2009 spotlights

 

 

Name:  Mitchell Kominsky, JD‘08 Firm/Agency:  U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Position:   Counsel Location:  Washington, D.C. More...

 

 

 

 

 

2008 Spotlights

 

Lawyer, green advocate Estrellita Siblia seizing opportunity. More...

 

 

Nikhil A. Heble Pepper Hamilton LLP, Berwyn, PA. More...

 

 

Jessica Gabel Covington & Burling LLP, San Francisco, California. More...

 

UM Law students demonstrate that there’s still H.O.P.E. for idealism
and public advocacy in the legal profession. More...

 

Martin Zilber (JD '88): Jack-of-all-Trades. In any given day, he can be found practicing law, brokering mortgages, serving as an elected official, voluntarily managing the budget of the state’s largest public healthcare facility, or coaching his daughter’s basketball team. More...

 

2007 Spotlights

 

Raquel Libman (JD '95): Sports and Entertainment Law. At 5'2" and one hundred pounds, Raquel Libman, JD '95, is not a likely choice for a basketball team. The Miami Heat, however, would disagree. More...

 

David Joyce (JD '04): Protecting the Nation’s Environment. How does it feel to be at the forefront of a developing field of criminal law across the country? More...

 

Esperanza Tilghman (JD '02): Saluting African-American History Month. Esperanza Tilghman is proud to be a "public school kid," born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. More...

 

Kristi L. Morgan (JD ’05): Helping Clients Sell to the Largest Consumer in the World. To a small business, obtaining a government procurement contract can be exciting, lucrative, and daunting. Kristi L. Morgan (JD ’05) has devoted her legal career to the field of government contracting and now helps guide small businesses through the labyrinth of government procurement. More...

 

Rachel Tolly (JD ’06): Wills, Trusts & Probate. “I, being of sound mind, do hereby declare this instrument to be my last will and testament.” We don’t like to think about it, but like death, creating a will & testament is inevitable. More...

 

2006 Spotlights

 

Ben Wolkov (JD ’00) knew he wanted to practice law in a cross-border context and the international opportunities of Miami drew him in. “Naturally, Miami’s undisputed place as the “capital of Latin America” appealed to me.” More...

 

Sean O'Neill (JD ’04) Since graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 2004, Sean O'Neill has been working as an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, a Chicago based firm with over 1,600 lawyers and 15 offices in North America, Europe and Asia.. More...

 

Sandrine Desamours (JD ’02/LLM ’03) (Estate Planning) is currently a protection officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. More...

 

UM Alumnus Kimberly Kanoff (JD ‘05) is currently clerking for Chief Judge Elect David M. Gersten at the Third District Court of Appeal in Miami. The Third DCA has jurisdiction over Dade and Monroe counties. More...

 

Jason Albright (JD ’04) has been accepted into the PhD program at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. During his first semester, Jason will be working as both a teaching and research assistant. More...

 

UM Alumnus Scott Carter, (JD ‘99/BBA ‘95) is working as Sr. VP/In-house Counsel at Franklin Street Properties in Wakefield, Massachusetts. FSP is a publicly traded real estate corp. More...

 

UM Alumni Brian F. Spector Appointed by the Florida Bar to serve on the Committee on Professionalism. Brian F. Spector, JD’78 is appointed by The Florida Bar to serve on the Committee on Professionalism More...

 

UM Law Alumna Diana Santa Maria Speaks at National Crime Victim Bar Association’s National Conference. Attorney Diana Santa Maria, JD'84 recently spoke at the National Crime Victim Bar Association’s National Conference on Civil Actions for Criminal Acts More...

 

Law Alumn Francisco ("Frank") Angones, Jr. (JD '76) is elected President-Elect of the Florida Bar. Forty-four years ago, Francisco “Frank” Angones landed in South Florida from Cuba, alone, without even his parents, as part of a program called Peter Pan that brought Cuban children to this country. More...

 

Florida Governor Jeb Bush names Law Alumna Sue Cobb as Secretary of the Florida Department of State. Governor Jeb Bush has announced the appointment of Sue McCourt Cobb as Secretary of the Florida Department of State. She replaces Glenda Hood who left to pursue other opportunities. More...

 

Marni Rosenblatt, JD’98: International Tax Counsel for Merck. In April 2005, after nearly seven years in Washington, D.C. as an associate with the global law firm of Baker & McKenzie, Marni Rosenblatt joined Merck & Co., Inc.the pharmaceutical company, where she serves as International Tax Counsel & Director of Tax Planning. More...

 

Jared Washkowitz, JD’99: Moving to Maritime Firm in San Francisco. Jared Washkowitz recently joined Emard, Port, Danoff & Tamulski, a maritime firm in San Francisco. Prior to the move, Jared had been practicing maritime law with Sands Lerner in Los Angeles. More...

 

Yan Tsiprin, JD’97: Vice President at TD Securities (U.S.A.) LLC. Yan Tsiprin is one of numerous UM Law alumni who was born outside the United States and came to Miami Law with aspirations of an international legal career. After graduating from the U of Washington with a degree in English, Yan enrolled in law school at UM. More...

 

2005 Spotlights

 

Carolyn B. Lamm, JD ’73 For Carolyn B. Lamm, JD ’73, the world is her courtroom—literally. A partner in the Washington, D.C., office of White & Case, Lamm specializes in international commercial litigation, international arbitration and international trade. More...

 

Josiane Deschamps Abel, JD’04: Appellate Attorney Since graduating from the University of Miami School of Law a year and a half ago, Josiane Deschamps Abel has been working as an attorney with Russo Appellate Firm in South Miami. More...

 

Joseph Bogosian, JD’92: Appointed to the FAA’s International Aviation Office UM Law alumnus, Joseph Bogosian (JD’92) was recently appointed the Assistant Administrator for the Office of International Aviation for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Only the second head of the Office of International Aviation, Bogosian will be responsible for coordinating all FAA international activities. More...

 

Tracy Smith Hyman, JD’96: Grievance Handler for the Coalition of University Employees As a grievance handler for the Coalition of University Employees (CUE), UM Law alumna Tracy Smith Hyman represents clerical employees at UCLA. With over 3,500 clerical employees at UCLA, Tracy handles 95% of the employees’ grievances. More...

 

Melissa Smith Levine, JD’89: Career Combines Legal Education and Background in Art In May of 2003, Melissa Smith Levine returned home to Miami, Florida to become the Associate Director of Finance and Administration at the Wolfsonian Museum on Miami Beach where she is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of the art museum’s operations. More...

 

Jeff Green, JD’02: Counsel for the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives Jeff Green recently returned from his fourth trip to the Middle East. As part of a congressional delegation that visited Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Jordan, Jeff and members of Congress met with heads of state, ambassadors, and U.S. troops. Jeff joined the staff of the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services last fall. Prior to this position he was with the Department of Defense. More...

 

Elizabeth Schwartz, JD'97: Advocate for the GLBT Community UM Law alumna, Elizabeth Schwartz, was recently honored with the Community Award by the Miami Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for her advocacy on behalf of South Florida's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender ("GLBT") community. More...

 

Stephen Cohen, JD'97: Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel for the S.E.C Last fall, alumnus Stephen Cohen left private practice to become an Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the aftermath of Enron and WorldCom, Stephen joins the S.E.C. at a fascinating time in securities enforcement. More...

 

Katherine Pearson, JD'79: Leading Expert on Elder Law UM Law alumna, Katherine Pearson, a leading expert on elder law, is a full professor at the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University where she directs the Elder Law Clinic. More...

 

Four Graduates Reunited in Tallahassee - UM Law alumni Kendra Davis, Maja Holman, Katrice Jenkins, and Stenise Rolle are associates at Parks & Crump, LLC. Founded in 1995, Parks & Crump is the largest African-American firm in Tallahassee. The firm specializes in medical malpractice, wrongful death, personal injury, and pharmaceutical litigation. More...

 

The Imani Foundation: Keeping the Faith for Teenage Mothers Cyd Heyliger-Browne (JD’00) and her daughter, Trudy Browne, are founding members of The Imani Foundation, a grassroots organization of mothers and daughters that provides financial, educational, and moral support to unwed teenage mothers. Cyd and Trudy founded the organization with four of Cyd’s friends and their daughters in 1998. More...

 

Shannon Morrelli, JD'98: Telecommunications in California Shannon Morrelli did not take the direct route from undergraduate to law school. After graduating with honors from Marquette University in 1991 with degrees in communications and French literature, she joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Guatemala where she worked with the Guatemalan Ministry More...

 

Leslie Zigel, JD'95: Head of Entertainment Division of Greenberg Traurig's Miami Office Leslie Zigel recently completed his first year with Greenberg Traurig's Miami office, where he directs one of the largest and most successful entertainment practices in the country. More...

 

Ronny Finvarb, JD'96: Entertainment Attorney with NBC Universal In March, Ronny Finvarb became the Executive Director of Business & Legal Affairs at Telemundo Network Group, a division of NBC Universal... More...

 

2004 Spotlights

 

Colleen Grady, JD'97: International at Work and Home
Since graduating from UM Law in 1997, Colleen Grady has spent half her time overseas as an attorney for White & Case LLP. Colleen was based in Stockholm for two years and spent significant time in Helsinki. More...

 

Joel Rose, JD'98: Using his Law Degree to Improve the American Educational System
Since graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 1998, Joel Rose has worked for More...

 

Rolande Pryce, JD'95: Receives Prestigious Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies in International Law
Rolande Pryce was recently named a recipient of the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship. In September, she will take a year sabbatical from her position with the Jamaican government to pursue an LL.M. in international law in the United Kingdom. More...

 

Rich Sudder, JD'99: Completing Four Years of Service in Army JAG Corps
In December 2002, Rich Sudder was deployed to Uzbekistan as the sole defense attorney for more than 10,000 U.S. service members serving Operation Enduring Freedom. Stationed in Karshi-Kanabad in southern Uzbekistan, the majority of his work and time was in Afghanistan More...

 

Thane Rosenbaum, JD'86: Visits Miami to Discuss his Latest Book
Novelist, professor, and social commentator, Thane Rosenbaum, recently published his first nonfiction book, The Myth of Moral Justice: Why Our Legal System Fails to do What's Right. At 8:00 pm on Friday, April 23, he will be at Books & Books in Coral Gables for a book reading to discuss his book. More...

 

Claudine Chen-Young, JD'03: First-Year Associate with Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
Claudine Chen-Young is an associate attorney at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP in Chicago. She works for the firm's Insurance and Financial Service practice group as a transactional attorney representing insurance companies, investment banks, and brokerage houses. More...

 

Ruth Holmes, JD'97: Practicing Environmental Law in the Northwest
Ruth Holmes recently completed her first year anniversary in her new job with Johannessen & Associates, a small environmental firm in Seattle. Working mainly with the Model Toxics Control Act, Ruth represents individuals in suits against corporations or other entities for improper handling of hazardous materials. More...

 

2003 Spotlights

 

Jenna Moore, JD'00: Thrives Under High-Stake Litigation-Months after graduating from law school, Jenna Moore was involved in the biggest privacy lawsuit in the country. As a first-year associate at Alston & Bird in Atlanta, Jenna was assigned to the litigation team defending WebMD in a lawsuit with more than a billion dollars at stake. More...

 

Reince Priebus, JD'98: UM Degree Sets Him Apart-Reince Priebus is currently a member of the Corporate Litigation Practice Area of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since joining the firm in 1998, he has successfully litigated or participated in over 250 matters pending before circuit, appellate, and federal courts, representing privately and publicly held businesses, More...

 

Joseph Bogosian, JD'92: Helping U.S. Companies Compete Overseas.-In 2001, Joseph Bogosian was appointed to the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration by President George W. Bush. More...

 

Stephanie Anderson, JD'99: Bridging Law and Medicine.- In January, Dr. Stephanie Anderson accepted the position of Research Assistant Professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics. More...

 

Denise Rucker Krepp, JD'98: Safeguard for America's Maritime Industry.-In July of 2002, after completing four-years of service with the U.S. Coast Guard, Denise Rucker Krepp began work as an attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Transportation Security Administration. More...

 

Jacqueline Marie Valdespino, JD'87: Wins This Year's Tobias Simon Award Miami attorney Jacqueline Marie Valdespino was selected to receive the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award from Chief Justice Harry Lee More...

 

Glenn Levine, JD'89: Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Glenn Levine studies two of the most strategic and politically volatile regions in the world. Since 1996, Glenn has been researching trade and transportation security issues in the Balkans and the Caucasus. For the past two years, he has been a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. More...

 

Diana Riveira Rangoussis, JD'92: Training America's Prosecutors. For the past two years, Diana Riveira Rangoussis has been working for the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) located in Alexandria, Virginia. She is the Curriculum Director for the NDAA's National Advocacy Center, located in Columbia, South Carolina. The center offers continuing education courses on a wide-array of topics, such as jury selection, arson, cross-examination, and DNA Evidence, for state and local prosecutors from around the country. More...

 

Marlynn Jones, JD'99: New Job in Athletics at the University of South Carolina. In October 2002, Marlynn Jones began work at the University of South Carolina as the new Assistant Athletics Director. At South Carolina she is responsible for determining initial eligibility, compliance with NCAA and SEC rules, tracking the development of new legislation, and providing interpretation of new regulations to the coaches. Marlynn and the three full-time employees that she supervises are responsible for all eighteen of South Carolina's varsity sports. She is also involved with the university's very active boosters association. More...

 

Ojen Sirin, JD'99: Spontaneity Pays Off in New York When Ojen Sirin graduated from the School of Law in 1999, she made a conscious decision not to conform to the image of law school graduates as being predictable and restrained. In October of that year, the 25 year-old had just taken the Florida Bar, but instead of accepting a great job offer from Goldberg & Hirsh, a small practice where she had been working for the past year and a half, Ojen capriciously opted for the lure of New York City. More...

 

Anthanette Fields, JD'99: Returns Home to California Anthanette (Toni) Fields asks that her former classmates and friends at UM Law keep their eyes open for A Summer at Comedy Camp currently airing on PBS. Filmed on location at L.A.'s renowned Laugh Factory, the documentary tracks the summer of six underprivileged teens who, under the tutelage of comedians, are coached to use humor to deal with life's adversities. More...

 

Deborah Enix-Ross, JD'81: Concluding Five Years of International IP and ADR Law in Europe In October, Deborah Enix-Ross returns to the United States after a nearly five-year sojourn in Geneva, Switzerland. Deborah has accepted a management position with Debevoise & Plimpton, a large, international firm in New York. More...

 

Caryn Vogel, JD'96: Pro Bono Lawyer for South Florida's HIV Positive Community As the Director and Founder of H.E.L.P., Inc. (HIV, Education & Law Project), Caryn Vogel has dedicated the last eight years to serving the South Florida community. H.E.L.P. is a not for profit organization that provides free legal representation to people infected with and affected by the HIV/AIDS virus. More...

 

Karmela Malone, JD'92: Looking Back Ten Years Later For Karmela Malone, law school was a homecoming. A graduate of Miami Norland High School, Karmela moved to New York to attend Long Island University on a track scholarship. She started college as a communications major and graduated with a degree in political science. More...

 

Rebecca Amster, JD'00: Family Law With Passion From the moment she stepped foot on a college campus as a freshman, Rebecca Amster seems to have had in her possession an internal compass guiding her to the perfect career. Rebecca is an Associate Attorney at Glantz & Glantz, a mid-sized firm located in the Fort Lauderdale area, where she specializes in family law. More...

 

David Noble, JD'01: Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop David Noble spent the summer between his second and third year of law school in New York City as a Summer Associate with Pillsbury Winthrop. This was in 2000, the year before the economic downturn started to take an effect on law firms and their summer programs. More...

 

Jack Wallace: Representative for Miami's Immigrant Community It is well-known that South Florida is the destination of thousands of immigrants a year. Many, though, will end up in local jails and the Krome Detention Center, awaiting deportation, and many will seek asylum to stay in the U.S. This means Jack Wallace a very busy man. More...

 

Amy Horton, JD'92: Lawyer for the Peace Corps Africa. Eastern Europe. Asia. The Caribbean. For the past three years Amy Horton has been working as the Associate General Counsel for the Peace Corps. More...

 

Brooks Holcomb, JD'00: Practicing Estate Planning and Tax Law in Arizona Brooks Holcomb has kept himself busy since graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 2000. He passed the Arizona Bar, earned an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law, and as of May 2001, has been an Associate Attorney with Quarles & Brady, one of the 60 largest law firms in the United States. More...

 

Pro Bono Project Makes NYC Tragedy More Personal The middle-aged mother started to cry as she watched Beth DeSanto fill in the first blank on the four-page questionnaire-the blank that said "name of victim." More...

 

Judge Moreno, JD'78, Hears Far-Reaching HMO Cases U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno, of the Southern District of Florida, is hearing a consolidation of class action lawsuits from around the country that could have a major impact on how insurers pay health care providers and how they describe their plans to subscribers. More...

 

Class of '51 Remembers "It's a pleasure to see alumni, friends, wives and kin," commented Harold Kassin, one of approximately 50 class members and guests at the 50th Reunion Luncheon of the Class of 1951, May 20, at the Hyatt Regency Miami. More...

 

Dean Lynch Meets with UM Law Alumni in London and Munich UM Law alumni from seven European countries and Japan had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with Dean Dennis Lynch this summer when he traveled to Law School events in London and Munich. More...