Ask any law student to describe what their three years of school were like and you may hear, “challenging, exhausting, but truly remarkable and rewarding,” which is how alumnae Meliza Frias ’13 describes her experience. She is quick to note that her FIU Law education readied her for her life as an attorney for Miami-Dade’s Guardian Ad Litem Program.
If braving through those three years isn’t stressful enough then studying for, sitting for and waiting on the results of the Bar Exam will certainly tip the scale!
Successfully passing the Florida Bar Examination is mandatory for graduates who intend to practice law. It is a two-day, multi-state multiple choice and essay exam that covers seven subjects.
“Preparing for the bar was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, it truly tests your limits,” Frias lamented.
So when one test taker stands out among the masses of test takers for his “outstanding performance on the bar exam” code for: having the highest score of all test takers – it’s quite the feat.
For FIU Law evening student Alexander Martini, who graduated this past May and sat for the July exam, his goal was “to do his best.” So when he was contacted and invited, on behalf of Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labraga, to speak during the induction ceremony of new attorneys he was, “genuinely surprised.” Martini had seen his score and knew he did well, but had no idea it was the State’s top score.
Martini was the only person out of nearly than 3,000 bar takers to get that call.
“Alex’s diligence put his score at the top of that group,” Assistant Dean & Professor of Academic Support Louis N. Schulze, Jr. shared.” Students from law schools all over the country took the Florida bar exam, so this achievement is particularly noteworthy.”
Martini is super human.
As an evening student, he worked full-time as an Internal Revenue Service Agent, commuted from Ft. Lauderdale to attend class, participated on Law Review, competed as a member of the ABA Tax Team, completed his final CPA exam, completed a master’s degree in taxation and served as Professor Thomas Baker’s research assistant.
For Baker, Martini’s achievement was a given.
“I am not surprised that Alex earned the top grade,” Baker shared. “He was such a good student and his work stood out so much, I recruited him to be my research assistant. Alex is a credit to this law school. He will be a great lawyer. I am proud of his achievement, but not surprised that he got the highest grade.”
To top it off, Martini graduated with the highest GPA in his class and was the valedictorian of the evening class.
As the only public law school in South Florida to offer a part-time program, FIU Law was Martini’s “most reasonable option” in helping him to realize his dream of becoming an attorney.
FIU Law’s evening program allows students to complete law school in four years while attending to their outside commitments. Just because Martini was a part-time student didn’t mean the quality of his education was anything less.
“The quality of the instructors was excellent. I left FIU Law feeling well-prepared and confident in my ability to practice law,” Martini shared.
As Martini looks ahead he shares this, “no matter what path I take, I firmly believe that being an attorney is worthwhile, and I will treat every day as an opportunity to learn and grow. I am proud to represent FIU Law in the profession and recognize the value that my law school education provided me.”