THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW

UNIVERSITY PARK, GL 481

MIAMI, FLORIDA 33199

Telephone: (305) 348-8095

Fax: (305) 348-4108

 

The Florida International University College of Law is a state‑supported law school, fully‑accredited by the American Bar Association.

 

Located in Miami, the FIU College of Law is the first and only public law school in South Florida, the most populous region of the nation's fourth most populous state. It offers both a full‑time day program and a part‑time evening program.

 

The College of Law has appointed a diverse faculty of outstanding teachers and scholars. They earned their undergraduate, law and other advanced degrees from many of the most distinguished institutions in the country, and have broad practice experience in private firms and government service. Most are experienced law teachers who came to FIU from leading law schools across the country with proven records as talented and dedicated classroom teachers, and as prominent scholars with national reputations in their fields of research. The College of Law boasts a low student‑faculty ration that provides students ready access to this extraordinary faculty.

 

The law school has attracted a truly diverse and highly qualified student body. Even before it attained provisional ABA accreditation, it had enrolled a student body with credentials, as measured by LSAT score and undergraduate grade point average, that place it in the top half of the ten law schools in Florida. Reflecting the diversity of Miami and South Florida, the student body is "majority minority," with a plurality of Hispanic students. In its first foray into national moot court competition, the Annual Weschler First Amendment Moot Court Competition, FIU won the runner‑up trophy. In its second competition, sponsored by the Florida Bar for all Florida law schools, a FIU moot court team captured the best brief award.

 

The College of Law offers a curriculum that prepares students for ethical and effective practice of law in an increasingly global and multicultural world. The curriculum includes a full and faithful presentation of the courses traditionally offered at nearly all U.S. law schools. In addition, building on the parent university's distinction in its international programs, the curriculum incorporates important developments in the globalization of both public and private law. The academic program takes a pervasive approach to international and comparative law, incorporating these perspectives into all domestic law classes, and includes a required introductory course and a rich array of upper level electives in international, transnational and comparative law. Recognizing the importance of a solid grounding in the skills and values of the profession, the College of Law curriculum further provides students with extensive, rigorous legal research and writing experiences, introduces other lawyering skills such as counseling and negotiation, and introduces the important professional values of civility and ethical practice. Service to the profession and community is also a central part of the law school's program of legal education. Students must satisfy a community service requirement, and the curriculum includes multiple clinical legal education programs in which students represent indigent clients.

 

The College of Law's parent institution, Florida International University, is the state's major university in South Florida. Founded only 32 years ago, FIU has a student body of more than 37,000 and an operating budget of more than $250 million. It has over 1000 full‑time faculty and 100,000 alumni. Fully‑accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, the University offers more than 190 baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degree programs in 16 colleges and schools. FIU is one of five universities in Florida with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, which FIU achieved more quickly than any other university. It is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/Research University‑Extensive, the highest and most comprehensive ranking in its classification system. FIU's research programs attracted over $75 million in external support in the last academic year. The quality of FIU's programs has been acknowledged in its ranking among America's top 100 national public universities (U.S. News & World Report) and as a top value in public higher education (Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine).

 

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Dean:

Leonard P. Strickman (305) 348‑1118

Admissions:

Alma O. Miro (305) 348‑8006

Financial Aid:

Alma O. Miro (305) 348‑8006

Library:

Matthew P. Downs (305) 348‑8018

Placement:

Magalie D. Austin (305) 348‑8359

Alumni Affairs:

George D. Corton (305) 348‑1125

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FULL TIME FACULTY

 

LEONARD P. STRICKMAN, (Dean and Professor of Law), born Brooklyn, New York April 14, 1942; admitted to bar, New York, 1967. Education: University of Rochester (B.A.); Yale Law School (J.D.). COURSES: Constitutional Law, Education Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law. Email: strickman@fiu.edu

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THOMAS E. BAKER, (Professor of Law), born Youngstown, Ohio, February 25, 1953; admitted to bar, Florida, 1977; Supreme Court of the United States, 1983. Education: Florida State University (B.S., 1974); University of Florida (J.D., 1977). COURSES: Constitutional Law First Amendment, Federal Courts Supreme Court Seminar. Email: thomas.baker@fiu.edu

 

MATTHEW P. DOWNS, (Professor of Law, Director of Law Library and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs), born New York, NY August 1, 1953; admitted to bar, Illinois, 1982; Minnesota, 1993. Education: Houghton College (B.A., 1975); California State Fullerton (MSLS, 1978); Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., 1978); Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (LL.M., 1993). COURSES: Property, Law of European Union. Email: matthew.downs@fiu.edu

 

TROY E. ELDER, (Clinical Assistant Professor of Law), born Jackson, Michigan October, 27, 1968; admitted to bar, New York, 1996; Paris, France, 1999; Florida, 2001. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1990); Yale Law School (J.D., 1995). COURSES: Clinical Law, Immigration, Poverty Law, Health Law, Human Rights Law. Email: eldert@fiv.edu

 

JORGE L. ESQUIROL, (Professor of Law), born Havana, Cuba November 19, 1964; admitted to bar, New York, 1991. Education: Georgetown University (B.S.B.A., 1986); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1986; SJD, 1989). COURSES: International and Comparative Law, Transnational Commercial Law. Email: esquirol@fiu.edu

 

ELIZABETH PRICE FOLEY, (Professor of Law), born Atlanta, Georgia September 16, 1965. Education: Emory University (B.A., 1987); University of Tennessee College of Law (J.D., 1994); Harvard Law School (LL.M., 1996). COURSES: Health Law, Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Evidence. Email: foleye@fiu.edu

 

JOSE M. GABILONDO, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Santiago DeCuba, Cuba, November 26, 1962; admitted to bar, California, 1991. Education: Harvard College (B.A., 1987); Boalt Hall (J.D., 1991). COURSES: Tax, corporate Finance, Corporate Tax. Email: jose.gabilondo@fiv.edu

 

M. AYA GRUBER, (Associate Professor of Law), born Miami, Florida September 7, 1971; admitted to bar, Florida, 1998; District of Columbia, 2001. Education: University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 1992); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1997). COURSES: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Criminal Procedure.

 

PHYLLIS WILLIAMS KOTEY, (Clinical Associate Professor of Law), born West Palm Beach, FL July 20, 1959; admitted to bar, Florida, 1986. Education: University of Florida (B.A., 1981; M.A., 1989; J.D., 1985). COURSES: Clinical Studies, Criminal Law. Email: kotenp@fiu.edu

 

JEREMY I. LEVITT, (Associate Professor of Law), Education: Arizona State University (B.A., 1993); University of Wisconsin‑Madison (J.D., 1996); University of Cambridge, St. John's College (Ph.D., 2002). COURSES: International Law. Email: levittj@fiu.edu

 

KAREN PITA LOOR, (Assistant Professor of Legal Skills and Values), born Ecuador, August 19, 1972; admitted to bar, Florida, 1998; Washington, DC, 1999. Education: Barry University (B.A., 1994); American University College of Law (J.D., 1998). COURSES: Legal Skills & Values, Clinical Instruction. Email: loork@fiu.edu

 

MARGARET (PEGGY) LOUISE MAISEL, (Associate Professor of Law & Director of Clinical Programs), born Oakland, California May 10, 1950; admitted to bar, California, 1975; District of Columbia, 1976; Massachusetts, 1987; Florida (pending). Education: Pomona College (B.A., 1971); Occidental College (M.A., 1972); Boston University (J.D., 1975); Antioch School of Law (MAT, 1976). COURSES: Clinical Law, Gender & Law, Interviewing, Counseling & Negotiation, Children & Law, International Human Rights. Email: maiselp@fie.edu

 

JERRY W. MARKHAM, (Professor of Law), born Louisville, Kentucky August 20, 1948; admitted to bar, New York. Education: Western Kentucky University (B.S., 1969); University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D., 1972); Georgetown University (LL.M., 1974). COURSES: Banking. Email: markhamj@fiu.edu

 

LILLIAN APONTE MIRANDA, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Puerto Rico, July 5, 1977. Education: University of Florida (B.A., 1998); University of Florida College of Law (J.D., 2001). COURSES: Legal Skills & Values. Email: mirandal@fiu.edu

 

MATTHEW C. MIROW, (Associate Professor of Law), born New York, New York December 19, 1962; admitted to bar, Florida, 1983. Education: Boston University (B.A., 1983); Cornell University (J.D., 1986); Cambridge University (Ph.D., 1993); Leiden University (Ph.D., 2003). COURSES: Property, Wills and Trusts, Latin American Law, Comparative Law, Legal History.

 

SCOTT NORBERG, (Professor of Law), born Bloomfield, Iowa September 3, 1959; admitted to bar, Georgia, 1986; North Carolina, 1988. Education: University of North Carolina (B.A., 1982; J.D., 1986). COURSES: Contracts, Bankruptcy. Email: norberg@fiu.edu

 

CHARLES R. P. POUNCY, (Associate Professor), born South Carolina, June 4, 1954. Education: Fordham University (B.A., 1976); Cornell Law School (J.D., 1979); Temple University School of Law (LL.M.). COURSES: Business Organizations, Social Responsibility, Corporate Theory. Email: pouncyc@fiu.edu

 

EDIBERTO ROMAN, (Professor of Law), born New York, NY October 5, 1963. Education: Lehman College, City University of New York (B.A., 1985); University of Wisconsin (J.D., 1988). COURSES: Contracts. Email: romane@fiu.edu

 

MARCI ROSENTHAL, (Assistant Professor of Legal Skills and Values), born Hollywood, Florida; admitted to bar, 1996, Florida; 1998, District of Columbia. Education: Cornell University (A.B., 1993); University of Miami (J.D., 1996). COURSES: Legal Skills and Values. Email: marciros@fiu.edu

 

ANDRE SMITH, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 8, 1970; admitted to bar, District of Columbia. Education: University of Maryland (B.S.); Howard University (J.D., 2000); Georgetown University (LL.M., 2003). COURSES: Federal Tax, Sports & Entertainment, Administrative Law. Email: andre.smith@fiu.edu

 

HAROLD T SMITH, (Director of Trial Advocacy Program and Assistant Professor of Law), born Miami, Florida April 10, 1947; admitted to bar, Florida, 1973. Education: Florida A&M University (B.S., 1968); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., 1973). COURSES: Trial Practice. Email: smithht@fiu.edu

 

JOHN F. STACK, JR., (Professor of Political Science and Law), born Brockton, Massachusetts July 8, 1950; admitted to bar, Florida, 1990. Education: Stonehill College (A.B, 1972); University of Denver (Ph.D., 1977; M.A., 1974); University of Miami (J.D., 1989). COURSES: Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, International and Comparative Law. Email: shackj@fiu.edu

 

HANNIBAL TRAVIS, (Assistant Professor of Law), Education: Washington University (B.A., 1996); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1999). COURSES: Antitrust, Intellectual Property. Email: travis@fiu.edu

 

AURORE Y. VICTOR, (Assistant Professor of Legal Skills and Values), born Brooklyn, New York, July 24, 1975; admitted to bar, 2000, Florida; 2001, District of Columbia. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1997); Harvard (J.D., 2000). COURSES: Legal Skills and Values, Oral Advocacy, Professional Responsibility, research and Writing. Email: victora@fiu.edu

 

DAVID D. WALTER, (Associate Professor of Legal Skills & Values), born Emmettsburg, Iowa March 2, 1958; admitted to bar, Washington, 1989. Education: Eastern Kentucky University (B.A., 19830; University of Iowa (M.A., J.D., 1988). COURSES: Appellate Practice & Procedure, Legal Writing, Oral Advocacy. Email: walterd@fiu.edu

 

HOWARD MERRILL WASSERMAN, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Brooklyn, New York May 20, 1968; admitted to bar, Illinois, 1997. Education: Northwestern University (B.S., 1990; J.D., 1997). COURSES: Civil Procedure, Evidence, Civil Rights, First Amendment, Federal Jurisdiction. Email: howard.wasserman@fiu.edu

 

CARLTON WATERHOUSE, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Frankfurt, Germany December 15, 1965; admitted to bar, Georgia, Pennsylvania. Education: Pennsylvania State University (B.A., 1988); Emory University (Ph.D., 2004); Howard University (J.D., 1991). COURSES: Critical Race Theory, Environmental Law, Jurisprudence. Email: carlton.waterhouse@fiu.edu

 

JEAN ZORN, (Professor Emeritus), born Massachusetts January 2, 1942. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1964); University of Wisconsin, Madison (M.A., 1968); University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., 1973). COURSES: Family Law, Property. Email: zornj@fiu.edu