St. Thomas Law Students Participate in Transformative Internship Experiences at the United Nations and Florida Supreme Court

One of the hallmarks of the legal education at St. Thomas University School of Law is the out-of-classroom experience. St. Thomas Law is committed to training students to be effective and ethical advocates by providing opportunities for them to gain invaluable real-world perspectives that cannot be achieved in the traditional classroom environment.

The Supreme Court of Florida and the United Nations in New York are two of the most transformative learning experiences and St. Thomas Law was, once again, proud to send a number of our third-year students into these life-changing internships.

3L St. Thomas Law Student, Oscar Quintero (standing far right) along with
 Florida Supreme Court Justices and other interns

This past April, third-year student Oscar Quintero secured a highly sought-after internship with the Florida Supreme Court. His daily duties included writing memorandums of jurisdiction, and providing recommendations to the Justices as to whether they should accept a case for written argument.

"The internship provided me with a view into the inner workings of the Florida Supreme Court, an opportunity from which any attorney would benefit," reported Mr. Quintero. "The best part about the experience is that it provided me valuable insight and marketable skills."
A key benefit of the Supreme Court internship is to have interns practice law in the State's capital, having them work as a law clerk to all of the justices and conducting legal research.  

"While they are at court, students see both the Judicial and Attorney disciplinary hearings," explained Cece Dykas, St. Thomas Law's Associate Dean and Clinical Program Director. "They work for Justices who have committed their lives to public service and they see the importance of being a leader."

Erica Behm at the Florida Supreme Court Building.

Erica Behm, also a third-year student, is currently interning at the Florida Supreme Court and states that the process has pushed her to expand her boundaries and explore career opportunities that she had not considered before.

"The best part of this opportunity is getting to explore different legal fields." stated Ms. Behm. "I have seen cases of all types, including criminal appeals, pro se motions, and civil cases.  It’s a truly unique opportunity to venture out into the professional legal community at the highest levels, and I would not trade this experience for the world."

United Nations Trusteeship Chambers

That statement echoes the sentiments of Denise Calle, a third-year St. Thomas Law student who, along with fellow law student Gregg Rock, is interning at the United Nations in New York. Ms. Calle describes her experience as a "once in a lifetime opportunity." She  is currently placed at the Mission of the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, where she serves as an Advisor of the Holy See to the General Assembly's Third Committee. The Holy See is a delegation independent from the Vatican, who represents his holiness, Pope Francis directly.  She has had the opportunity to attend meetings at the General Assembly and Security Council where Heads of States addressed the international community in the context of their perspective on national and foreign policy and was present for President Barack Obama's address to the UN regarding the Iran Nuclear Deal.

St. Thomas Law UN Interns, Gregg Rock and Denise Calle
at the General Assembly in New York

"I'm extremely grateful for having the opportunity to work at the UN," stated Ms. Calle. "I have witnessed the Pope and a handful of presidents from other nations address issues of human dignity, poverty, displacement of peoples and armed conflicts."
St. Thomas Law professor Mark Wolff, who directs the Pax Romano UN internship, notes that the internship program at the United Nations is intended to develop leaders for a new global paradigm based on justice, peace and sustainability.


Together our students, professors and the practitioners who supervise and guide our students during their internship placements create unique, inclusive experiences that prepare our graduates for successful, enriching legal careers.

St. Thomas Law's Pro Bono Day with the Miami River Commission

In recognition of the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Week which runs from October 25-31, a group of St. Thomas Law students planted fruits and vegetables and maintained a community garden for the residents of Miami-Dade County Affordable Elderly Housing in Little Havana. 

“Pro bono service helps students connect the concepts they learn in the law school classroom with their role as members of the local community," stated St. Thomas Law's Public Service Career Counselor Robert Jack. "Students learn that taking time from their busy schedules to give back brings both fulfillment and perspective to their legal studies.”

Law students Jeanne Leconte, Daniel Zarnowski, Michael Jones, Erica Behm, Gwen Richards, 
Diego Machado, Yohania Santana and S. St. Thomas Public Interest Career counselor Robert Jack

Students also cleaned up the building’s shoreline on the Miami River. Law students Jeanne Leconte, Daniel Zarnowski, Erica Behm, Gwen Richards, Diego Machado, Michael Jones, Yohania Santana, along with friends and family joined Public Interest Career Counselor Robert Jack in Saturday afternoon’s community service event.

"I signed up to attend the Pro Bono Day river cleanup and gardening event because it seemed like a fun activity and a great way to get outside," stated third-year law student Erica Behm.  "I was surprised, however, to see that even something that seems so unrelated to legal work can spark so much discussion and can teach me about legal issues in the community."

Participants also spoke about the awareness raised about the scarcity of affordable housing for the elderly in Miami and prompted discussions about the possibility of that housing being taken away.

For the past seven years, the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service has succeeded in creating an annual national spotlight on pro bono activities. This year the event was organized in keeping with the St. Thomas Law mission of community engagement and service.

St. Thomas Law has also been nationally recognized for its pro-bono graduation requirement which ranked among the top ten in the nation according to SuperLawyers Magazine.

St. Thomas Law Ranked Top Ten Nationally for Most Diverse Faculty and Best Environment for Minority Students

The 2016 edition of The Princeton Review - Best 173 Law Schools has been released and St. Thomas University School of Law has maintained its Top 10 national ranking for having the “Best Environment for Minority Students.” St. Thomas Law is the only Florida law school to be ranked in this category and now has added a new, Top 10 ranking - "Most Diverse Faculty."




The survey ranked St. Thomas University School of Law as one of the best institutions to earn a law school degree based on student’s high regard for our academics and Princeton Review’s assessment of institutional data that is collected from the schools. They solicited the opinions of 19,700 students attending these law schools who reported on their experiences at their schools on an 80-question student survey.

The “Best Environment for Minority Students” ranking is based on the percentage of the student body that is from underrepresented minorities and student assessment of whether students receive equal treatment by fellow students and faculty, regardless of ethnicity.

The “Most Diverse Faculty” ranking is based on the percentage of the law school’s faculty that is from a minority group and the student assessment of whether the faculty is made up of a broadly diverse group of individuals.

Based in Miami, Florida, St. Thomas Law has continually attracted a diverse student population and is a highly-regarded, student-centered law school where diversity is cherished, a commitment to human rights and international law flourishes, and the Catholic heritage of social justice enhances the education of all faiths.

“The recognition is consistent with our mission: to provide opportunities to those groups that have been and continue to be underrepresented in the legal profession,” stated Dean of St. Thomas University School of Law, Alfredo Garcia. “We adhere and live up to our mission and values in our continuing quest for excellence.”

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its college rankings and line of 150 books published by Random House. It is not affiliated with Princeton University.

Top South Florida LGBT Advocate Visits St. Thomas Law

This week, St. Thomas Law's Lambda Law Society welcomed Attorney Elizabeth Schwartz to address students and faculty on the legal issues concerning the LGBT community. She began with an introduction on entering the public interest sphere and then honed in on some LGBT issues that many of the attendees noted that they were not aware of.  

President of the Lambda Law Society, Evan Phoenix, described the presentation as informative, engaging and witty.  Stated Phoenix: "I found her therapeutic justice approach to advocacy inspirational."

Pictured: Evan Phoenix, Austin Bodnar (3L), Elizabeth Schwartz, Professor Amy Ronner, 

Andres Santiago (3L), Gwen Richards (3L).

"Elizabeth is a truly inspiring individual and a beacon for not just the LGBT community, but the entire public interest community." stated law student Gwendolyn Richards. "She encouraged us to follow our moral compasses and assured us that if we work from our hearts, we will find a career."

Ms. Schwartz is one of Miami's best known advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.While her South Beach-based firm equally works with straight and gay clients in matters of family law, estate planning and probate, she has made a name for herself representing the LGBT community, with a focus on family formation (adoption, insemination, surrogacy). 

Elizabeth is currently serving as pro bono counsel on the pending case challenging Florida's marriage ban brought by the National Center for Lesbian Rights on behalf of six same-sex couples seeking the right to marry and the Equality Florida Institute.