ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF LAW
16401 N.W. 37TH AVENUE
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA33054
Telephone:
(305) 623-2321
ABA Approved Since 1988
St. Thomas
University School of Law is a highly-diverse, student-centered law school where
the Catholic heritage of ethical behavior and public service flourishes.
Founded in 1984, the School of Law is the only ABA-accredited Catholic law school in
the Southeastern United States. St. Thomas has received national attention for itâ??s
commitment to student and faculty diversity, and has had a special commitment
to training lawyers who are members of South Floridaâ??s
Hispanic and Black communities which have been traditionally underserved by the
legal profession. The Schoolof Law offers the
traditional J.D. degree program, as well as four joint degree programs, one
LL.M. degree program, and a J.S.D. degree program.
Law School is located
in Miami Gardens,
on the main campus of St. ThomasUniversity. The School of Law complex includes a multi-level
library, Moot Court amphitheater, a cafe, faculty and administrative offices,
and classrooms equipped with wireless networking capabilities, distance
learning technology, and plasma screen televisions for the broadcasting of campus
information. The stylish architecture, with its combination of indoor and
outdoor study spaces, provides a comfortable setting for the study of law.
St. Thomas is proud of its Law Library. Its
facility houses over 330,000 volumes and volume equivalents, with seating for
450, and is open more than 100 hours per week. Constantly increasing
in size, the collection combines traditional hard copy and microform
publications with on-line and Internet-publications. Since its
inception, the Law Library has integrated the use of digital sources into its
legal section in addition to its traditional printed materials, and our
students have many opportunities to receive extensive training in both types of
materials. For students without their own personal computer, the law library
has a computer lab and provides computers in convenient areas outside the lab.
The
exceptional faculty at St. Thomas University School of Law have earned their
law degrees, and, in many cases, their advanced law degrees, from some of the
nationâ??s most prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia,
Georgetown, and New York University. Their record of publication in the leading
law reviews is outstanding, and their practical experience is vast. A hallmark
of St. Thomas
is the faculty and administrationâ??s open-door policy, enabling students to
interact with leading scholars on a personal level.
In
accordance with its mission, the School
of Law offers students the opportunity
to participate in a variety of clinics which not only bridge the gap between
legal studies and the practice of law, but also serve underrepresented segments
of the South Florida community.
The
Appellate Litigation Clinic provides the intern with experience of handling criminal cases in state
appellate court. Each student has the primary responsibility for at least two
cases from inception through record preparation, all relevant motions, and the
writing of briefs and oral argument. The Civil Practice Clinicâ??s interns
learn causes of action and defenses unique to public agencies, including a
wide-array of placements such as city and county attorneysâ?? offices, school
boards, legal aid services and securities agencies.
The
Criminal Practice Clinic is offered to third-year students who have qualified as Certified Legal
Interns. This status allows the interns to represent clients under the
supervision of a field supervisor and an authorized attorney of record. Interns
with a prosecutorâ??s office receive rigorous and intensive exposure to the
criminal prosecution practice. Interns are given a docket of cases for either
plea bargain negotiations or criminal prosecutions to the court or, in some
cases to a jury. Students also have many opportunities to evaluate different
styles of lawyering by watching criminal trial lawyers in action. Placement in
a public defenderâ??s office provides students who have received the Certified
Legal Intern status with the opportunity to defend indigent adults and minors
charged with felonies and misdemeanors such as assault, theft, or drug and
weapons possession. The cases frequently involve issues concerning the legality
of searches and seizures, identification procedures, or confessions. They also
may involve the defenses of insufficient evidence, mistaken identity, alibi,
entrapment, or self-defense. In addition to learning investigative and trial
techniques, students learn about alternatives to incarceration and creative
approaches to sentencing.
Interns in
the Elder Law Clinic deal with the ethical issues in representing the
elderly, their income maintenance, health care, long-term care, competency and
guardianship. Efforts are made to familiarize the students with the medical
considerations of an aging population. Interns work with the Probate division
of the Circuit Court and members of the Elder Law Bar to develop strategies to
deal with a continually aging population and case management issues. The
year-long Family Court Clinic allows interns an opportunity to represent
clients in both Family Court and the DomesticViolence Court. The family division track allows
students to learn about family law matters, including dissolution of marriage,
paternity, custody and adoption cases. In the domestic violence division,
students are given the opportunity to provide in-court representation to
victims of domestic violence in civil permanent injuction
hearings. The intern in the Florida Supreme Court Externship resides in Tallahassee for the
semester. The intern functions as a law clerk to an individual justice or as a
central staff law clerk working for all of the justices in the Florida Supreme
Court. Duties will include: reviewing and making recommendations on petitions
for discretionary review, attorney discipline matters, and extraordinary writ
petitions; and conducting legal research and preparing memoranda on pending
cases. The intern has the opportunity to attend oral argument, discuss cases
with staff attorneys and the assigned justice, and assist in the drafting of
orders or opinions. The intern also attends special lectures, group discussion
and training sessions.
Student
interns assigned to the Immigration Clinic are required to be certified since
they will represent asylum seekers, battered spouses and children, and other
non-citizens seeking immigration relief in Immigration Court, before the Board
of Immigration Appeals, and before the Department of Homeland Security
(formerly the INS). Students will learn substantive immigration law as well as
trial practice and advocacy skills.
Judicial
internships provide an opportunity for students to hear arguments, discuss
cases with judges, as well as, apply research and writing skills to real facts.
Students will work closely with supervising staff attorneys and judges in
criminal and civil court, including state, federal, appellate
and specialty courts.
Interns
selected for the Pax Romana
Clinic work at the Pax Romana
NGOOffice for the United Nations, New York City. Pax Romana is an international lay Catholic NGO formed over a hundred
years ago and having more than 42,000 members in some 80 countries worldwide.
It holds the highest level consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council of the United Nations (see: www.paxromana-ngo-un-ny.org). The intern functions
as an accredited representative of Pax Romana, and follows several major policy issues on the U.N.
agenda, e.g., Sustainable Development, Status of Women, Financing for
Development, HIV/AIDS and Indigenous Peoples. In this process, the intern
prepares analytical reports on several issues and a final research paper on one
area, with the materials shared electronically across the worldwide Pax Romana movement.
The Tax
Clinic consists of
interviewing new clients, working on live cases during office hours of
approximately 8 hours per week. The student represents the clients before the
Internal Revenue Service, District Counsel, and before the United States Court. In addition to the
office hours, the students are expected to attend conferences with the Internal
Revenue Service, job fairs in the community, and the Tax Court sessions.
To
supplement and refine their practice experience, students interning under the
Clinical Program attend a weekly classroom component which provides instruction
in both substantive and procedural law relating to case assignments.
The Law School
offers four joint degree programs in cooperation with other graduate divisions of
the University. A joint J.D./M.B.A. in Accounting
couples skills traditionally in great demand in the corporate, tax and
accounting worlds. The joint J.D./M.B.A. in
International Business opens the burgeoning field of international transactional
law to the new attorney. A joint J.D./M.S. in Sports
Administration prepares participants for a diverse set of positions in the world
of sports. The Universityâ??s Sports Administration program is nationally
recognized and the joint degree program has received favorable review in the
leading sports management journal. The joint J.D./M.S.
in Marriage and Family Counseling, one of the only programs of its kind in the
country, fills a serious need in the family lawyerâ??s repository of skills.
One Master
of Law Degree Program is also offered at St. Thomas University School of Law: the
LL.M. in Intercultural Human Rights. The LL.M in Intercultural Human Rights is
an innovative program which offers in-depth instruction on the critical issues
of our time: the protection of human dignity across political, religious,
social, economic and cultural lines. The faculty of global distinction includes
top-level United Nations officials and outstanding scholars, judges and
practitioners in the field. Students are trained to conduct effective research
and advocacy in the field of human rights. Human rights law and complaint
procedures are addressed, as well as issues of refugees, women, children,
indigenous people, religion, criminal law and international trade. For those who
want to continue their human rights education the Law School
also offers a J.S.D. in Human Rights.
St. Thomas
University School of Law offers an array of extra-curricular activities. The
Moot Court Board promotes excellence in legal research and written and oral
advocacy. Members of the International Moot Court Board compete in
international competitions, including the Philip Jessup International Moot
Court Competition. The Mock Trial Board encourages excellence in litigation and
trial advocacy through participation in state, regional and national advocacy
competitions. The St. Thomas Law Review is a student-operated scholarly journal
which publishes articles submitted by students, faculty and members of the
Bench and Bar. In 2006, St. Thomas launches the first law review
edition of the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review. The Peter T. Fay American
Inn of Court at St. Thomas
is a chapter of the American Inns of Court founded in 1980 by former Supreme
Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. Student organizations reflect the rich
diversity of St. Thomas University School of Law. Such organizations include
the American Bar Association/Law Student Division (ABA/LSD), the Student Bar
Association (SBA), the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA), the Black Law
Student Association (BLSA), the Phi Delta Phi Spellman Inn, the Florida
Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL), the Hispanic American Law Society, the
International Law Society, Plead the Fifth (the student newspaper), the Phi
Alpha Delta Fraternity (PAD) and the Catholic Lawyers Guild.
Dean:
Alfredo Garcia
Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs: Cece Dykas
Assistant
Dean for Student Services: John Hernandez
Director
of Law Library: Karl
Gruben (305) 623-2341
Director
of Admissions: Fareza Khan (305) 623-2384
Director
of Career Services: Merecedes Pino (305) 623-2350
Assistant
Dean for Academic Support: Barbara Singer (305) 474-2472
Marketing
and Communications Manager: Brooke Whitley
Building
and Budget Manager: Olga
Leyva (305) 623-2346
Registrar:
Iraida Acebo
(305) 623-2329
FULL
TIME FACULTY
ALFREDO
GARCIA, (Law Professor),
born Santiago, Cuba,
January 13, 1952; admitted to bar, 1981, Florida.
Education: Jacksonville University (B.A., 1973); University of Florida
(M.A., 1974; J.D., 1981). COURSES: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Torts,
Evidence. Email:agarcia
@ stu.edu
ROY BALLESTE,
(Law Professor),
born Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, May 23, 1969; Education:
Jacksonville University (B.A., Political Science, 1994); University of
South Florida (M.A., Library Science, 1997); St. Thomas University (J.D., 1997;
LL.M., 2003). COURSES:Legal
Research. Email:rballeste
@ stu.edu.com
BENTON
BECKER, (Law Professor),
born Washington, District of Columbia, February 22, 1938; admitted to bar,
1966, District of Columbia; 1967, Maryland; 1981, Florida. Education: University of Maryland
(B.A., 1960); Washington College of Law, American University
(J.D., 1966). COURSES:Constitutional
Law I and II, Evidence, Civil Procedure, Trial Advocacy Practice. Email:bbecker @ stu.edu
GORDON
T. BUTLER, (Law Professor), born Baltimore, Maryland,
November 13, 1943; admitted to bar, 1972, Texas
and Georgia; 1977, Ohio; 2000, Florida.
Education: Georgia Tech (B.S.E.E., 1966); University
of Texas (J.D., 1971); New York University
(LL.M., 1991); Universityof Dayton (M.B.A., 1994).
COURSES:Tax,
Corporations, Wills and Trusts. Email:gbutler @ stu.edu
ANNA M.
CHAN, (Law Professor),
admitted to bar, 1982, Florida.
Education: University of California at Berkeley (A.B., 1972); University of Pennsylvania (J.D., 1980). COURSES: Legal
Analysis, Research and Writing, Property. Email: achan
@ stu.edu
DENNIS
S. CORGILL, (Law Professor), born San Bernardino, California, November 21, 1951; admitted to bar,
1982, California; 1983, District of Columbia. Education: Stanford
University (B.A., Political Science, 1973); University of Chicago (M.A., Public
Policy, 1977); Yale University (J.D., 1982). COURSES: Contracts, Torts. Email:
dcorgill @ gmail.com
LARRY
C. FEDRO, (Law Professor), born born Des Moines, Iowa, January 2,
1939; admitted to bar, 1963, Florida. Education: St.Petersburg Junior College
(A.A., 1958); Universityof Florida (B.S.B.A.,
1960; J.D., 1963). COURSES: Tax Procedure (100&percent,). Email:lfedro @ stu.edu
JESSICA
FONSECA-NADER, (Law Professor), born Miami, Florida, July 29, 1972; admitted to bar,
1997, Florida. Education: Nova Southeastern University (B.S., Psychology,
1994); St. ThomasUniversity School
of Law (J.D., 1997). COURSES:Legal
Research and Writing. Email:jfnader
@ stu.edu
LAUREN
JEANNE GILBERT, (Law Professor), born Norwalk, Connecticut, January 7, 1961; admitted to
bar, 1988, District of Columbia; 2002, Florida. Education: Harvard University
(B.A., 1983); Universityof Michigan (J.D., 1988).
COURSES:Constitutional
Law, Immigration Law. Email:lgilbert
@ stu.edu
DANIEL
R. GORDON, (Law Professor), born Sussex, New Jersey, October 30, 1947; admitted to bar, 1982,
Florida; 1983, California. Education: Haveford College
(B.A., 1970); Boston University (M.S., 1973); Northeastern University (M.P.A.,
1974); Boston College (J.D., 1982). COURSES: Civil
Procedure, Professional Responsibility, State Constitutional Law. Email:dgordon @ stu.edu
PATRICIA
W. HATAMYAR, (Law Professor), born Mankato, Minnesota, October 12, 1957; admitted to bar, 1983, Illinois;
1994, Oklahoma. Education: Northwestern University (B.A., 1980); University of Chicago (J.D., 1983). COURSES:Civil Procedure, Evidence,
Pretrial Practice. Email:phatamya
@ yahoo.com
JOHN
HERNANDEZ, (Law Professor), born Key West, Florida, August 21, 1957; admitted to bar, 1981,
Florida. Education: University of
Florida (B.S., 1978); Georgetown University LawCenter (J.D., 1981). COURSES:Torts, Professional
Responsibility, Criminal Law, Sexual Identity and the Law, Remedies. Email:jhernandez @ stu.edu
BEVERLY
HORSBURGH, (Law Professor), born Albany, New York, June 5, 1942; admitted to bar, 1987, Florida. Education:
Smith College
(B.A., 1964); Universityof Miami (J.D., 1987). COURSES:Contracts, Family
Law, Women and the Law. Email: bhorsbur @
stu.edu
JOHN M.
KANG, (Law Professor),
Education: University of California,
Berkeley (B.A., 1992); University of California
Los Angeles School
of Law (J.D., 1996); Universityof Michigan (M.A., 2000;
Ph.D., 2006). Email:jkang
@ stu.edu
TAMARA
LAWSON, (Law Professor),
admitted to bar, 1995, California; 1996, Nevada. Education: Claremont McKenna
College (B.A., 1992); University of San Francisco
Law School (J.D., 1995); GeorgetownUniversity LawCenter (LLM, 2003). COURSES:Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure I.
Email:tlawson @ stu.edu
LENORA
P. LEDWON, (Law Professor), born May 15, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Michigan. Education: Oakland University
(M.A., 1981); University of Michigan (J.D., 1983); University of Notre
Dame (Ph.D., 1993). COURSES:Evidence,
Contracts, Law and Literature. Email:lledwon @ stu.edu
ALFRED
ROBERT LIGHT, (Law Professor), born Atlanta, Georgia, December 14, 1949; admitted to bar, 1981,
District of Columbia; 1982, Virginia. Education: Johns
Hopkins University
(B.A., 1971); University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Ph.D., 1976); Harvard University (J.D., 1981). COURSES: Civil
Procedure, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Environmental Law. Email:alight @ stu.edu
KATHLEEN
MAHONEY, (Law Professor), born Jersey City, NewJersey; admitted to bar, 1982, Florida. Education: Newton College
of the Sacred Heart (B.A., 1971); Florida
International University
(M.S., 1975); Universityof Miami (J.D., 1982). COURSES:
Legal Research and Writing, Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiation. Email:kmahoney @ stu.edu
JOHN
MAKDISI, (Law Professor), born Washington, D.C., March 12, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974,
Pennsylvania; 1992, Oklahoma; 2005 Florida. Education: Harvard College
(B.A., 1971); University of Pennsylvania (J.D., 1974); Harvard LawSchool (S.J.D., 1985). COURSES:Property, Evidence.
Email:jmakdisi @
stu.edu
JUNE
MARYZEKAN MAKDISI, (Law Professor), born McKeesport, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1953; admitted
to bar, 1996, Oklahoma; 1998, Louisiana. Education: University of Pennsylvania
(B.A., 1973; M.S., 1974); Universityof Tulsa (J.D., 1995). COURSES:Torts, Agency and
Partnership, Family Law. Email: jmmakdisi @
stu.edu
RICHARD
H. W. MALOY, (Law Professor), born New York, NewYork, August 5, 1926; admitted to bar, 1953, Florida. Education: Dartmouth
(A.B., 1949); Columbia (J.D., 1953); University of Miami (LL.M., 1974). COURSES:Legal Analysis, Bankruptcy, Debtor-Creditor,
Wills-Trusts, Remedies.
ANTHONY
C. MUSTO, (Law Professor), born New York, NewYork, February 20, 1951; admitted to bar, 1975, Florida. Education: University of Miami
(B.G.S., 1972); Catholic Universityof America (J.D., 1975). COURSES:Appellate Advocacy,
Legal Writing, Advanced Legal Writing. Email:amusto @ stu.edu
IRA S.
NATHENSON, (Law Professor), born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1962; admitted to bar, 1999,
Pennsylvania. Education: Universityof Pittsburgh (B.A., 1985;
J.D., 1998). COURSES: Electronic Commerce, Intellectual Property,
Internet Law, Copyrights, Trademarks. Email:nathenson @ nathenson.org
LEONARD
PERTNOY, (Law Professor), born Pennsylvania, May 19, 1944;
admitted to bar, 1969, Florida.
Education: University of Louisville (B.A., 1966); University of Miami
(J.D., 1969). COURSES: Florida
Constitutional Law, Products Liability, Real Estate Transactions. Email:lpertnoy @ stu.edu
LYDIE
NADIA CABRERA PIERRE-LOUIS, (Law Professor), born Caribbean, West Indies; admitted to bar, 2000,
New York. Education:
Columbia University
(A.B., 1989); New York University (M.A., 1992); Fordham University
(J.D., 1998). COURSES:Corporations,
Business Law, Securities, Corporate Finance, Arbitration, International
Business. Email:lplouis
@ stu.edu
STEPHEN
PLASS, (Law Professor),
born Guyana; Education: Fairleigh Dickinson University
(B.A., 1982); Howard University Law
School (J.D., 1985); Georgetown University
(LL.M., 1988). COURSES:Contracts,
Employment Discrimination, Labor Law. Email:splass @ stu.edu
PAULA
REVENE, (Law Professor),
born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1952; admitted to bar, 1987, Florida. Education:
University of New Hampshire (1970-1972); Pennsylvania State
University (B.A., 1974); Nova University
(J.D., 1987). COURSES: Legal Research and Writing.
HARRIET
RUBIN ROBERTS, (Law Professor), born Brooklyn, New York, August 31, 1947; admitted to bar, 1987, New York. Education: Sarah Lawrence
College (B.A., 1971); New York University School of Law
(J.D, 1986). COURSES:Professional
Responsibility, Agency and Partnership, Corporations, Contracts. Email: hroberts @ stu.edu
AMY
DEBRA RONNER, (Law Professor), born New York, September 15, 1953;
admitted to bar, 1985, Florida.
Education: Beloit College (B.A., 1978); University
of Michigan (M.A., 1976; Ph.D., 1980);
University of Miami (J.D., 1985). COURSES: Property,
Wills and Trusts.
JAY
STERLING SILVER, (Law Professor), born Chicago, Illinois, September 18, 1952; admitted to
bar, 1982, Pennsylvania. Education: Washington
University (B.A., 1975); Vanderbilt University
(J.D., 1981); Universityof Pennsylvania (LL.M.,
1986). COURSES:Torts,
Criminal Law, Legal Ethics. Email:jsilver
@ stu.edu
BARBARA
SINGER, (Law Professor),
born Hammond, Indiana,
August 19, 1950; admitted to bar, 1976, Indiana.
Education: Indiana University (A.B., 1972; J.D., 1976); Cambridge University (LL.B., 1978). COURSES: Contracts,
Property, Torts, Sales, Legislation, Land Use Planning, Wills and Trusts,
Appellate Advocacy, Legal Research and Writing, Entertainment Law. Email:bsinger @ stu.edu
NADIA
B. SOREE, (Law Professor), born April 16, 1968; admitted to bar, 2005, New Jersey. Education: The Julliard School
(B.M., 1991); Rutgers, The State
University of NewJersey (M.M., 1993); YaleLaw School
(J.D., 2005). COURSES:Criminal
Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence. Email:nsoree @ stu.edu
MICHAEL
SCOTT VASTINE, (Law Professor), born Virginia, October
16, 1972; admitted to bar, 2001, Districtof Columbia. Education: Oberlin Conservatory
of Music (B.A., 1995); Temple University (M.A., 1997); Georgetown UniversityLaw Center
(J.D., 2001). COURSES:Immigration
Clinic. Email:mvastine
@ stu.edu
SIEGFRIED
WIESSNER, (Law Professor), born Neustadt/Aisch, Germany, February 26, 1953; admitted to bar,
1984, Germany.
Education: University of Tuebingen (J.D., 1977; Dr.iur., 1989); YaleUniversity (LL.M., 1983).
COURSES:Constitutional
Law, International Law. Email:swiessner
@ stu.edu
MARK
JOSEPH WOLFF, (Law Professor), born Syracuse,
New York; Education: Wadhams Hall Seminary-College (B.A., 1973); Nova
Southeastern (J.D., 1977); New YorkUniversity (LL.M.,
Taxation, 1978). COURSES:Income
Tax, Corporations, Estate and Gift Tax. Email:mwolff @ stu.edu
CAROL
LYNNE ZEINER, (Law Professor), born Rockville Centre, New York, March 10, 1950; admitted to bar,
1979, Florida. Education: Florida
State University
(B.S., 1972); University of Miami Schoolof Law (J.D., 1979). COURSES:Contracts, Property,
Higher Education. Email:czeiner
@ stu.edu