Kristy came to UM with a passion for media and entertainment law. However, she soon discovered a new-found interest in litigation. “It’s funny, when I came to law school I swore that I would never practice criminal law, but now I am considering it because of the ample opportunities it affords to get courtroom experience.” By the end of this year, Kristy will have participated in seven moot court competitions including traditional moot court, negotiation, and client counseling. “I really enjoy representing UM at regional and national competitions,” Kristy says, “and moot court has given me the opportunity to travel all over the U.S. representing the school.”  Some of the schools she competed against include Harvard University, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Emory University. Some of the moot court topics she has been involved with include: sexual battery, negligence of music artists, environmental law, 4th Amendment rights, and family law.

Kristy’s litigation skills have not gone unnoticed.  Recently, Kristy won the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition  in Atlanta, Georgia and participated in the national competition in Dallas, Texas (article on the ABA client counseling competition can be found at:  http://www.law.miami.edu/news/625.html ). Additionally, she won the Best Oralist of the Fall 2006 Advanced Moot Court Competition, placed as a semi-finalist in the UM Negotiation Competition, and finished in the top third of the ABA Regional Negotiation Competition. She also made it to the finals of the UM 1L moot court competition.  Kristy also had success at this year’s ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition (one of the most prestigious moot court competitions in the nation) as a brief writer. Along with UM team mates, Randi Maves and Richard Jones, Kristy advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition. Information about the NAAC competition can be found at:  http://www.law.miami.edu/news/636.html. Kristy’s moot court involvement has allowed her to help other UM Law students fine-tune their courtroom abilities.  “As a moot court board member, I engage with other students to increase their oral and written advocacy skills.”

Kristy is not shy in exploring every academic opportunity UM offers.  Her Litigation Skills class, comprised of only 8 people, recently spent 2 hours practicing direct and cross examinations in front of two sitting judges and a practicing attorney. “The litigation program at UM offers practical experience that is hard, if not impossible, to find at many other law schools.” Kristy also took advantage of UM’s policy for study abroad in summer programs which allows a student to go overseas with any ABA-approved school.  Kristy chose to study in London, UK with Southwestern University, where she earned the highest grade in her International and Comparative Media Law class and was recognized by The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Education (CALI) with the “Excellence for the Future” award.  “It was quite an honor, as my peers were from very respectable law schools all over the U.S. and Europe.”

This spring semester Kristy began her internship with Judge Shepherd of the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal, where she summarizes case dockets, conducts additional research for the court, and makes recommendations to the judge.  “Already I have gained valuable insight into the judicial and appellate process through this internship.” Last summer Kristy interned for the political election campaign of the former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Mark Taylor, who was running for Governor. “The internship made me very thankful for the extensive writing experience I gained in undergrad and the valuable skills I learned the first year of law school in Legal Research and Writing.”

Kristy graduated with her bachelor’s degree in just three years from Shorter College, a small private liberal arts school in Rome, GA. She majored in Public Relations and dual-minored in Journalism and International Studies.  In addition to her compressed academic workload, Kristy served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Shorter College yearbook, President of an honors society, manager of the college radio station, and writer for the college newspaper.   She even found time to be a part of the cheerleading squad for the school’s basketball team, and established a book club, serving as its Vice President.

Kristy chose UM School of Law for a variety of reasons. “UM is a large-sized law school, and that fact allows for such inherent diversity among students, faculty, classes, and organizations. I also knew that I wanted to practice law in Georgia after graduation, and so I thought it would be fun to experience a different (and still warm) city for a few years.”

In addition to her studies and accomplishments at UM, Kristy serves as a Vice President of the Christian Legal Society and is involved with Helping Others through Pro-bono Efforts (H.O.P.E.). Kristy was recently elected as President of the Moot Court Board for next year. This summer, Kristy will be working for the Miami-Dade public defender's office in their appellate division. “As a result of taking litigation skills, I am eligible to work as a Certified Legal Intern which will afford me the opportunity to write briefs and participate in oral arguments before the Third District Court of Appeal.”