The Alvarez scholarhip — funded by prominent national trial lawyer, and major FIU Trial Advocacy Program financial supporter, Alex Alvarez, of The Alvarez Law Firm in Coral Gables — is awarded in the amount of $1,000 based on a student’s consistent commitment to excellence in becoming a great trial lawyer and their overall contribution to the Trial Advocacy Program while in law school.
Rafael was president of the Trial Team this past year and a member of the team’s back-to-back championship in the Zehmer competition, a statewide competition sponsored by the Florida Justice Association. Rafael was also a quarter-finalist at this year’s Chester Bedell Memorial Mock Trial Competition, sponsored by the Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar.
“I can say confidently that Trial Team was a core part of my law school experience,” related Rafael. “Training for competition was the most intensive experience in school I ever had, giving me insight into how real-world trials work in a way that a typical law school class simply does not. The education aspect alone was worth all the hours we put in.”
Said Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, coach of the champion Zehmer team and Assistant Director of the Trial Advocacy Program, “Throughout his law school career, no one worked harder, was a better teammate, or a finer representative of our program, in school and out, than Rafael. His dedication to smart, selfless service set a benchmark that all should aspire to achieve.”
Pictured, left to right, Associate Dean for Students Angelique Ortega Fridman, Professor H. Scott Fingerhut, and scholarship recipient Rafael Torres.