Dean Alfredo Garcia Awarded South Florida Chamber of Commerce's Hispanic Leadership Award

St. Thomas Law Dean, Alfredo Garcia, has been awarded the South Florida Chamber of Commerce's Hispanic Leadership Award.

Dean Garcia was presented with the award during a ceremony March 24th in the Legal category in recognition of his “leadership, trajectory, experience and commitment to the field of law." 

The Chamber of Commerce stated that Dean Garcia  has clearly distinguished himself as a very successful lawyer, educator and writer, making the Hispanic community “extremely proud of [his]many contributions...”

St. Thomas Law's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program - 33 Years of Community Service

For 33 years, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at St. Thomas University has helped community residents secure tax refunds. VITA is the oldest pro bono program at St. Thomas University School of Law. Founded by St. Thomas Law Professor Mark J. Wolff, the program has secured taxpayers in excess of $10,000,000 in refunds; student, faculty, and staff pro bono hours have exceeded 40,000.

Last year, St. Thomas Law’s VITA program assisted hundreds of taxpayers. St. Thomas Law School students and other volunteers will spend each Saturday until the end of tax season providing this important free service to the most needy and vulnerable members of our surrounding communities.

IRS Certified Volunteers are available at St. Thomas University every Saturday through April 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to prepare federal income tax returns, free of charge for individuals and families with a yearly income of $54,000 or less.

For more information, visit www.stu.edu/VITA, call 305-474-2415, or email is at vita@stu.edu.


Can't Make it on Saturdays?
No worries, STU’s Tax Clinic is now offering “Open Intake Thursdays,” a faster tax preparation experience, every Thursday through April 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All you have to do is bring the required documents (see below), fill out a form, and the clinic volunteers do the rest! And there's no need to wait around as they crunch numbers, they’ll schedule a later date for you to come in and review/file your returns.

STU’s Tax Clinic is located on the second floor of the Law School, Suite 205.


Items to bring to STU’s Tax Clinic’s Open Intake Thursdays & VITA Saturdays:

• Government issued identification for you and your spouse (to prepare and file your taxes on a married-filing-joint return, both spouses must be present; for a married-filing-separate return the name of your spouse with social security number is required).
• Original Social Security Cards for you, your spouse, and dependents. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter may be substituted for you, your spouse and your dependents if you do not have a Social Security number.
• Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents being listed on the tax return.
• Wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099s, from all employers, and/or Social Security benefits statement.
• All Forms 1095-A, B or C, Affordable Health Care Statements or Health Insurance Exemption Certificate, if applicable.
• Interest, brokerage, and dividend statement(s) (Form 1099s).
• Form 1098-T Tuition Statement form an eligible education institution, such as a college or university or Form 1098-E Student Loan Interest Statement.
• Any and all expenses (including business) must be accompanied by a receipt. Expenses must be organized and itemized.
• Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider's tax identification number (provider’s Social Security number or the provider’s business Employer Identification Number.
• Any other forms or documents necessary to complete your income tax return.
• Proof of bank account routing numbers and account numbers for Direct Deposit, such as a blank check.
• A copy of last year’s federal and state returns or copies of income transcripts from IRS, if applicable.

St.Thomas Law Students Awarded Scholarships by the Florida Association of Women Lawyers

St. Thomas law students, Shannon McGee (2L) and Erika Hernandez (1L) were recently awarded scholarships from the Miami-Dade FAWL Chapter, after being selected from a statewide pool of applicants.

Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL) is a professional organization dedicated to "promoting the advancement of women in the legal profession. Its membership is comprised of lawyers, judges, and professionals within the business community."

The scholarships were presented on March 22, 2017 at the Women Making History Award and Scholarship Presentation Ceremony at the History Miami Museum. Ms. McGee received the Jeannie Perwin Memorial Scholarship and Ms. Hernandez the Judge Gill Freeman Scholarship.

Announcing Erika Hernandez (1L) as winner of the Judge Gill Freeman Scholarship 

Shannon McGee accepting scholarship award

Shannon McGee.(2L) and Laura Varela, Private Sector Career Counselor at St. Thomas Law

St. Thomas Law Human Trafficking Academy - Continuing to Make World of Difference

St. Thomas Law’s Human Trafficking Academy recently concluded its week-long anti-trafficking training. The Academy, directed by law professor Dr. Roza Pati, welcomed fifty national and international participants; some hailing from as far away as the United Kingdom. They represented various professional groups including attorneys, public defenders/prosecutors, law enforcement, social service providers, students, and faith-based organizations.

Through its multidisciplinary and immersion approach, the Human Trafficking Academy - the only one of its kind - brings together these professionals of various disciplines, training them to work together and complement each other’s efforts in identifying and protecting human trafficking victims. The training highlights the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, strengthening cooperation amongst anti-trafficking institutions and increasing awareness in order to prevent and combat human trafficking.

During the week, 21 courses were taught by top-level experts and professionals. These courses were designed to empower participants with knowledge and skills to actively and effectively engage in anti-trafficking work.

Center front: Kyla (a survivor of human trafficking), Dr. Roza Pati (right) and Michele Gillen (left),

Participants of the Human Trafficking Academy 2017

During the week, the Academy hosted the renowned South Florida television anchor and investigative reporter, Michele Gillen. She discussed the role of the media in combating human trafficking and shared the story of Kyla, a survivor of human trafficking, featured in her short documentary report titled “Trapped.”

Human trafficking survivor Barbara Amaya, who survived domestic sex trafficking as a minor, led a training session titled “Dismantling the Cult of Human Trafficking: A Survivor’s Perspective, in which she shared her transformational story with the attendees, discussed the similarities between domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and cult recruitment, and ways to address and break the existing trauma bond experienced by DMST victims.  At the age of 12, Ms. Amaya was forced into sex trafficking in Washington, DC and later on the streets of New York City, for over 10 years. 

Barbara Amaya (Author, Advocate & Survivor)

Attendee Feedback:

• “The course was fabulous—the curriculum well thought out. The speakers were well prepared and relevant. I am disappointed it came to an end so quickly. Dr. Pati and her staff were very welcoming, hospitable and genuine.”

• “This program was AMAZING. We learned so much. The topics were great and we really enjoyed [them] and had our eyes opened to many things we were unaware of.”

• “I would be interested in additional training offered by the Academy. This academy was excellent! I think additional levels of the academy would be a great way for those within different fields to come together again, and learn from each other.” 

• “Thank you for putting together this training on human trafficking. It was superbly executed and very educational. I appreciated the breadth of instruction on legal efforts, law enforcement actions and social services that target human trafficking. Thank you for bringing in such distinguished lecturers, and some exceptional public speakers such as Regina Bernadin, Michelle Gillen, Maria Jose Fletcher, Benjamin Widlanski, Brenda Mezick, Barbara Amaya, and Sean Sellers. I really enjoyed the entire week and appreciated the opportunity to network with professionals from across the country. Thank you, Professor Pati, for your tireless dedication to fighting human trafficking. It is truly inspiring!”

For more information and to join our efforts, please visit www.humantraffickingacademy.org or contact us at humantrafficking@stu.edu.

St. Thomas Law Professor Wiessner's Book "General Theory of International Law" Published

Professor Siegfried Wiessner, who is regularly consulted by foreign governments and other groups regarding human rights, has just come out with an important and already acclaimed new book, General Theory of International Law, which is the introductory volume of the “American Classics in International Law” series and will adorn the shelves of law libraries around the world. 

Professor Siegfried Wiessner

In this book, Professor Wiessner presented, put into context, and critically appraised specifically American general theories of and about international law. He focused on American Legal Realism, the New Haven School of Jurisprudence, International and Transnational Legal Process, liberal theories of international law, linkages to social sciences, including Law & Economics, Critical Legal Studies, LatCrit, TWAIL, and feminist approaches to the field.

The book has been published by the renowned Dutch publisher of BRILL Nijhoff, and will be formally launched at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington, D.C.

Yale law professor Michael Reisman, the venerated international law scholar who wrote the preface, praised Professor Wiessner’s work this way: “[M]uch as another European, Alexis De Toqueville, was able to see democracy in America with unique penetration and depth, Siegfried Wiessner . . . brings unique insights and appraisals of America’s contribution to theories of and about international law . . . . His introductory essay . . . is an intellectual tour de force . . . . I am confident that this superlative study will stand the test of time.” 

The faculty celebrated the occasion with a lunchtime reception in Professor Wiessner's honor.