Laurel M. Isicoff, JD ’82, is ready for the challenge.  On February 13, the veteran lawyer was sworn in as the first woman bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of Florida.  The appointment fulfills a lifelong professional dream.  “The pinnacle of success for an attorney is becoming a judge,” she said.

Judge Isicoff joins the court after more than two decades as a bankruptcy lawyer.  She spent the last 14 years as a partner at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, where she specialized in commercial bankruptcy, foreclosure and distressed property workouts.

Judge Isicoff looks to her experience at the School of Law as giving her both the intellectual and personal tools to achieve her goal.  “I received a strong legal education,” she said, “and I also benefited from the relationships I developed with other students and faculty.  The environment fostered a collegiality that has carried me throughout my professional life.”

In the more than 20 years since Judge Isicoff graduated, the School of Law has grown and thrived.  “Things that have happened at the Law School are amazing,” she said.  She points to the high-quality faculty and diverse student population, the growth of its international programs, the Center for Ethics and Public Service and the pro bono clinics as evidence that the Law School has gained national prominence.  “The leaps at UM have been quantum,” she said.  “I was proud to be an alumna after I graduated, and I am prouder now.”

Judge Isicoff remains committed to her alma mater.  She is a member of Iron Arrow, the University’s highest honor.  Her former law firm is a significant contributor to the Law School, and her brother-in-law’s firm established a scholarship at the School of Law in honor of her late son, Joseph.

“We are proud of Judge Isicoff’s appointment,” said Dean Dennis Lynch.  “Our Law School gives students a broad foundation that allows them to succeed in different professional avenues. She was a wonderful student, a talented attorney, and she will be a superb judge.”