Archive for 'Student News'

Pictured (l to r) are Cindy McKenzie, CEPS Program Manager; Jan Jacobowitz, Lecturer in Law; Laverne Pinkney; Anthony Alfieri, CEPS Director; and Ebonie Carter, CEPS Administrative Assistant.

The University of Miami School of Law’s Center for Ethics and Public Service recently honored Professor Laverne Pinkney with the 2013 Friend of the Center Award, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Historic Black Church Program’s Community Education Project.

The Historic Black Church Program is part of the Center’s ongoing effort to help Miami’s distressed Coconut Grove Village West community by providing multidisciplinary resources in education, law, and social services to underserved residents.

During the award presentation, Pinkney was praised as a wonderful role model and motivating teacher. The value of the collaboration she created between the Florida International University College of Law and the University of Miami School of Law, was also praised.

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In the following op-ed that appeared in the April 19, 2013, edition of the La Plaza, FIU Law Professor Ediberto Roman, and second-year law student Bobby Joe Bracy, make the case that the term “illegal” should describe only an action and is inappropriately used in the immigration debate.

Guest Blogger: Professor Ediberto Román and Bobby Joe Bracy “Words Do Matter in the Immigration Debate”

After decades of inaction, this week’s unveiling of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration proposal suggests that Congress may finally be prepared to reform our immigration system. It is of no surprise that this renewed vigor comes on the heels of a presidential election where an overwhelming majority of Hispanic voters rejected the Republican solution was self-deportation. Yet, despite this crucial and potentially transformative moment, Republican leaders, such as Senator John McCain, one of the Group of Eight, has continued to use of ‘illegal immigrant’ when addressing the subjects of reform. He and many other Republicans who oppose immigration reform continue to use the more provocative yet inaccurate term–“illegal alien”(a term still used by the federal immigration agency, ICE). Conservative Senator Jeff Sessions for his part derided the Gang of Eight’s efforts as “making nearly impossible for ICE officials to distinguish between ‘illegal immigrants’ eligible for legal status and those simply asserting they are amnesty eligible.”

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Florida International University College of Law students Altanese Phenelus and Frandley Julien were honored as scholarship recipients at the 15th Annual Haitian Lawyers Association Scholarship Gala.

The Scholarship Gala, hosted in honor of the dedication, service, and excellence of its members, was held at the JW Marriot in Miami, on April 13, 2013.

HLA’s members include those in the legal field of Haitian or Haitian-American descent, as well as those who are not of Haitian decent, but have a vested interest in issues affecting the Haitian community.

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Third-year law students Latoya Brown and Alejandro Gutierrez will publish articles they originally prepared for a seminar in Comparative Law, in two upcoming national law publications.

Brown’s article, “The Regulation of US Money Market Funds: Lessons from Europe,” will appear in the spring edition of Brigham Young University’s International Law and Management Review. Gutierrez’s article, “The Pitfalls of At-Will and Just Cause Employment: A Comparative Analysis of Employment Law in the United States and Colombia,” will be published in Volume 19 of the ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law.

“It is a great achievement to get published, especially as a student,” said Brown. “I am grateful to have the support of professors who encourage us to push the creative envelope and think outside the box.”

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Pictured above (front row, L-R): Patricia Ramsey Chronicle, Terry Ann Howell and Julie Lockhead. (back row) Assistant Dean Michele Anglade

Three students from the Florida International University College of Law participated in the Caribbean Law Clinic held in Nassau, Bahamas, earlier this month. The participating students included Patricia Ramsey Chronicle (3L), Terry Ann Howell (2L), and Julie Lockhead (4L).

The CLC is organized by the American Caribbean Law Initiative, a collective of American and Caribbean law schools with an interest in supporting the growth and development of the Caribbean Basin by facilitating collaborative relationships and strengthening its legal development and institutions.

As part of the clinic, participating students presented arguments on challenging legal issues to members of the Bahamian bench and bar.

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Pictured above (l to r): Kimberlee Martin (3L), Guest Speaker Will Potter, and Ashley Gruber (3L)

When third-year law students Kimberlee Martin and Ashley Gruber founded the FIU Law Student Animal Legal Defense Fund with alumna Aleksandra Sikorska ’12, they wanted to focus on educating the community on animal rights issues.

Staying true to their mission, SALDF hosted its Second Annual Animal Rights Panel on Saturday, March 30, in the Rafael Diaz-Balart Hall. With students and community members from all over South Florida in attendance, the panel featured three leading authorities on animal rights – Will Potter, Sherry Schlueter, and Richard “Kudo” Couto.

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Pictured above (l to r) – Front Row: Keyla Smith, Chanel Rowe, Michelle Anglade, Kelly Torres. Back Row: George Knox, Daniel Cartwright, and Sherman Davis.

Recently, two teams of FIU Law students competed in the 7th Annual National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) International Negotiations Competition in Atlanta. The competition, sponsored by BARBRI, took place at the NBLSA convention March 6 – 10, 2013.

One of the teams consisted of Chanel Rowe (2L) and Daniel Cartwright (2L), while the other consisted of Kelly Torres (3L) and Keyla Smith (2L). Rowe and Cartwright finished second in the national competition. Smith won Best Negotiator of Preliminary Round Two.

Each team was tasked with negotiating cross-border conflicts based on current issues affecting our global community. With 50 minute negotiating rounds, it made for a competitive and time-intensive competition.

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FIU Law Review Editor-in-Chief Courtney Walter (on left) and Executive Symposium Editor Erin Auble introduce the panelists.

Why is there a strong presence of women in higher education, but the highest positions of power and prestige in law firms and corporations are still occupied by men?

FIU Students from the Health Law and Policy Clinic – the College of Law’s medical-legal clinic that partners with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine’s Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP (Health Education Learning Program) – recently spoke to Florida State Senator Rene Garcia about Medicaid expansion.

Under the direction of Professor Peggy Maisel, six law and six medical students were invited to meet with Senator Garcia, chair of the Health Policy Committee, to discuss Medicaid expansion and their efforts to improve health outcomes in four low-income Miami-Dade neighborhoods.

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Third-year FIU Law students Natalie Marcell and Bryan Belenson recently finished as semi-finalists in the American Bar Association (ABA) National Negotiation Finals in Dallas. As in prior years, the competition involved over 200 teams from over 110 law schools from the United States and Canada.

Coached by Amanda Braun, Marcell and Belenson earned their trip to the national finals by winning the ABA Southeast Regional Negotiation Competition in November 2012. The top three teams from the Southeast Region (Florida International University College of Law, University of Georgia School of Law, and Stetson University College of Law) were all invited to the national finals.

This year’s finals challenged teams to resolve a small business ventures dispute and negotiate an agreement based on the facts about the situation and their client’s confidential information.

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