St.Thomas Law Trial Team Hosts Alumni from Successful Alumni-Founded Law Firms

. Seated (L-R)  Houson Lafrance ‘14, Michael Mayer ‘07, and Joey McCall ‘11.
Standing are student members of St. Thomas Law's Mock Trial Team.

St.Thomas Law's mock trial students recently hosted three St. Thomas Law alumni for a panel discussion on  the importance of professional and personal reputation in the legal community as well as strategies for achieving ideal work-life balance.  All three guest panelists were active members of the Trial Team during their law school years. 

The approximately 40 student attendees got the opportunity to participate in discussions surrounding topics such as what motivated our panelists to join the mock trial organization initially as law students, what they find most enjoyable and challenging about litigation (“winning and winning”), and how their experiences at St. Thomas Law helped prepare them to become successful attorneys.  

  

Our guest attendee profiles: 

Houson Lafrance '14 is a criminal defense attorney and founding partner of Cox, Golondrino and Lafrance, PA, a Plantation firm founded by three members of the Class of 2014 (Tim Cox and Luis Golondrino).  

Mike Mayer '07, adjunct professor at St.Thomas and director of the Trial Team, is the litigation managing attorney at Peyton Bolin, PL, a Fort Lauderdale real estate firm founded by two St. Thomas Law alumni (Mauri Peyton ’07 and Jane Bolin ’07).  

Joey McCall ,11 is a junior partner at Farrell & Patel, a Miami-based firm also founded by two St. Thomas Law alumni (Wes Farrell ’09 and Ricky Patel ’09).  

St. Thomas Law's Mock Trial Team  promotes excellence in litigation and trial advocacy skills. Students participate in state, regional and national advocacy competitions, vying for team membership through tryouts. St. Thomas University School of Law trial teams have achieved prominence in numerous competitions.

St. Thomas Law Students Deliver Arguments before the Third District Court of Appeal

Sitting before a packed Moot Court Room, the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida convened one of its official sessions on campus on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Presiding over the proceedings were the Honorable Richard Suarez, Chief Judge; the Honorable Barbara Lagoa; and the Honorable Thomas Logue. St. Thomas Law students were given a rare opportunity to witness actual proceedings as attorneys presented oral arguments in real appellate cases before the Court. 

Among the memorable moments of the day was the appearance of a third-year law student, Kielan Saborit, presenting oral argument to the Court in her capacity as a certified legal intern in J.C. v. State of Florida, Case No. 3D16-825, supervised by Professor Howard Blumberg. Third-year student, Ana Perez-Dorrego,  assisted in the preparation of the initial brief.

As in prior years, there was great excitement as students watched the dynamic interactions between the Court and the attorneys unfolding before them. 

Law student Kielan Saborit delivers arguments before the court

 “The highly-anticipated visit of the Court was a rare opportunity for law students to learn about effective appellate practice and oral advocacy,” observed Professor Annie Chan, Director of the Legal Writing Program, who supervised the organization of the event. “Each year, the Court’s visit provides educational insights into the legal system which students gain only from watching the Court in action.” 

St. Thomas Law's Appellate Litigation clinic students Kielan Saborit, Jessica Biedron, and Meagan Sanchez are Certified Legal Interns and represented Appellants in three actual cases; two of which were argued in sessions at the Third DCA building on downtown Miami. Ana Perez-Dorrego, also a student in the clinic, offered invaluable contributions as legal intern on two of the cases.

Being allowed the opportunity to argue actual cases before sitting judges is one of the unique benefits that students enjoy as a part of the clinical program at St. Thomas Law.

STU Law Student, Chanae Wood, Honored by Dade County Commission for Being First Black Editor of the St.Thomas Law Review

Chanae Wood, 2L

On Tuesday, April 4th, second-year St.Thomas Law student, Chanae Wood, was recognized by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan for being the first black Editor-in-Chief of the St.Thomas Law Review.

Chanae was honored in a ceremony attended by other county commissioners as well as her family and supporters, including St.Thomas Law Professor Amy Ronner. The presentation took place at the Board of County Commissioners meeting at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami.

"It was an absolute honor to be recognized by Commissioner Barbara Jordan," stated Chanae. "Commissioner Jordan has been a champion for the residents of District 1, which encompasses the city of Miami Gardens, where I was raised. Therefore, I was extremely excited to find out that she wanted to honor my accomplishment."

"I’m honored to have been selected as the first Black Editor-in-Chief, especially considering that there is a lack of representation of people of color in the legal field," she continued. "However, I’m even more honored that I was selected based on my merit and passion for the organization."

Pictured (L-R) Commissioners Barbara J. Jordan, Esteban L. Bovo, Jr. (Chairman), Chanae Wood, Xavier L. Suarez, Professor Amy Ronner, and Miami-Dade County attorney Abigail Price Williams.

As editor, she plans on focusing on quality publications that bring awareness to trending areas of the law, and by bringing  innovative programming to the law review.

Chanae, who is also President of the St. Thomas Law chapter of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), aspires to become a government law attorney, specializing in state government funding and appropriations. She secured a coveted summer internship with Greenspoon Marder, where she hopes to gain more insight on this area of law by working within the firm’s Government and Government Relations practice. She noted that the incidences of senseless violence, high incarceration rates, and lack of resources seen in marginalized communities of color influenced her decision to attend law school.

The St. Thomas Law Review is a student-run scholarly legal journal. The Law Review was founded in 1987 and published the inaugural issue in the fall of 1988. Membership in the St. Thomas Law Review is limited to second and third-year law students who are invited to join based on their academic success or performance during the write-on competition administered at the beginning of the summer term.