By Martin Haro

Eight law clinics are currently operating within the College of Law at FIU. There, law students are not only gaining hands-on experience in many areas of practice but also improving the lives of their fellow community members. In this second part of a two-part story, we tell you about some of the cases handled by the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, the Investor Advocacy Clinic, the Health, Ethics, Law and Policy (H.E.L.P.) Clinic and the Community Development Clinic.

Since 2004, the College of Law at FIU has had a flagship clinical program that provides students with hands-on experience outside the classroom.

“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 clinical director Peggy Maisel of the program, which primarily serves underprivileged individuals and nonprofits that must meet a certain threshold to receive services.

In part 1 of this two-part story, we told you about the work that has been done at Consumer Bankruptcy, Environmental Law, the Family and Children’s Advocacy and the Immigrant Children’s Justice clinics. Now, we share the good word on the work of the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, the Investor Advocacy Clinic, the Health, Ethics, Law and Policy (H.E.L.P.) Clinic and the Community Development Clinic.

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By Martin Haro

Eight law clinics are currently operating within the College of Law at FIU. There, law students are not only gaining hands-on experience in many areas of practice but also improving the lives of their fellow community members. In this first part of a two-part story, we tell you about some of the cases handled by the Consumer Bankruptcy Clinic, the Environmental Law Clinic, the Family and Children’s Advocacy Clinic and the Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic.

When Peggy Maisel joined the faculty of the College of Law in 2003, she did so with a clear goal in mind: 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-’12 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.

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For the 5th year running, Professor H. Scott Fingerhut has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America for protecting people’s liberties as one of the nation’s top criminal defense lawyers.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, with listings published in almost 70 countries around the world.  Lawyers are not permitted to pay any fee to participate or be included.

2013 will mark the 19th edition of Best Lawyers celebratory publication and include 50,178 attorneys in 128 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Professor Fingerhut began his legal career as a prosecutor in Janet Reno’s Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and opened his own law practice in 1992, where he concentrates still on state and federal trial and appellate criminal defense, as well as Florida Bar admission and regulation.

Professor Fingerhut has been with FIU since 2000.  He teaches trial advocacy, pretrial practice, and criminal procedure, coaches the trial team, and this year oversees the criminal law externship program.

The legal community came together Sept. 29 to celebrate 10 years of FIU Law. In the process, nearly $1 million was raised for fellowships and scholarships, ensuring that the college’s promise to educate a unique type of lawyer will be kept for generations.

“Miami opens its doors to all individuals with the will and the heart to seek and achieve success. FIU Law will do the same,” said College of Law Dean Alexander Acosta, addressing more than 400 law students, lawyers, judges, alumni, faculty and university leaders who gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel Miami. “There is something special about the FIU Law student. They do not believe in limits. They charge forward with the attitude that with hard work and an excellent education nothing is beyond their grasp. This is the attitude that makes FIU Law and FIU Law graduates distinct.”

The Judge Aaron B. Cohen Foundation, law firms and individuals contributed to the $918,000 fundraising effort. Net proceeds will directly benefit law students by providing summer stipends and by funding scholarships for first generation students.

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How many paintings have you installed at Florida International University’s College of Law and when were they made?
I’ve installed 6 paintings in the law school. They were made between 2000 and 2011.

Why did you choose to install the works at the College of Law?
An academic context is a great place to present my work as part of a serious discourse in which students and visitors alike can participate. I’ve been eyeing the large walls at the College of Law since my time as a student in the Master’s of Fine Art program at FIU.  In fact, I have 20 large-scale paintings currently being displayed throughout the various buildings of FIU’s North, South and Miami Beach campuses.  It’s important as an artist to find places to show one’s work.  FIU has been a great partner in helping me do so.

Why are the paintings so big?
They have to be.

How long did it take to make each one?
Between 6 months and 3 years.

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Maritza Hernandez, RN – FIU Health Law & Policy Clinic Client (l-r); Natalie Castellanos – staff sttorney, FIU Health Law & Policy Clinic; Pamela Roshell – regional director (Region IV), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; Betsy Havens – attorney and Equal Justice Works fellow, Florida Legal Services, Inc.; Jersey Garcia – executive director, MI LOLA; and Jeannett Spencer – Department of Labor, Wage & Hourly Divisions lead discussion on benefits of the Affordable Healthcare Act. — Miami Times photo/Jose Perez

On Saturday, September 15, 2012 the Florida International University Health Law and Policy Clinic staff attorney, Natalie Castellanos, participated in the National Council of Negro Women’s National Health Care Reform Tour.

Castellanos graduated from FIU College of Law in 2011, where she was active as president of the International Law Students Association and worked at the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and International Human Rights Legal Clinic.

The two-part event – a health fair and a health care reform information session – was held at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens. Castellanos was one of six panelists who participated in the information session, discussing health care reform and its effect on the FIU Health Law Clinic’s clients to an audience of seventy. Joining Castellanos onstage was one of the clinic’s clients, Maritza Hernandez, who courageously shared her personal story of attempting to access health care after she lost her full-time job as a nurse, had no health insurance, and was diagnosed with a degenerative spinal disease.

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FIU Law Professor Charles R.P. Pouncy believes the question of corporate criminal liability is a question of corporate power. Pouncy tackles this issue in his latest article, Reevaluating Corporate Criminal Responsibility: It’s All About Corporate Power (Stetson Law Review, 2012), which was recently featured on the Corporate Crime Reporter.

Professor Pouncy teaches in the areas of business associations, corporate finance, commercial law, banking law and professional responsibility. He has written in a wide range of areas, including corporate law, stock markets in developing countries, law and economics, and critical race and gender theory.

Corporate Crime and Corporate Power

By Editor

The question of corporate criminal liability is a question of corporate power.

That’s according to Charles R.P. Pouncy, a professor of law at Florida International School of Law in Miami.

Pouncy is author of, most recently, Reevaluating Corporate Criminal Responsibility: It’s All About Corporate Power (Stetson Law Review, 2012).

Pouncy tackles head on the increasingly popular idea that we should eliminate corporate criminal liability.

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FIU Law Professor M. Alexander Pearl will present at the “Heeding Phil Frickey’s Call: The Issues in Indian Country“ Symposium to be held on Sept. 27 and 28 at the UC Berkeley School of Law. The symposium, sponsored by Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, is focused on Indian Country issues including, crime, environmental justice, and international human rights.

“I graduated from Berkeley in 2007 and had the amazing opportunity to study under one of the most prominent scholars of Indian law ever, Philip Frickey.  He passed away at the age of 57 in July of 2010,” said Pearl.  “He was the single most important mentor to me and countless other lawyers and law professors.  The conference is dedicated to him, and his call to enhance scholarship of Indian issues with empirical or at least ‘on the ground’ perspectives.”

Professor Pearl’s presentation will focus on criminal jurisdiction in certain states subject to a federal law, referred to as Public Law 280.  The tribal-state relations in these  jurisdictions are very different than those in states not subject to Public Law 280, primarily because the state government has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes occurring on a reservation in the Indian community.  In non-Public Law 280 states, the state government has no jurisdiction.

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MIAMI (August 31, 2012) – The Florida International University College of Law ranked second in the nation for Hispanics, according to Hispanic Business magazine. This marks the third consecutive year FIU Law has ranked among the 10 best in the nation, up from No. 4 in 2011.

Each year, Hispanic Business magazine measures and ranks the effectiveness of the nation’s universities in attracting Hispanic students. The rankings are determined based on the percentage of Hispanic student enrollment, percentage of Hispanic faculty members, percentage of degrees conferred upon Hispanics, and progressive programs aimed at increasing enrollment of Hispanic students.

Hispanics accounted for 47.2 percent of the law degrees awarded to the Class of 2011, a mark significantly higher than any other law school in the top 10.

“In less than 10 years, FIU now ranks second in the nation for Hispanics.  Imagine where FIU will be in 20 or 30 years.  Having grown up in Miami, I have seen this university transform from an idea to a city of nearly 50,000 students.  I am excited about our future,” said Dean R. Alexander Acosta.

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Ana Bierman, Director of Career Planning and Placement (right)

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am very proud to have been selected director of the Career Planning and Placement Office (CP&P).  I enjoy working with young lawyers and law students, and have over 7 years of experience advising students and attorneys about their career paths.  I opened the Miami office of a national attorney search firm — working as a legal recruiter gave me an inside look at the legal hiring process – knowledge that I think will be very useful to me in my new position.

Prior to joining the CP&P I taught in FIU Law’s LSV program for a year. I also taught legal research and writing at another law school for several years — helping students succeed professionally and academically brings me great satisfaction.  I graduated from Penn Law, and received a BA from Cornell. Following law school I worked in the corporate securities department of an international law firm, and at a major high tech firm.

My husband Mitch – an attorney – and I are the happy parents of 2 school age kids –we also consider ourselves the parents of our two dogs! My family loves living in Miami, and we think that community service is very important. My husband and I serve on several not-for-profit boards, and we stay involved in causes that are close to our hearts.

What are the most pressing challenges facing CP&P, and how do you intend to deal with these challenges?

Among our challenges is making sure that FIU Law and its students are front and center in the minds of prospective employers.  Our goal is to develop and maintain strong relationships with private and public sector employers. To do this we are increasing our outreach to employers – we are visiting their offices and bringing them to campus to see the excellent caliber of our students and the excellent training and education that they are receiving at FIU.

During the academic year we will invite many employers to participate in various formal and informal programs hosted by our office.  We hope to provide students with many opportunities to make meaningful contacts that will serve them as they plan their professional life.

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