Community Support

We would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation for the support of the following:

Funders

• Florida Bar Foundation
• The Children’s Trust
• Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center
• FINRA
• The Impact Fund

Donors

• Carlos A. Costa Foundation
• Law Firm of Astigarraga Davis

Jordan E. Dollar Attorney for Catholic Legal Services

Jodan E. Dollar is a 2007 graduate of Florida International University College of Law. While he was at FIU, he participated in the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. As a student in the Clinic, Mr. Dollar was lead student-counsel for a federal class action case on behalf of Haitian refugees. He also served as counsel for a Haitian asylum seeker who was recently granted asylum after an appeal the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, CA and over four years in immigration detention. Mr. Dollar is currently the Director of Detention Programs for Catholic Legal Services in Miami, FL. As an attorney with Catholic Legal Services he has continued his work on behalf of the underrepresented, vulnerable population of immigration detainees that he began with the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Mr. Dollar credits his work with the Clinic for his ability to have an immediate impact for his detained clients on both the trial and appellate level. In addition to his direct litigation on behalf of clients, Mr. Dollar also directs the Legal Orientation Program at the Krome detention center in Miami, FL. The Legal Orientation Program is a nationwide program that works to educate detained immigrants of their rights, immigration court, and detention process.

Rhonda Goodman Family Law Practitioner

While a student at FIU COL, Rhonda Goodman participated in the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, the Advanced Immigration Clinic, and the Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic. Rhonda is still in contact and representing some of her clients from the clinics. She is now working full time in the area of family law and was hired within two months after passing the Bar, which she accredits to her clinical experience and pro bono work. When describing the importance of the clinical experience, she explains that, “The clinical work gives law students important real-life experience, interesting cases, under the guidance of experienced professors.”

William Kruse Attorney at Holland, Groves, Schneller & Stolze, L.L.C.

William Kruse attended FIU after completing a tour at sea aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant. He is currently working for a Holland, Groves, Schneller & Stolze, L.L.C. , a plaintiff’s litigation firm, where he practices in the areas of Maritime & Railroad Injury, as well as on a few cases involving complex litigation (i.e. toxic ground water contamination) and some commercial litigation ( i.e. mineral rights disputes between energy companies). Mr. Kruse credits his experience in the clinic at FIU for a substantial portion of his success after law school. He explains, “The most important lesson I learned in my time with the clinic was how to communicate effectively to the bench; telling a judge clearly and convincingly (1) what you want (2) why they should give it to you, and (3) how it will affect the litigation as a whole.”

Mr. Kruse works for Holland, Groves, Schneller & Stolze, L.L.C., where the attorneys have a combined total of over 65 years of experience, trying well over 100 cases in venues across the United States. The firm focuses on cases involving railroad and FELA accidents, train wrecks, Jones Act and Maritime accidents, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, trucking & barge accidents, and traumatic brain injury cases, along with complex commercial litigation. Recently, members of Holland, Groves, Schneller & Stolze, LLC obtained the largest FELA judgment in United States history, $17 million.

While she was a FIU law student, Jennifer Cunha participated in the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Under the supervision of Professor Troy Elder, Jennifer counseled clients, drafted pleadings, filed documents and advocated on behalf of her client at hearings. She stated, “The Clinic allowed me to work on complex litigation cases, including a class action, and trial-like hearings with multiple witnesses, all under the close supervision of an excellent attorney, Professor Elder. It is hard, if not impossible, to find such training after law school, but it was this experience that brought all of the classes together. It is also probably the only reason I felt comfortable accepting a position as sole General Counsel for a governmental agency after only a year as a legal services lawyer.”

Jennifer also explained that the clinic experience allowed her to build a professional network and develop close friendships that she still keeps today. “My clinic partner, Dora, is among the closest of my friends. We joke that someday we will open a practice together!” Jennifer is now the General Counsel for the Palm Beach County Housing Authority and advises the Housing Authority and its Board of Commissioners in the areas of employment law, administrative law, Florida Sunshine law, contracts, small claims, and landlord-tenant law.