Pictured above, let to right at front, are attorney Ben Crump, Professor H.T. Smith, Director of the Trial Advocacy Program, and Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, the program’s Assistant Director.
The FIU Law Trial Advocacy Program recently hosted attorney Benjamin L. Crump for the 5th of its annual Great Legal Storytellers speaker series. Before a capacity crowd in our ceremonial courtroom of students, community leaders, and law faculty, administration, and staff, Crump — current President of the National Bar Association and counsel for the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Martin Lee Anderson families, and the Oklahoma City police rape victims — spoke on “Trayvon Martin: The case that introduced the world to Stand Your Ground and the controversy of Shoot First laws.” Following his presentation, Mr. Crump held a private workshop in our small courtroom exclusively for FIU Trial Team members and students currently taking Trial Advocacy and Pretrial Practice.
Pictured, left to right, are Crump, Professor Smith, and Dean Acosta.
“Attorney Benjamin Crump is a champion of liberty who is giving power to the powerless and voice to the voiceless,” said Professor H.T. Smith, Founding Director of FIU’s Trial Advocacy Program. “His passionate advocacy on behalf of victims of police misconduct is not only bringing justice to the victims, but changing the way our communities are being policed, the way police are being trained, and the way police are being held accountable for wrongdoing.”
Professor Smith and Dean R. Alexander Acosta also presented Mr. Crump with the Trial Advocacy Program’s Great Legal Storytellers Award, a bust of Cicero, whose eloquence and truth-telling to power inspire the series.
Pictured, Crump and students during his private trial advocacy workshop.