Center for Ethics and Public Service

MISSION

Founded in 1996, the Center for Ethics and Public Service is a law school- housed ethics education, experiential skills training, and community engagement program devoted to the values of ethical judgment, professional responsibility, and public service inlaw and society. The Center’s mission is to educate law students to serve their communities as citizen lawyers.

HISTORY

For 24 years, the Center has served as an incubator and an accelerator for numerous public service initiatives. They include on-campus and off-campus clinics (Children and Youth Law Clinic, Community Economic Development & Design Clinic, Community Lawyering Clinic, Environmental Justice Clinic, Health Law Clinic, and Social Enterprise Clinic), programs (Dartmouth College Ethics Institute Internship Program, Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program, Street Law Program, and Joint College of Arts and Sciences Program on Law, Public Policy, and Ethics), summer colloquia (UM Environmental Justice, Policy, & Science), and oral histories and documentary films (Oral History & Documentary Film Project).

PROGRAMS

The Center operates three programs: the Community Equity Lab, the Historic Black Church Program, and the Legal Profession Program. Program faculty, staff, and students collaborate with schools across the University of Miami as well as the Florida bar and bench; anti-poverty, civil rights, environmental, and public health organizations; and faith-based groups, nonprofit corporations, and civic and neighborhood associations.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Since 1996, Center faculty and staff have trained more than 1,332 graduate and undergraduate fellows and interns, and collaborated with more than 47,600 civic leaders in ethics and professionalism programs as well as anti-poverty, civil rights, environmental justice,and public health campaigns. Center faculty also have been widely cited in law journals and in the media.

In the News

Proposal meant to curb overdevelopment in Coconut Grove stalls at Miami commission
‘Who gave it, who got it?’ How political influence in Miami is bought — and concealed
Does current building code violate fair housing?
Coconut Grove: Zoned divided – Current building codes causing segregation could violate Fair Housing Act
With overwhelming support from voters, Miami Beach creates a watchdog for City Hall
Removal begins Thursday for Dunbar's toxic sludge
Fifty-six years later, Fort Myers prepares to remove toxic sludge
Dunbar toxic sludge lawsuit gets a jury trial date
Fort Myers toxic sludge neighbors have their first day in court
Decision to hear Fort Myers residents' toxic sludge case is in judge's hands
Fort Myers files motion to dismiss claims of toxic sludge neighbors
Environmental Racism Research, Activism Wins Student 2018 MCCJ Silver Medallion
Friends of Everglades - Marjorie Stoneman Douglas' Organization – Bestowed Hoeveler Award
Dunbar property owners sue City of Fort Myers to clean up toxic sludge dump
Fort Myers mayor wants toxic city dump cleaned up as lawsuit looms
Test results from sludge site raise eyebrows, prompt more testing
A legend on Miami’s federal bench, Judge William Hoeveler dies at 95
Toxic sludge addressed at Dunbar town hall
Homeowner: Re-fi denied due to city sludge site
Miami Sued for Dumping Cancer-Causing Toxic Ash on Segregated Neighborhood

Alumni: Where They Are Now and Testimonials

"The Center's Historic Black Church Program provided me with the opportunity to help challenge the displacement of low income communities of color, and I carry that experience with me into my current work as a housing attorney at Legal Services."
Nejla Calvo
Tenant's Rights Unit Staff Attorney, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc.

"I owe a great part of my professional success and career satisfaction to the CEPS, as the hands-on clinical experience proved to be an invaluable step in securing my first job out of UM Law and has made giving back to the community a priority in my professional life."
Daniel M. Whyte
Senior Director of Business and Legal Affairs, Claro Video, Inc.

"Through my involvement with the Center for Ethics & Public Service, I learned the importance of public service and mentoring and gained a broader perspective and more balanced viewpoint. I think that I am more compassionate and well-rounded lawyer because of my participation."
Christina Pacheco
Assistant Attorney General, Florida Office of the Attorney General

"I stay grounded by continuing to service on the CEPS Advisory Board and outside counsel for Greater St. Paul AME, supporting all the great work the students are doing."
D. Porpoise Evans
Partner, Perlman, Bajandas, Yevoli & Albrights

"As for the Center, it was one of the highlights of my law school experience. It revealed the impact that this profession can have when a group of talented, motivated, and genuinely good people offer their time and talents to the community. This lesson has stayed with me and affected my pro bono efforts throughout my career."
Ron Tomassi
Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLp

"CEPS gave me an opportunity to explore legal employment first-hand and hear about the experiences of others. This was BEYOND valuable, in terms of deciding which path of public service would be best for me, and I am forever grateful!" 
Rob Collins
Education & Outreach Coordinator
Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence

"The Center was the ONLY part of my entire law school experience, with the exception of the LitSkills course, that gave me real life experience and the opportunity to work with (and deal with) real clients, with real issures that we could actually help. The Center was definitely a contributor to my confidence and ability to practice immediately after law school."
Jennifer C. Pratt
Pratt Law

"CEPS taught me how to make my practice more client-oriented, appreciate and develop diverse teams, and support social jusitce work by partnering with local organizations and the organizers that make them run and carry out the vision of the people.": 
Quinn Smith
Managing Partner, GST LLP

"My experience at CEPS highlighted the various legal career paths available within the public sector, and the importance of individual public service in creating the change we wish to see in the world." 
Monik Williams
Federal Attorney
Department of Health & Human Services

"The Center does great work and is a wonderful way for students to learn while helping others." 
Patrick R. Sullivan
Partner, Lubell Rosen

External Partners

Brown University's Institute at Brown for Environmental Science and Society (IBES)

Brown University's Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) is proud of our partnership with the Center for Ethics and Public Service at the University of Miami School of Law.  Over the past five years, the Center trained and mentored Brown summer interns to help fight for environmental and social justice in the Miami-Dade area. In addition to our internship partnership, since Fall 2020, the University of Miami has been working with Professor Dawn King’s engaged scholars course: Humans, Nature and the Environment, to contextualize health disparities in Miami-Dade County. Students are researching how health disparities and environmental injustices are exacerbated due to impacts of climate change by using ArcGIS mapping, looking at comparative case studies, and synthesizing environmental and public health data to make research findings accessible. 

Dawn King - Director of Undergraduate Studies, Senior Lecturer in Environment and Society
Stina Trollbäck - Research Assistant, Climate and Development Lab

Internal Partners

Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy

Kenneth Broad - Director, Abess Center; Professor, Marine Ecosystems and Society, RSMAS
Andee L. Holzman - Assistant Director, Abess Center
Gina Maranto - Senior Lecturer, Co-Director, Ecosystem Science and Policy; Graduate Program Coordinator, Environmental Science and Policy

Department of Geography and Regional Studies
 
Justin Stoler, Ph.D., M.P.H. - Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Regional Studies, Department of Public Health Sciences; Faculty Scholar, Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy (2019-2020)

University of Miami Richter Library
 
Abraham Kaleo Parrish - GIS Services Librarian, University of Miami Richter Library

Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM) MD/MPH

Roderick K. King, M.D., M.P.H. - Director, Miller School of Medicine’s M.D./M.P.H. Program, Assistant Dean for Public Health Education
Shirin Shafazand, M.D., MS - Professor of Medicine, Deputy Director, MD/MPH Program, Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Zinzi Bailey, ScD, MSPH - Epidemiologist, Research Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine

School of Education and Human Development

Dina Birman - Professor, Educational and Psychological Studies Director, Community Well-Being Ph.D. Program, (CWB) Editor in Chief, International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Scot Evans - Associate Professor, Director of major in Human and Social Development
Guerda Nicolas - Professor, Educational and Psychological Studies
Ashmeet Oberoi - Clinical Assistant Professor and Director, Community and Social Change Master’s Program
Ed Trickett - Visiting Professor and Community Well-Being Scholar
Laura Kohn-Wood - Chair and Professor, Educational and Psychological Studies

School of Communication

 
Jyotika Ramaprasad - Professor, School of Communication
 

Publications

Awards

For More Information

Contact CEPS
See CEPS Staff