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Virtual Discussions and Webinars

Virtual Discussions and Webinars

FIU College of Law is proud to present virtual discussions and webinars that highlight our alumni, faculty and staff. We look forward to sharing alumni success stories, industry trends, professional tips and resources, and community matters. Please see below for past discussions and stay tuned for upcoming discussions.

Alumni Panel Series

CARES Act - What You Need to Know About Student Loan Repayment

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

Women in the Legal Profession

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

Estate Planning: What You Need To Know

In honor of National Estate Planning Awareness Week, FIU Law and FIU's Office of Estate & Planned Giving teamed up to present a panel discussion on the importance of having an estate plan. We shared insights on who needs an estate plan, what you need to know when establishing an estate plan, and what can happen if you do not have an estate plan. 

Moderator:

  • Melissa Gonzalez, JD '20, Morgan Horton Law

Speakers:

  • Samah "Sam" Abukhodeir, JD '13, The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm
  • Lian de la Riva, JD '13, Markowitz, Ringel, Trusty & Hartog, P.A.
  • Leslie Marceno, JD '09, Trust Counsel, P.L.

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

The State of the healthcare industry during COVID-19

FIU Law alumni discuss how the healthcare industry has been impacted during COVID-19 and share ways the industry will change in the future. 

Speakers:

Jose Perdomo, JD '06
Senior Vice President, Administration
Nicklaus Children’s Health System

Christopher Kokoruda, JD '10 
Assistant County Attorney
Jackson Health System

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

Growing Your Business: Alumni Panel Discussion featuring Abe Ovadia, JD ’09 and Ivan Parron, JD ’05

Abraham S. Ovadia, Founder, Ovadia Law Group, PA

Abraham “Abe” Ovadia, is the founder of Ovadia Law Group, PA. He is currently eligible to practice law throughout Florida. Abe’s main focus is representing those people who were seriously injured in an accident. He began his legal career handling Personal Injury Protection (PIP) cases, and filed more than 1,000 lawsuits in his first year alone. Abe has built his reputation in the legal community and put insurance companies on notice that he is not afraid to litigate on behalf of his clients. Ovadia Law Group has four offices is FL and frequently travels to Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando, and the Florida Keys to meet with medical providers at their offices.

Ivan Parron, JD '05, Principal, Parron Law

Ivan Parron has 20+ years of legal and executive experience in the television, music, motion picture and sports industries. He represents a wide range of entertainment and sports industry clients including artists, actors, celebrities, athletes, record labels, music publishing companies, TV production companies and film studios. He was voted among the Top 50 Music Industry Attorneys by Billboard Magazine who ranked him among the “go-to lawyers in the music business and for best performance in music law” and is well known in the world of television and worked as legal counsel with numerous productions including, “The Voice”, “American Idol”, “X-Factor” and “The Real Housewives of Miami.” Ivan is a certified NFL and NBA player agent, a 2-term elected board member and Grammy Governor of The Recording Academy, an active member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the immediate past-Chair of the Florida Bar’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law section, a board member of Film Florida and a Miami-Dade County Commissioner appointed member of the Film & Entertainment Advisory Board.

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

Creating Your Own Path: Alumni Conversation featuring Danny Rivera, JD ’09

Danny Rivera, JD ’09, Executive Vice President & Group President of Maintenance, Driven Brands

Danny joined Driven Brands in November 2010 as Chief Information Officer. In 2014, Rivera was named Meineke Brand President. In 2020, Rivera was named Group President of the Maintenance segment, in addition to President of Take 5 Oil Change.

Prior to his current roles, River was the Senior Director of Application Development, Business Intelligence, Infrastructure, and Security at AutoNation. Prior to his role at AutoNation, he worked at some of the largest corporations in the world, including GE, Motorola, and Burger King Corporation.

Rivera holds two degrees from Florida International University. He holds a Juris Doctorate and received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering, where he graduated Cum Laude.

Click here to watch the discussion.

 

Virtual Discussions and Webinars

A Conversation with Cesar L. Alvarez, Senior Chairman of Greenberg Traurig

Moderator:

Maria D. Garcia, JD ’08, BA ’05

Description:

Tune in to hear Cesar Alvarez share his insight on success in law and business, leading a law firm, diversity in the legal profession, accessing corporate board positions, and giving back within our communities.

Cesar L. Alvarez is the past CEO and current Senior Chairman of Greenberg Traurig. During his 15 year tenure as CEO and Executive Chairman, he led the firm to become one of the Top 10 law firms in the United States by leading its growth from 325 lawyers in eight offices to approximately 1,850 attorneys in more than 36 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, including strategic alliances in Milan and Rome, Italy. Under Cesar’s leadership and with the support of his partners, the firm was recognized as the fastest-growing law firm in the United States.

At the age of 13, Cesar immigrated from Cuba with his family to escape communism. After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, and Juris Doctor, he joined Greenberg Traurig as its ninth lawyer. Before taking the helm as CEO, Cesar practiced securities, corporate and international law for more than 25 years. Throughout his career, he has represented numerous public companies and currently serves on the boards of directors of several publicly traded corporations, private companies and charitable organizations.

He has been recognized nationally and in his community for his professional, business and charitable leadership. Most recently, Cesar was honored with the American Lawyer Media 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ernst and Young 2017 Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award, Chambers and Partners Lifetime Achievement Award, American Bar Association Spirit of Excellence Award, Hispanic National Bar Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Hispanic National Bar Association Attorney of the Year Award.

Click here to watch the discussion.

SBA and BLSA - Three-part panel series on the events arising from the killing of George Floyd.

Part One: Where We Are – Race, Protest, and the Role of Lawyers

Watch the first panel on YouTube

Speakers:

  • Michele Anglade, Lecturer of Law
  • Eric Carpenter, Professor of Law
  • Phyllis Kotey, Director of Externship and Pro Bono Program and Clinical., Professor of Law
  • Howard Wasserman, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, Professor of Law

Moderator:

  • Tay Ansah, Professor of Law

Part Two: What We Might Do – Allegiance, Alliance, and Allies

Watch the second panel on YouTube

Speakers:

  • Ila Klion, Assistant Director and Professor of Legal Skills and Values, FIU College of Law
  • Caryn Lavernia, Assistant Vice President, FIU Office of Engagement
  • Shirlyon McWhorter, Director and Title IX Coordinator, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access, FIU
  • Melba V. Pearson, Former Deputy Director, Florida American Civil Liberties Union

Moderator:

  • Ediberto Roman, Professor of Law, FIU College of Law

Part Three: The Role of FIU: Alumni in the Current Crisis

Watch the third panel on YouTube

Speakers:

  • Reginald Guillaume JD ’17, Assistant State Attorney, Miami-Dade State Attorney‘s Office
  • Luis Fuste JD ’06, Representative, Dade County Police Benevolent Association
  • Christavia Johnson JD ’17 Assistant Public Defender, Broward Public Defender's Office
  • Keyla Smith JD ’14, Associate, Fischer Redavid PLLC

Moderator:

  • Willard Shephard JD '10, News anchor, NBC 6

Mindfulness and Well-Being: Practicing Law in Uncertain Times

Professor Lozada discusses the significance of attending to lawyer well-being and offers an introduction to the practice of mindfulness, a tool that can help professionals reduce emotional reactivity, enhance attention and self-control, and cultivate healthy relationships. For questions, please contact Jasmin Grant at jagrant@fiu.edu.

Click here to watch the discussion.

Just Mercy: Discussion & reflections on racism in the U.S. criminal justice system

This discussion focuses on the Just Mercy film and think-tank on what we are doing and can do in the future to address the issues of our criminal justice system.

The discussion is hosted by FIU Law and Florida Center for Capital Representation (FCCR) with an introduction from Antony Page, dean of the FIU College of Law. Phyllis Kotey, director of Externship and Pro Bono Program, FIU Law Clinic, will lead the discussion.

Panelists:

Herman Lindsey – Just Mercy/Represent Justice Surrogate, Witness to Innocence Board Member and Florida death row exoneree no. 23

Carleen Vincent-Robinson – Senior instructor and associate chair, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, FIU Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Hannah Gorman – Deputy director, Florida Center for Capital Representation (FCCR), FIU College of Law

Click here to watch the discussion.

Panel discussion questions can be found here.