Archive for '2012'

Before joining the Florida International University College of Law, Professor José Gabilondo served in the Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Banking and Finance, where he advised the Bureau of Public Debt, the Social Security Trust funds, and other executive departments on a variety of legal matters.

We caught up with him to get his views on the fiscal matters that have been in the headlines.

FIU Law: What is the “fiscal cliff?”

Gabilondo: This an alarmist metaphor that refers to a package of statutorily-required federal tax increases and spending cuts that kicks in January 2^nd of next year, unless Congress can come up with another fiscal plan.  Ironically, this was the solution to a more serious problem: gridlock in Congress over raising the federal debt limit while curbing run-away spending.  A divided Congress punted until after the election by agreeing tax increases and spending cuts that were never expected to see the light of day.  So the package is remarkably fair because it spreads the fiscal burden broadly, balancing conservative and liberal values and putting in place some sound reforms.  Congress didn’t mean to act responsibly, effectively, and in the public interest, but they did.

Read More →

On the 125th anniversary of its founding, FIU Law Professor H.T. Smith gave the keynote address at the fall commencement ceremony of his undergraduate alma mater, Florida A&M University.

Speaking to a capacity crowd at FAMU’s 9,000-seat Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium, Professor Smith celebrated the more than 700 graduates who walked across the stage. He described for them his childhood education in Miami’s then-segregated public school system, and that when it came time for him to be the first person in his family to go to college, FAMU “opened the vaults of educational opportunity.”

His address, “There is Greatness Within You,” encouraged the graduates to believe in themselves as precious resources; to search for their passion and dedicate themselves to it; to “do all the good they can in all the ways they can.”

“In life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great,” Professor Smith said, quoting baseball legend Hank Aaron.  “And when that time comes, only two things matter: Being prepared to seize the moment, and having the courage to take your best swing.”

Read More →

The Best Lawyers has selected Florida International University College of Law alumnus Daniel Sibirsky ’06 for inclusion in the nineteenth edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2013), the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of lawyers confidentially evaluate the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. To be listed in this publication is widely regarded as a significant honor.

Sibirsky, who was born in Ecuador, and immigrated to the United States as a child, accredits his experience as a key motivator to study law.

Read More →

Recent graduates and their friends and family attended the Florida International University College of Law December Graduate Reception on Dec. 12, 2012. The event was graciously hosted by Dean Acosta and his family at their home in Coral Gables.

“We wanted to congratulate our recent graduates, and let them know how proud we are of them,” said Dean Alex Acosta. “This is a big moment in their lives and I am happy we could be a part of it.”

Read More →

FIU Law Professor J. OseiTutu presented her current scholarship at the ASU Conference on the International Aspects of IP Law held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The global conference, sponsored by the Center for Law, Science & Innovation and the Center for Law and Global Affairs at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, together with the American Society of International Law and the International Law Association (American Branch), was attended by experts on international intellectual property from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and across the United States.

As part of a panel on intellectual property enforcement, OseiTutu focused her presentation on counterfeit medicines and intellectual property rights.“Through multilateral and bilateral trade-related treaties we have seen increased intellectual property rights, and a trend towards a greater role for governments in enforcing these private intangible rights, rather than leaving it to the rights holders,” she said. Using counterfeit medicines as an example, she continued by advocating greater transparency in the discussions relating to increased government enforcement of private intellectual property rights.

Read More →

Third-year law student Andrea Canona will begin her law career as a law clerk through the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Honors Program, the largest and most prestigious federal entry-level attorney hiring program.

“When the Department of Justice informed me that I had been selected I was ecstatic, and frankly, a bit surprised,” Canona said. “The selection process is very competitive and I feel very fortunate to be in this position.”

Selections to this prestigious program are made based on several elements of a candidate’s background including a demonstrated commitment to government service, academic achievement, legal aid and clinical experience, leadership, and extracurricular activities that relate to the work of the DOJ.

Read More →

Professor M.C. Mirow has recently been appointed to serve another five-year term on the Editorial Board of the Law and History Review, the official peer-review journal of the American Society for Legal History.

Law and History Review, published by Cambridge University Press, is internationally recognized as the leading journal in the field and examines the history of law from ancient to modern times. The journal’s purpose is to further research in the fields of the social history of law and the history of legal ideas and institutions. The Review features articles, essays, commentaries by international authorities, and reviews of important books on legal history.

Read More →

FIU Law Professor José Gabilondo, was recently appointed to the Membership Review Committee of the Association for American Law Schools (AALS), the non-profit educational association of law schools whose purpose is “the improvement of the legal profession through legal education,” according to the association’s website.

The committee evaluates applications for membership from law schools to determine if they comply with AALS requirements for teaching, scholarship, and faculty governance.  This appointment grew out of his work on site visit inspections of the American Bar Association (ABA) and membership review inspections of the AALS.  He also participates in training other faculty who participate in accreditation.

This marks Gabilondo’s second appointment to an AALS committee this year. He was also appointed to the AALS Audit and Investment Committee, which participates in the oversight of the Association’s financial practices and organization.

Read More →

Pictured, from left to right: Judge Andrea R. Wolfson, Senator Rene Garcia, Senator Dwight Bullard, and Senator Oscar Braynon.

MIAMI, FL  -  On Nov. 27, the FIU College of Law hosted a local swearing-in ceremony in honor of the 2013-2014 Miami-Dade Delegation.

Judge Andrea R. Wolfson, of the Miami-Dade County bench, administered the oath of office to 24 members of the Florida House and Senate.

Read More →

Pictured, from left to right: Igor Hernandez, Jose Lorenzo, Megan Mackintosh, Caridad Garcia, Alejandro Carrasco, Denita Jones, Gregory Pierre, and David Baroff. Not pictured: Saulo Perez.

The FIU Law Trial Team recently won second place at the Hon. E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition held in Tampa and sponsored by the Florida Justice Association.

The squad composed of Alejandro Carrasco (3L), Denita Jones (3L), Saulo Perez (4L), and Gregory Pierre (4L) demonstrated powerful legal storytelling and entered the championship round as the lone undefeated squad out of a field of 14.  Along the way, these student-advocates defeated perennial powerhouse Stetson University, Nova Southeastern University and the University of Miami, before being edged out by the University of Florida in the finals.

Read More →