Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Leaders for Life: St. Thomas Law Alumni Lead Local Bar Associations

The desire of legal practitioners to expand their scope of responsibility and influence outside of their practice areas often leads them to difference-making opportunities for outreach and leadership.

St. Thomas Law graduates have been successfully expanding their scope of influence by being elected and appointed to leadership positions in influential, local and national bar associations.

Oliver Ruiz '01
Oliver Ruiz III '01 is the president-elect of the South Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (FBA). Mr. Ruiz follows in the footsteps of another St. Thomas Law graduate, Brett Barfield '99.

Mr. Ruiz is a trademark and litigation attorney and a partner at Malloy & Malloy, P.L. located in Miami. While a student at St. Thomas Law, Oliver served as a board member of the Moot Court Board and was president of the Student Bar Association (SBA). Mr. Ruiz is admitted to practice law in Florida and North Carolina as well as in the United State District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

The South Florida Chapter of the FBA is one of the largest chapters in the country. The FBA represents the Federal legal profession and has more than 15,000 members. The FBA monitors and often advocates on federal issues that impact the practice of federal lawyers and the courts; it keeps its members abreast of current federal issues; provides opportunities for scholarship and education to the profession; provides opportunities for judges and attorneys to professionally and socially interact; and promotes high standards of professional competence.


Andres J. Correa '10
Jorge Fors '11
Andres Correa '10 and Jorge L. Fors, Jr. '11, were simultaneously installed as president and president-elect, respectively, of the Coral Gables Bar Association on September 19, 2015.  

Mr. Correa is a trial attorney and founding partner at Jaramillo Correa & Martinez, and focuses on first party property damage claims against insurance companies, personal injury, premises liability and wrongful death claims and motor vehicle accidents. 

Mr. Fors is an associate attorney at FORS Attorneys at Law in Coral Gables, Florida.  While a student at St. Thomas Law, he served as a Judicial Intern for Justice Peggy A. Quince at the Florida Supreme Court, as well as for Judge Victoria Platzer in the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, General Jurisdiction Division. He also was a member of the law school's Moot Court and Mock Trial teams.


The mission of the Coral Gables Bar Association is to promote the exchange of ideas and information, the observance of the highest professional and ethical standards, the education of members on relevant issues in the legal profession.

These three alumni are continuing the tradition of St.Thomas Law graduates who seek and excel in leadership roles and live by the motto "Leaders Have the Courage and Compassion to Make a Difference."

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