Marcia Reisman Embraces a New Career

     Marcia Reisman was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and raised there until the age of 12, when the Reisman family decided to move south to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., which they found to be much quieter than the "Steel City."

     Currently a third-year law student ("3L") at UM, she earned her bachelor's degree in English Education from the University of Florida , then took a position teaching math and business in a junior high school in Miami. After teaching for seven years in both public and private schools , she worked for eight years as a commercial realtor, selling properties in Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys. She once sold an entire island to Sir Robert Ashley of the Laura Ashley furniture and apparel fortune.

     Reisman feels fulfilled by her three decades of community involvement in and around Miami, including her experience as a tour guide at Fairchild Garden. Serving for two years as president of the Jewish Community Center, she worked with the Task Force on Domestic Violence, a group committed to dispelling the myth that domestic violence, mainly emotional abuse, doesn't happen in the Jewish community. She was instrumental in creating a phone hotline for victims of domestic abuse, along with making kosher food available by the Task Force so that an Orthodox Jewish person could leave home and still have a place to keep kosher. She also took pride in producing a weekend conference entitled: "Peace in the Home," an event to benefit all synagogues in the area.

     Reisman is interning with the Florida State Attorney's Office's domestic violence unit during the spring semester. After graduation, she will work for Judge David Gersten as a junior clerk at the Third District Court. She was "amazed" from the start at Judge Gersten's diversity in both cultural and recreational interests. Working without pay, Reisman voluntarily interned at the Third District Court one day each week in the fall of 2000 to learn the routine of the office from the senior clerk. Ultimately, Reisman plans to pursue her career as part of the legal or non-legal management of a small firm..

     "It's been wonderful" being a law student, Reisman emphasizes. The 3L has been busy throughout her time at UM Law. On the Inter-American Law Review, elected to Honor Council, a Dean's Fellow for Torts as a 2L, an Exam Workshop/Study Skill Specialist as a 3L, and a Student Ambassador (giving tours of the Law School to prospective students), she has been a strong presence in the Law School's extracurricular activities.

     She also has taken part in the Moot Court Competition, Client Counseling Division. Reisman is a member of the Bar and Gavel Society, chairperson for the Barrister's Ball, and chair of the committee that created a Moot Court Hall of Fame board in the law library. She participated in the London Summer Program and says facetiously that "the only problem with the program is that we were in school," referring to the historic city of London and marvelous opportunities to be found all over Europe.

     Of the faculty, Reisman speaks with admiration about two individuals in particular: Prof. R. Michael Fischl, who "is a teacher before he is a professor," impressed the former school-teacher with his clear and concise lectures. And, Professor Caroline Bradley is a compassionate instructor who "really cares about making sure students understand concepts."