St. Thomas Law Alumna Among Newest Judicial Appointees to Federal Immigration Court

St. Thomas Law proudly announces the investiture of alumna, Georgina M. Picos, as a federal immigration judge.

Acting Chief Immigration Judge Michael C. McGoings presided over the investiture ceremony which was held on June 17, 2016 at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.

After a thorough application process, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Judge Picos, along with 14 other judges into her new position.

“We are pleased to welcome these 15 appointees to the immigration judge corps,” said McGoings. “Their arrival brings our immigration judge corps to 273 adjudicators, our highest level to date.”

"The St. Thomas community proudly celebrates our first alumnae to be appointed as an Immigration Judge," stated St. Thomas Law Dean, Alfredo Garcia.  "Judge Picos’ distinguished career as a dedicated public servant will continue as she embarks on this new phase of her legal career."

Judge Picos graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law in 1991. Upon graduation, she joined a private law practice in Miami as an associate attorney; working there until 1994 when she began serving as assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security.

She is also the first St. Thomas Law graduate to be appointed to the federal judiciary. She will serve in the Houston Immigration Court and is set to begin hearing cases in June 2016.

Alumna Becomes Shareholder in Large South Florida Law Firm

 Viviana Arango Loshak '10

St. Thomas Law congratulates alumna Viviana Arango Loshak on becoming a shareholder in Fowler White Burnett's insurance practice group.

According to Fowler White, in this role, she will be handling a wide variety of coverage and defense issues related to commercial, directors and officers, errors and omissions, automobile and professional liability policies. She will also  also handle general commercial litigation matters and civil disputes, as well as defending and prosecuting matters on behalf of corporations and business entities. 

Vivian graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2010. As a law student, she was a member of the St. Thomas Law Review and the St. Thomas Moot Court team.

St.Thomas Law Graduate, Kyle Teal, Wins Writing Award from the Florida Bar

Kyle Teal

St. Thomas Law graduate, Kyle Teal '12, is co-recipient of this year's Florida Bar Journal Excellence in Writing Award.

The Florida Bar Journal & News Editorial Board selected Kyle B. Teal and Ervin Gonzalez as the recipients for their article, “No Ideas But in Things: A Practitioner’s Look at Demonstrative Evidence,” which was published in the December 2015 issue of the journal.

According to the Florida Bar, awardees are selected based on "writing quality, substance, difficulty, and style."
The article focuses on the the use of demonstrative evidence at trial, and has been cited by a number of legal entities dealing with issues surrounding that topic.

"Kyle is a real professional," stated St. Thomas Law professor Gary Kravitz, who taught Kyle while he was a law student. 

While a student at St. Thomas Law he was also the editor-in-chief of the St. Thomas Law Review and recipient of the 2012 ALI-ABA Scholarship and Leadership Award.

Teal is currently is an associate at the Gunster Miami office. He focuses on property rights litigation, including the representation of owners and businesses in eminent domain, inverse condemnation, regulatory takings, and Bert J. Harris claims. He also assists clients in commercial and insurance litigation, as well as land use, development, and acquisition matters.

Read the award-winning article here.