UM Law student Madeleine Mannello elected President of the Florida Bar’s Law Student Division
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Last week, second-year UM Law student Madeleine “Mady” Mannello was elected president of the Florida Bar’s newly-established Law Student Division (LSD). Mannello was elected by representatives from 10 Florida law schools, beating out students from Florida Coastal School of Law and Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law.
The Florida Bar officially incorporated the LSD in the summer of 2008 under the umbrella of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD). Like the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the Florida Bar’s LSD will help forge networks between law students and attorneys, provide mentoring and scholarship programs, and represent law students in state Bar matters that affect them.
Mannello, the Law School’s 2L Florida Bar Representative, is a founding board member of the state’s newly-established LSD, along with classmate Errol Ross. She currently chairs the division’s Activities Committee, which coordinates state-wide events and programs. In November 2008, Mannello and Ross appointed William Mount, a 1L at the Law School, as the division’s 1L representative. Going forward, Mannello says representatives will be chosen through a school-wide election.
The division will be accepting its first members in the fall of 2009. It currently consists of board members - three representatives from each law school in the state. The elections for president began at the annual YLD conference, held in January 2009 in Orlando, Florida. The results were announced last week on February 17.
In her campaign letter, Mannello wrote: “My hope for the LSD is that it will one day rank among the top organizations on which students can rely for mentors, guidance, and assistance on their path towards a legal career. I will work hard to make sure that students view the Florida Bar as an organization that they are excited to become a part of.”
Since learning of her victory, Mannello said that she feels honored to have been elected to the position and is looking forward to serving. “While this is a wonderful opportunity for me, I recognize that this is an opportunity for UM Law as well,” she said. “I am committed to working as hard as is necessary to meet and exceed the expectations of the Florida Bar and to demonstrate that UM students are a dedicated, capable and unique group of people.”
A South Florida native of Ft. Lauderdale, Mannello came to the Law School after earning her Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida. She is fluent in Italian, and volunteers with several student organizations at UM Law including the Environmental Law Society, where she is vice-president of events and programming; and the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, where she co-founded a domestic violence initiative and works with Books & Buddies. Mannello is also a notary public and a soon-to-be-certified fitness instructor. With interests in political activism and human rights issues, Mannello plans to go into human and civil rights work.
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posted 23-February-2009
