap in legal representation for small investors – often times the elderly or individuals who have a limited understanding of English – and level the playing field between them and those who take advantage of them. Under the direction of Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor Robert Savage, the clinic has achieved numerous successes. Savage recalled the case of a disabled retiree from North Miami Beach who spoke only Spanish. A financial advisor at a brokerage firm who did not speak Spanish advised him to invest his workman’s compensation in a very complex investment that resulted in “devastating losses” for the client. “The brokerage firm should have attempted to locate a Spanish-speaking registered representative,” Savage said. “We obtained a settlement of more than 100 percent of his net out-ofpocket loss.” The Investor Advocacy Clinic’s work has gone national, having represented an investor from Arizona. That state’s securities division launched an investigation when the investor lodged a complaint on a shady transaction. “Our client had received a promissory note that was supposed to pay 36 percent interest from an
Community Development Clinic
investment advisor who also claimed to be an attorney. Our client received only two annual payments
The Community Development Clinic usually is present at the dawn of an individual’s or group’s idea. The clinic provides counsel and legal services to small-business owners and local nonprofit organizations. “We have many happy former clients that otherwise would have gone unrepresented due to the high cost of legal services,” said Shahrzad Emami, an attorney with Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., and a supervisor at the clinic. Among them is Phillip Church, a professor of theatre at FIU, who this year sought the clinic’s assistance in forming the nonprofit What If Works Productions, an organization that offers recent theatre, film and music graduates a bridge from an academic environment to the professional world. “I think these clinics, and the Community Development Clinic, in particular, are a wonderful resource for South Florida residents,” he said. “I am extremely grateful for all that was done to help the What If Works enterprise. We couldn’t have done it without the help of the clinic.”
on his investment and then the payments stopped,” Savage said. As it turns out, the so-called advisor was not properly licensed personally or through his corporation to sell securities. Savage’s team discovered that a promissory note is defined as a security under Arizona state security laws. When Arizona opened an investigation into this “bad actor,” they referred the client to the College of Law’s clinical program.
The Health, Ethics, Law and Policy (H.E.L.P.) Clinic Students enrolled in the Health, Ethics, Law and Policy Clinic represent patient-clients in partnership with FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. It opened in 2010 in response to the medical school’s groundbreaking NeighborhoodHELP program. “I approached people at the College of Medicine with the idea for an interdisciplinary initiative since their idea was to change health outcomes,” Clinic Director Peggy Maisel said. “People in the community have a lot of issues that will affect their health. For example, if you’re about to be evicted, that’s going to be stressful. Or if you don’t have access to medical insurance, that’s obviously going to impact your health, and lawyers can help clients access alternative public benefits.” As part of the partnership, medical students refer families with legal troubles to their peers at FIU Law. The clinic works on the cases or refers them to an appropriate organization that can help. Clinic staff attorney Natalie Castellanos JD ’11 has been working with an Opa Locka client with chronic diabetes and numerous medical-legal issues. He lost his legs in May 2010 due to infections brought on by the diabetes. In the year preceding the amputations, he had 20 hospital visits and 12 blood transfusions. “He enrolled in Medicaid,” Castellanos said, “but when we first found out about him in the spring of 2011, he was in a wheelchair and without means of transportation to see his doctor or get to a pharmacy to get his prescriptions.” Students at the clinic advocated for him to get transportation services by instituting a Medicaid fair hearing. They have continued to assist him to ensure he has adequate, sustained access to healthcare services and prescription medications. Maisel says interdisciplinary partnerships such as this one make the work of the clinical programs an even richer experience for future lawyers. “I truly believe collaboration is an important learning
Above: Students in the Community Development Clinic helped Filomeno Gonzalez after his Sweetwater home was destroyed in a flood.
opportunity for our students and results in better legal results for our clients.” 25
Externships Teaching students the craft of law
D
uring his second year at the FIU College of Law, Robert Scavone Jr. took a federal courts class with then District Court Judge Adalberto Jordan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Scavone was intrigued by the operation of the federal
courts, so he pursued an externship with the Judge. Scavone worked closely with Judge Jordan and his law clerks, doing research and writing memoranda. “I was fascinated by the whole process of analyzing both sides of an argument and applying the law to the particular facts to figure out who should prevail,” Scavone said. “It is a very cerebral process, one that most people never get to see or appreciate.” The externship led to two prestigious clerkships, one beginning in 2013 with the Honorable Barbara Lagoa of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal, and the second in 2014 with Judge Jordan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Hundreds of FIU Law students have participated in the Legal Externship Program, many eventually being hired after graduation. The program encompasses three distinct areas—criminal, civil, and judicial. The externships combine a classroom component with a practical placement. The program has grown in recent years to include placements with corporate in-house counsel, NGOs and governmental agencies in the areas of finance and securities regulation, health law, environmental law, disability law and employment law. The variety and number of placements have allowed many students to take advantage of externship opportunities, says the program’s director, Professor Phyllis Kotey. The next step will be to create international externship placements, she said.
“Every day, students and graduates from FIU Law work here at the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney. They are dedicated, hard-working individuals, committed to public service, with a deep appreciation for our adversarial system of justice. I value having FIU Law students and graduates in our office and hope they continue to consider public service as a career path.” Katherine Fernandez Rundle Miami-Dade County State Attorney
“Many FIU Law students extern at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s office, and some have joined us after graduating. These students work side-by-side with our attorneys, protecting the rights of members of our community—many times, keeping them from being sent to prison and guiding them towards law abiding behavior. FIU Law consistently produces highly skilled, professional young lawyers. Having a quality public law school here is an indispensable asset to our South Florida community.” Carlos J. Martinez Miami-Dade County Public Defender
“The Judicial Externship Program provides a unique opportunity for students to work alongside a judge for a semester in the privacy of the judges’ chambers. The students are able to gain insight from the judges as to why the judge ruled in a particular way, what conduct of attorneys annoyed the judge and what conduct of attorneys impressed the judge.” Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Director, Judicial Externship Program 26
FIU Clerks & Fellows Brian Dean Abramson JD ’05 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Micheal S. Hirschkowitz JD ’05 Florida Third District Court of Appeal
Criminal Externship Program More than 50 FIU Law students are now working as state attorneys and public defenders, many of whom participated in the Criminal Externship Program. FIU Law has placed students in offices across South Florida, as well as the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the United States Attorney. “The FIU Externship Program gave me the opportunity to work in one of the country’s most competitive public defender’s offices here in Miami-Dade County,” said Dayana Nogareda JD ’12, who is now a public defender in Miami-Dade. “I was able to learn from some of the best and most experienced criminal defense attorneys in Miami. It was by far the best and most rewarding decision I made in law school.” An externship in the felony division at the State Attorney’s Office solidified Victoria Cueto’s decision to become a prosecutor. After graduating from the College of Law in 2012, she joined the State Attorney’s Office. “I fell in love with criminal law, but most importantly with serving the public good and combating crime,” she said. “I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do
Sonia Amador JD ’06 Florida Third District Court of Appeal Brenda Kuhns-Neuman JD ’06 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Daniel Cervantes JD ’07 Florida Supreme Court Jeremy Scott JD ’07 Florida Third District Court of Appeal Justin Siegwald JD ’07 Florida Third District Court of Appeal Christopher Bryan Carbot JD ’09 Florida Third District Court of Appeal Shannon F. O’Shea Darsch JD ’09 Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
with my life. I hope my efforts help make a difference in our community.”
Rebecca Mae Salokar JD ’09 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Civil Externship Program
Richard Daniel Schevis JD ’09 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
The Civil Externship Program allows students to explore careers with government agencies, public interest organizations, non-profit groups or corporations. Students in this program have been placed with more than 30 different organizations, including the United States House of Representatives, Miami City Attorney’s Office, Department of Homeland Security, Fox Broadcasting Network, Krome Detention Center, Legal Aid of Dade County, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lori Eshelman JD ’12 says her externship at Fox Latin American Channels exposed her to how law is practiced in a corporate legal department. “It was an opportunity to focus on projects that combined both lawyering and business skills,” she said. “It resulted in a greater understanding of the ways in which attorneys collaborate with their clients to achieve business objectives.”
Judicial Externship Program Students in the Judicial Externship Program have received placements with numerous judges at the 11th Judicial Circuit, as well as with judges on the Third District Court of Appeal. At the federal level, students have been placed at both the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. These externships have led to judicial clerkships for FIU graduates. Second-year law student Dana Chaaban completed an externship with the Honorable Barbara Lagoa in the Third District Court of Appeal, where she was exposed to a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. She said the experience gave her valuable insight into the judicial process. “It was an incredible and humbling experience,” Chaaban said. “The externship helped me narrow the scope of my career interests, and gave me experience that I would not have been able to get in the classroom.”
Peter Smith JD ’09 Presidential Management Fellow Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review Jarred Reiling JD ’10 Presidential Management Fellow U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Chelsea M. Moore JD ’11 Florida Third District Court of Appeal U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Daria Pustilnik JD ’11 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Florida Alice Ferot JD ’12 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Charles Garcia JD ’12 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Robert Scavone Jr. JD ’12 Florida Third District Court of Appeal U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Alexandra Valdes JD ’12 Florida Third District Court of Appeal K. Douglas Walker JD ’12 Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal Wendy Jauregui JD ’12 Presidential Management Fellow Eduardo Gesio JD ’12 Presidential Management Fellow 27
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“In the beginning, we shared a vision of the law school and its potential. It captured my imagination to create an institution and launch it into the future. I am confident that the College of Law will continue to evolve and move forward as our students continue to excel and achieve. Our students are the future of the law school and there are no limits to their futures. They challenge and inspire me as a teacher.” Thomas E. Baker Founding Professor of the College of Law
Espirito Santo Bank Brickell Avenue
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Law Bridge An entrepreneurial incubator for solo practitioners
By Lilyvania Mikulski The idea of establishing a solo law practice during a down economy can be daunting for new lawyers. But that was not the case for Daniel Izquierdo ’11 who always envisioned going on his own after law school. Through a unique College of Law initiative for recent graduates, he is open for business. Using best practices, LawBridge combines elements from a medical school residency and a business school entrepreneurial incubator into a two-year program for recent graduates who have passed the Florida Bar Examination. With a full-time College of Law advisor on hand, LawBridge helps the lawyers establish their own practices by providing rental space, mentoring on the business aspects of running a law firm and continuing legal education. “It’s very hard to do this on your own. I can’t imagine going out there blind, renting whatever space I can,” said Izquierdo. “This program gives me a structure, a sounding board. If it hadn’t been for the LawBridge Program showing me how to go about networking with family and friends, then I don’t know how I could’ve gotten a hold of those clients.” LawBridge gives participants the opportunity to house their solo practices in the Espirito Santo Bank building on Brickell Avenue. Bank Chairman Victor Balestra, chairman of the FIU President’s Council, donated the Class A office space to the College of Law. The program provides alumni with an experience that is similar to what many young lawyers have when they join large law firms, said Tony Santos, director of the program. Participants meet with clients, set fee structures and manage their own attorney-client relationships. To provide the new lawyers with a thorough understanding of the practice and the business of law, the College of Law formed partnerships with accounting, marketing and risk management experts. “A key to the program is to train participants to carefully manage their operations and maintain a low overhead factor that will drive better and more sustainable financial performance over time,” added Santos. LawBridge also allows the lawyers to gain added experience by providing extensive pro bono services in the community. “We get to give back and get experience out of it,” said Izquierdo. Among those experiences, the lawyers work for the Miami-Dade County’s Public Defender’s office. “Pro bono work offers young lawyers the opportunity to take the lead in actual trials or appeals and develop a wider range of legal skills and experiences,” said Alex Acosta, dean of the College of Law. Izquierdo always wanted to be a criminal defense attorney. He launched his career at the legal department of a baseball agency, where he was known as the Florida guy. While it wasn’t his dream job in criminal defense, it was an opportunity he considered too good to pass up. Today, a little more than half of his work is criminal defense and the rest civil litigation. “I wanted to be in criminal defense and from January to now, it has taken shape,” said Izquierdo. “Most people would one day like to go out on their own. I get to have my name on the door now,” added Izquierdo.
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“FIU Law graduates are a rare breed: They approach their careers with a sense of anticipation, not entitlement. They’re an incredible investment for any firm or organization because they come equipped with not only a solid foundation of legal knowledge, but a commitment to their community. By gaining an international perspective, they are uniquely aware that the U.S. legal system—and its Constitution in particular— is one of the best in the world.” Elizabeth Price Foley Founding Professor of the College of Law
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2005
Rosann Marie Spiegel (2004) Mistelle I. Abdelmagied Brian Dean Abramson Alejandro R. Alvarez Craig Robert Atack David Wade Barman David Morris Bierman Marius L. Boeru Zeljka Bozanic Michael P. Bruning Nelson L. Carmenates George William Castrataro Jose Antonio Ceide Carolina Alexandra Cespedes Gabriel Alfredo Couriel Matthew Paul Crow Rustu Cenk Damgacioglu Thomas Michael David Marcia C. Del ReyGarcia Rafael Antonio Gaitan Callan Richard Garcia Alicia Garcia Douglas James Giuliano Brandy Christine Gonzalez Abreu Britney A. Green Saidin Marcus Hernandez Michael S. Hirschkowitz Bobby E. Hutson Jr. Natalie Anne Inchaustegui-Duenas Jerrimie Vincent Jeffers Kimberly Jordan Donovan Jarret Westin Kaplan Opal Phiona Lee Jess W. Levins David Lawrence Loevin Christine LopezAcevedo Norma Lorenzo Felipe Augusto Malo Walter Dale Miller German Morales Denise Moreno Eric Alfred Morgan Robert M. O’Malley Eliezer Panell Collette D. Papa Ivan Jose Parron Luis Perez-Medina Jorge Luis Pinon Nicole C. Quintero Melvin Raines Nicole P. Ramos Canino Jan Elizabeth Read
College of Law Graduates Jennifer RemyEstorino Mauricio Damian Rivero Katena M. Roberts Robert B. Rosen Joseph M. Sabag Ilenia Sánchez-Bryson Melissa Dawn Soriano Michael Sosa Mark J. Stempler Mary Turvanda Trachian-Bradley Erin S. Treacy Amber Nicole Warren Ethel M. Watson David Brandon Wheeler Peter A. Wizenberg
2006
Laura Elizabeth Albright Sonia Yvette Amador Gloria Maria Arazoza Lourdes Maria Armengol-Flor Pablo Manuel Arrue John Thomas Baker Sabrina Marie Bateh Denise Lynn BenDavid Gregory Emmett Bloom Paige A. Boiko Alan William Brown Susan Capote Henry Chaverra Melanie Erica ChungTims Colin Andrew Clark Daniel S. Cruz Liudmila Cruz Gruillo Daniel Cruz Luis J. Cuevas Christine Alys Dezayas Isabel Diaz Barroso Maite Lazara Diaz Mark A. Douglas Adela Daud Estopinan Gyvonne Marie Fernandez Sean Patrick Ford Georges Francis Luis Manuel Fusté John Mark Gioannetti Glenn R. Goldstein Olga Maria Golik Jesse Manuel Guerra William Charles Gula Steven Matthew Harper Ronald Allan Hertel Jr. Jeffrey Hilliard Hochberg Ronald Woodrow Hoenstine III
Kathy L. Houston Lina Husseini Martin Michael Hynes John A. Jackson Araizu Janati Salvador Alonso Jurado Denise Kalland Brett Andrew Kaplan Brenda Kuhns Lasonya K. Lacy O’Connell Anna Yarovich Lenchus Nina Scottie Lewis Karen Doris Lewis Brian R. Link Bernadette Anontia López Robert N. Manning Jonathan Jay Martin Aldo Martinez Joseph Maryuma Omar Monteagudo Michelangelo Mortellaro Kirsten H. Oman Erdmann Alicia Palomino Ronald D. Parkman Lucia Veronica Pazos Pamela J. Pedlow Jose Eduardo Perdomo Cable Bryant Poag Christine Ruth Puzon Karel Remudo Sue Ann Nicole Robinson Darin Rock Eduardo Francisco Rodríguez Raul Ruiz Zaynab A. Salman Daniel B. Sibirsky Isabel Solis Robert E. Strick Cecile S. Mendizabal Cristina María Suárez Rosta Thompson Avi Samuel Tryson Olga Viana-Henry Kevin Michael Walsh Lauren Nicole Wassenberg Ernest Lee Wetzler Robert C. Wheeler Dominic J. Yannitelli Matias Jordi Zaragoza
2007
Céline Abramschmitt Dora Acherman Chor Mariel E. AcostaGarcia Darius Ahrabi Asly Rafael F. Alonso
Neil Anderson Erik Arriete Robert W. Bailey Cristina Lombillo Bencomo Jerry Angelo Borbon Daniel Brennan William Timothy Brown William Chad Brown Lina Frances Busby Walli Z. Butt Shari Colleen Campbell Erica Cañas Bridgid Campany Napier Bonnie N. Carby Daniel Cervantes Erica Faith Chaplin Alina Cruz Jennifer M. Cunha Lorella Nerini Dal Pezzo Lourdes De ArmasSuarez Jordan Eddings Dollar Gaspar Forteza Daniel Franks MacAdam Jordan Glinn John Graham Scott Anthony Guarcello Benjamin Guerrero Hitesh K. Gupta Michael Harman Tamiko Letrice Hendrieth Anthony Carlos Hevia Robert Jordan Brian M. Karpf Desiree Nunez Tara Namat Kawass Mark B. Kelly Amy Klose Rachel Beth Kuhl Denise Lissette Lambert Scott Aaron Lee Craig Robert Lewis Christina MacRobertRuiz Guillermo Mario Mancebo Eric Michael Martinez Dionne I. McDonaldJosephs Noel Medina Rebecca Mendez Juan Gabriel Miguel Mandy L. Mills Joan Montesano Adrian Nuñez Maria Ortiz Marieke A. Oubina Jorge Andres Pereiro Jennifer Rebeca Perez Alonso
Michelle Piwko Bretton Irving Pollack Beau Riston Raich Antonio Enrigue Regojo Christina Riley Joseph Rene Ruiz Joseph A. Ruiz Ricardo Ruz Gregory Saldamando Michael R. Santana Michael J. Schacher Jeremy B. Scott Nadine Y. Seide Victoria J. Sica Justin D. Siegwald George A. Spencer Avraham Alan Spivak Jodi Lynn Strang Adams Joseph A. Suarez Carolina Beatriz Suárez Ari A. Sweetbaum Jassie A. Vilela Dorothy J. Von Sachsen Jacqueline Cheryl Whittingham Jeffrey Lee Wilderson David Robert Wirks
2008
April V. Abuzaied Elisaveta Alexieva Bridgette Alvarez Indyara Andion Javier Arteaga Andrew Aylor Yasmin Babain Michele Baker Monica Barba David Baroff Tiffany L. Barry Tanya R. Baur Victoria Bechtold Kush Thomas Bellinder Matthew Bernstein Mitzi Bolanos Gregory Braun Jason A. Breslin Robert Brock Cristina M. Bustamante Dianne Carames Carlos C. Cardenas Natalie Carratala Joanne Carrillo Anna-Bo Chung Nina Conte Heather A. Cook Ana Cosculluela Edwin Cruz Richard Danese Joseph C. Dayball Sarah Disparano Gregorie Dolce
Jennifer Dombrowski James D. Ellzey Juan Escar Katherine EstevezMerchan Cristina FernandezParjus Jeanelle L. Ferril Neil J. Fishman Oscar Flores Asia Fonda Jeffrey Forsell George Francis Timothy Galdencio Maria D. Garcia Jonathan Goldin Miguel A. Gonzalez Pablo F. Gonzalez Rhonda S. Goodman Carlos Grande Kim Greenberg Matthew Gruber Jamie Gurtov Daniel Halley Mamie C. Joeveer Yanique A. Johnson Jennifer W. Jones Yuriy Kovarskiy William Kruse Lidya Lobeto Lyudmila Lopata Ingrid J. Love Lourdes M. Martin Ida A. Moghimi Kian Malena Montano Jonathan G. Morton Laura Murray Anthony V. Narula Alexander Nottingham Nicole C. O’Neal Marly Ortega Cristina Ortiz Vanessa Ortiz Jeffrey Ostlie Janet Pedraza Anthony D. Perez Fiorella Perez David Pollack Amy L. Rabinowitz Javed S. Rahman Michael Rapaport Jason A. Reding George Reres Susan A. Riusech Karina D. Rodriguez Raymond Sardina Veronica Semino Judah Solomon Dale J. Spurr Scott Strauss George F. Sullivan Brooke E. Terpening Jose J. Teurbe-Tolon Laura Cue Torres Matthew Troccoli Sandra A Trujillo Zully Vergel Michelle J. White
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Benjamin D. Wolarsky Monica Wooland
2009
Jennifer Ale Joanna M. Alemany Aileen Alfonso Matthew J. Allen Tesha Allison Alberto Jose Alonso Darren R. Aponte Diana Arteaga Gerald M. Bacoats Heather J. Bishop Gianny Blanco Jaclyn Botts Kenia Bravo Robert J. Brown Mabel Cabrera Arielle P. Capuano Christopher B. Carbot Justin Carlin Chad Cash Erica Catalano Adam Cervera Jennifer L. Chong Michael Clifford Renae Cooper Ernesto M. Corrales Christopher Crawford Shannon O’Shea Darsch Rafael De Araujo Mikel R. Delagrange Diana Delgado Andres Diaz Vanessa J. Duffey Jennifer Escar Loressa M. Felix Elsa Fernandez Steven Force Lance Garrett Rigers Gjyshi Daniel Gonzalez Yalitza Gonzalez Marlon O. Greenwood Brennan E. Grogan Menachem Halberstam Donald Haring Mark B. Hart Michael P. Hughes Brad J. Hutcheson Paula Jimenez Pino Ryan Johnson Nicholas A. Johnson Michelle N. Jones Lyudmila Kogan Carlos R. Lago Larry Lalla Tyrone Latour David Lazarovic Cary A. Levinson Geoffrey Levy Lorenzo Lorenzo Leslie V. Marenco Sara M. Marken Isabel Marrero Stephanie M. Matalon Juan Mejia Jonathan Mills
Karen Mooneeram Cristina T. Moreno Valquisha D. Morris Daniel Munilla Thomas Murray Jorge Navarro Janet Ochoa Mayowa F. Odusanya Maria V. Olszewska Abraham S. Ovadia Michael Pardo Victor Pelaez Luis Perez Andrea Ramdeo Fernando Ramirez Luisa Rengifo Daniel Rivera Cristina Rivera Peter Rizov Jeannine N. Rodriguez Christian E. Rodriguez Ricardo J. Rodriguez Alexander Rodriguez Natalie Roman Ralph E. Rosenberg Evan S. Rosenberg Adam J. Rosenfeld Michael Ryan Laurie A. Rybak Maria H. Saad Rebecca M. Salokar Michelle Sanchez Juan Guillermo Sanchez Richard Schevis Laura Schonberg Justin Schwerling Danya Shakfeh Jalal Shehadeh Mohammad S. Siddiqi Peter T. Smith Catherine Helen Sobke Rafael Solernou Lili Sorondo Sabrina Spradley Derrick R. Storms Guillermo Tabraue Mary J. Thwaites Andrea Timerman Alejandro L. TiradoLuciano Doris M. Torres Shannon C. Traynor Peter Trombadore Tyler Tuszynski Teressa M. Tylman Christopher Utrera Daniel Valdes Leonard J. Valdes Katrina Valiente Ashley Vandercar David Vega H. Adam Gruber Wasch Zachary Weil Alexander Williams Andrew B Zelmanowitz
2010
Nathalia Abondano
Camilo Arango Michael V. Arroyave Stephanie S. Aycart Messier Jessica L. Barber Mark Bartle Cameron Bates Diana Beaz Amanda Bender Philip Bennett Jelani Brown Eric S. Brumfield David O. Caballero Jolima M. CaballeroSolis Lisa Cabrera Charles Carlson Laura Cespedes Gina Chevallier Tiernan Cole Ralph Confreda Andrew Cowan Justin M. Cramer Alejandro Cura Carmen M. Cusack Pierre Daniel Richard J. Delgado Ian Denison Jeffrey A. Dethuin Lauren Dubno Erik I. Eastham Daniel Elimelech Gary M. Evans Jennifer Allison Fedele Viviana Fernandez Terry M. Fernandez Robert Foley Amida U. Frey Marcos Garcia John M. Gardella Julian S. Geraci Melissa Gilbert Michelle A. Gonzalez Carlos D. Gonzalez Andoni Gonzalez Rua Nicole Grimal Christina M. Guerreiro Adam G. Gutin Stuart L. Hartstone Brandon Jay Hechtman Dustin Herman Juan Hernandez Penter Holmes Cheddi B. Jagan II Patrick Jean Gilles Lashawn N. JeffersonThomas Carlos Jimenez Marck K. Joseph Thomas Juliano Julius A. Kaiser Adam Kara Brittney C. Keck Christos Kelepouris Donald Kelly Adam D. Kemper Christopher C. Kokoruda Kieran Leary Sharonda V. Lebrun Allison J. Leonard
Jennifer Trautman Levin David Levine Marco A. Leyte-Vidal Luis Llamas Marielys Llerena Daniel Lopez Leanna R. Loucks Miriam V. Marenco David J. Mark Melanie A. Martinez Kenneth M. Maulsby Gabriel Mazzitelli Cheryl E. McDonnough Mohamed Mekkawy Johanna Menendez Sheyla Mesa Jessica M. Mijares Frederick Moffat Marissa Mofsen Jeffrey J. Molinaro Jesse C. M. Montagnino Rodney Montoya William P. Moon Sara Moore David H. Morales James G. Morgan Jr. Cristobal Padron Andrew Palma Kevin D. Pardinas Hiram Paz Virginia L. Perez Lorayne Perez Kamephis Perez Yinet Pino Roland Potts Irina D. Rabinovich Ryan W. Radtke Victor Recondo Christopher Reyes Thomas Rhodes Marissa A. Rios Alexis Rizo Jeffrey W. Roberts Victoria Robertson Olivia C. Rodriguez Carolina Romero Daniel Salas Jorge Santana Kristen Santana Dan A. Sarfati Margaret B. Savane Cristina L. Serafini Stacy L. Shak Leah Sheaf Willard Shepard Michael Shifrin Brian A. Shue Brett T. Smith Heather Smith Steven Spence Steven P. Stavich Jared Stitz Andrea R. Stone Michael Swinton Nicole J. Tesnow Susan R. Torres Lauren Tow Raquel L. Trujillo Barry Turner
Jeffrey W. Van Treese II Joseph S. Vandebogart Cristina Varas Jenniffer M. Torres Vigo Ronald W. Warner Kirsten Wegel Christine Young Christopher Zacarias
2011
Evan Abel Giovanna Abreu Ramirez Miriam Agrait Michael Alfonso Munera Al-Fuhaid Sebastian Alovisi Roberto Anton Kalliope Archondis Joshua Arthur Anisha Atchanah Eduardo Ayala Maura Nusrat Aziz Ian Bacheikov Michael Bacigalupi Adam Jameson Bair Barbara M. Ballard Amalie Barrocas Alice Chantel Batts Matthew David Bernstein Michael Biberman Alexandra Bovarnick Maxwell Brewster Gisel Brito Lesley Elizabeth Burkert Jessenia Canot Michael Cassel Natalie Kristine Castellanos Bianca Caviglia Richard Scott Chizever Clinton Cimring Katherine Cohen Stephanie Cohen Rachamin Cohen Diana L. Collazos Kristina Elena Colon Stephanie Lane Cook Elia Covino Juan Manuel Jose Crena Jorge De Cardenas Liana De La Noval Mayret De La Torre Carolina Dean Raul Gabriel Delgado Clara Delgado Juan Diaz John C. Distasio Tanya Downs Kristin Drecktrah Lauren Dwyer Samantha Anne Egger Aziza F. Elayan Daniel Elbaum Iris A. Elijah
Jennifer Louise Ellerkamp Courtney Lynn Engelke Zachariah Evangelista John Faulconer Rachael Felker Therese Felth Gabriel Joseph Fernandez Alexis Fields Erica Lauren Foti Andrew Freedman Jacqueline Garcell Jose Garcia Gregory James Gardner Veronica Gazmuri Katherine Laura Giannamore Amber Glasper Joseph Goldberg David Gongora Javier Alejandro Gonzalez Aymee Gonzalez Milton Grey Daniel Raoul Gross Michelle Lavertu Grosser Thomas Edward Hand Brent Hanks Lisa Heller Sujey Scarlett Herrera Elan Hersh Falon Denmark Hirschman Frank Houston III Karen Marie Iezzi Daniel Izquierdo Farahnaz Jamette Fritznie Abigail Jarbath Wendy Jauregui Bryan Jones Brittany Juliachs Romy B. Jurado Lyudmila Karlina Feleke Kassegn David Kaye Emilie Kennedy Casey King Clayton Kuhn Mikael Laguna Veronica Limia Darla Marie Lobanova William Lohman Mirene Lopez Mairena Melissa Madrigal Megha M. Mahajan Matthew Maranges Natalie Marie Maresma Austin Mccook Timothy McFarland James McKenzie Alexandra A. Mesa Hilary Metz Erin Miller Maria Miranda Kelsey Moldof Stephen Montalto Chelsea Moore
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Victoria Morales Zashary Desiree Morel Joshua M. Mott Alan Murray Alberto Naranjo Rebecca Nunez Joseph Oertel John Christopher Oprandi David R. Otto Vanessa Pacheco Bell Agesilaos Spiros Pappas Michelle Paredes Heather A. Patchen Melisa Pena Michael Agustin Perez Heather Perrin Patricia G. Preciado Daria Pustilnik Karamat Qayum Elizabeth Rea Nicholas Reeves Alberto M. Regueyra Meranda M. Reifschneider Jarred Lee Reiling Liana Reyes Lisa Anne Riddle Jason S. Rigoli Sarah Robinson Yechezkel Rodal Eduardo Rodriguez Jonathan Rodriguez Adisley Cortez Rodriguez Ana Rodriguez Carlos Rodriguez II Elisabeth Root Jason Rosen Danielle Roth Ernesto Miguel Rubi Jessica Saiontz Carolina Santangelo Christopher Sanz Nicole Marie Sarasua Matthew Chursmir Shapiro Gina J. Shemtov Sanjeev Sirpal Eva Mae Smith Jordanne Alana Spencer Kyle Jude Stewart Clayton Gifford Stroleny Roberto Manuel Suarez Danielle Telleria Kristopher Torres Christine Traina Gregory Adam Wallach Dominique Ward John D. Willbur David Brian Williams Stefan Karl Williamson Dannette Willory Aston Roy Wilson Tracy Annmarie Wong Courtney Elizabeth Wright Jorge Zamora
2012
Nicolas Aguilar Mohamed Al-Darsani Mairim Alonso Lissette Alvarez Jessica Ariste Lissette Bakula Daphne Bareket Alexander Barrio Salome Bascunan
Felipe Batlle Riley Beam Dennis Bencomo Veronica Bilbao Rocio Blanco Garcia Ilana Bonan Nicolas Brador Alexander Brutvan Justin Budwick Thomas Cacchione Ilaria Cacopardo Valen Emanuel Caros Pedro Casais Claudia Casalis Daniel Casey Jessica Ciminero Michael Citron Kamilah Clenance Philip Colesanti II Ligianette Cordova Brian Cordova Zamir Cruz Victoria Cueto Jennifer Dean Ceasar Delgado Rene Delombard Daylen Docampo Perez Sandra Echaverry Kathleen Edwards Lori Eshelman Jennifer Espinet Eric Esteva Stephanie Evans Derrick Feinman Brian Fell Sylvia Fernandez-Alvarez Jonathan Fernandez Alice Ferot Flavia Ferreira Louis Ferreira III Christopher Fowler Jonathan Galler Carlos Garcia William Garrison Eduardo Gesio Jason Gettinger Ari Goldberg Amalia Gonzalez David Goudreau Sarah Gray Jasmine Green Ivan Guerrero Michael Harris Lianna Hartwell Mary Heiserman Ross Hermelee Krystle Hernandez Christopher Hervas Lisa Hopkins James Horne Nicholas Icaro Adnan Ismail Sam Itayim Nnamdi Jackson Allison Jaeger Theodore Jones Michele Keratsis Shane Kirk Negin Kordbacheh Alexandra Lacheen Victoria Lee Darren Legato Jennifer Lim Jamila Little Austin Llewellyn
Ramon Lloret Gunnar Mandrisch Sarah Marks Luis Matus Katherine Maxwell Richard McChesney Matthew Mcelroy Lauren McGurk Lindsey Mears Andrew Meyer Benjamin Miller Kimberly Montgomery Tatiana Navarro Millet Daniel Nelson Dayana Nogareda Stephanie Nunez Kristen Ochipinti Maria Salve Olis Kirk Oliver Phillip Ortiz Stefanie Parchment Natalia Pazos Stephanie Pell Andres Pena Matthew Pierce Dustin Piercy Luis Pino Vanessa Pinto Raul Pinzon Tammy Pitiriciu Kevin Plotkin Julia Poletti Michael Prince Veronica Puntillo Huguette Ramon Nicola Reed Oren Reich Elise Rodriguez Sara Rodriguez Carlos Rodriguez-Cabarrocas Orlando Romero Angelena Root Rebecca Roque Grace Ruiz Javier Ruiz Amy Ruiz Gretel Salazar Katherine Sanoja Robert Scavone Jr. Sanjeev Shah Kathleen Shea Aleksandra Sikorska Noam Silverman Alejandro Sola Michael Soto Brendan Strang Alyssa Suarez Ruwan Sugathapala Aislynn Thomas-McDonald Alexandra Valdes Michael Viera Christina Vilaboa Kenneth Walker Jay Warman Mark Wegmann Alexander Williams Amanda Wright Sunil Zachariah Nicholas Zurawskyj
College of Law Faculty and Administration R. Alexander Acosta Tesha Allison M. Michelle Anglade Tawia Baidoe Ansah Thomas E. Baker Ana Bierman Danilo Castillo Cyra Akila Choudhury Roxanna Cruz Erin K. Degnan Jorge L. Esquirol Megan A. Fairlie H. Scott Fingerhut Stanley Fish Elizabeth Price Foley Angelique Ortega Fridman José M. Gabilondo Juan Carlos Gomez Manuel A. Gómez Mary Gundrum Christyno L. Hayes Ila J. Klion George Knox Phyllis Diane Kotey Melissa Luttrell Margaret (Peggy) Maisel Michelle D. Mason Jerry W. Markham Lillian Aponte Miranda Alma Miro M.C. Mirow Joelle Anne Moreno Scott F. Norberg J. Janewa OseiTutu M. Alexander Pearl Tracy Pearl Michelle Pestaina Frantz Pierre Laverne Pinkney Charles R. P. Pouncy Christine Rickard Eloisa C. Rodriguez-Dod Ediberto Román Marci A. Rosenthal Robert Savage Rosario Lozada Schrier H.T. Smith John F. Stack Jr. Teresa Stanton Kerri L. Stone Leonard P. Strickman Hannibal Travis Victor M. Uribe-Uran David D. Walter Howard M. Wasserman Noah Weisbord Donna Yff Jean Zorn, Emerita
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“I’ve taught at three law schools over the past 22 years, and what really makes FIU College of Law students stand out in my mind is their exceptional work ethic and dedication to turning out top-notch work. These attributes, combined with their strong analytical ability and skills, will allow them to excel in practice and become leaders in the local, state, national and international legal communities.” David D. Walter Founding Legal Skills and Values Professor of the College of Law
“Words cannot adequately express how proud I am to be a part of a community where from our very start, we have been able to successfully attract, year after year, an incredibly gifted faculty, student body, and administrative staff dedicated not only to actualizing their own professional goals, but also to a multitude of good work benefiting all who have been impacted by our collective efforts.” Michelle D. Mason Founding Associate Dean of the College of Law
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