FIU Law Case Statement

FIU LAW

THE CAMPAIGN FOR FIU Next Horizon—The Campaign for FIU is the University’s groundbreaking fundraising effort. The campaign’s $750 million fundraising goal is ambitious and representative of just how high FIU has set its sights. FIU Law plays a critical role in achieving this goal.

Through the campaign, we will secure the investment necessary to improve the future of every FIU student, our Miami home, and those we impact through our teaching, research, advocacy, and service to create a more just world.

The Next Horizon will put FIU at the forefront of discovery and innovation; health and society; environment and resilience; influence and enterprise; and community, arts, and culture. This will be achieved by focusing on two pillars—student success and research excellence—and attracting investments in the following campaign objectives:

• INCREASE SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORT • OPTIMIZE 21

-CENTURY TEACHING

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• ADVANCE A VIBRANT, HEALTHY MIAMI • ACCELERATE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES • ESCALATE DISCOVERY TO ENTERPRISE

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AS SOUTH FLORIDA’S ONLY PUBLIC LAW SCHOOL, WE WILL PRODUCE EXCEPTIONAL, ETHICAL LAWYERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THEIR PROFESSION, JUSTICE, AND PUBLIC SERVICE. FIU Law was founded to offer a high-quality, accessible legal education—one that is attuned to the challenges of globalization and devoted to serving the local, national, and international communities. Since we opened our doors in 2002, we have earned a reputation as a rigorous intellectual community training skilled and principled attorneys.

Today, the legal landscape is changing quickly and in significant ways.

The legal profession must evolve to keep pace, and FIU Law is at the forefront. Fueled by FIU’s $750 million Next Horizon campaign, we will pioneer new approaches to prepare future generations of lawyers to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

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#1

No. 1 in Florida for first-time passage rate on the Florida Bar Exam in 6 of the last 7 administrations

#5

No. 5 of 11 law schools in Florida by the 2018 U.S. News & World Report

#6

No. 6 nationally in student body diversity, and No. 3 nationally in faculty diversity

$15M FIU Law Next Horizon Goal

FIU LAW FIU Law is proud to be South Florida’s only public law school. We provide an excellent, affordable, and highly practical legal education to a diverse community of students.

We offer the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, a Master of Laws (LLM), a Juris Master (JM) degree for non-lawyers, and a variety of joint programs. We also serve the legal community by providing ongoing training to paraprofessionals. FIU Law is committed to serving the citizens of Florida and beyond by delivering a highquality and innovative legal education that stresses the importance of excellence, professionalism, ethics, and global awareness.

Through the Next Horizon campaign, we seek partners who will invest in FIU Law and keep us on the leading edge. Your generosity can help pave the way, giving us the freedom to pursue bold, new ideas to benefit students, South Florida, our state, our country, and the world. Together, we can continue FIU Law’s momentum and ensure our thriving law school achieves even greater national and international recognition and impact.

“FIU is an internationally oriented university, and it’s located in Miami— one of the nation’s most entrepreneurial, innovative, and exciting cities. FIU Law is ideally positioned to serve the legal profession and communities in Florida, in the United States, and around the world.” ― ANTONY PAGE FIU Law Dean

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504

students representing

• 160 cities • 108 undergraduate institutions

• 60 undergraduate majors

• 24 states • 32 countries 5

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PRIORITY INITIATIVES FACULTY SUPPORT FIU Law features a diverse faculty of more than 30 full-time professors trained at some of the best universities in the world, with real-life experiences, an incredibly diverse background, and outstanding professional and academic achievements. Our intellectually prolific FIU Law faculty consistently produce high-quality, high-impact scholarship disseminated through leading journals and top academic and professional publishers in the United States and abroad. Brilliance, leadership, community engagement, and commitment to service to the legal profession are evidenced by our faculty’s numerous speaking engagements, community-facing projects, and distinguished appointments to leadership positions in local, national, and international professional and academic organizations and intergovernmental bodies.

Today, the competition among law schools for the best law faculty is fierce. Endowed chairs and professorships help provide a competitive edge in attracting and retaining more globally recognized thought leaders, teachers, and scholars—those who are at the forefront of the profession and role models in society. The addition of these positions will enhance the College’s reputation and our ability to serve our students and our local, state, national, and international communities.

Your support through the campaign can establish endowed positions that will bring these faculty luminaries to FIU Law and keep them here. Your investment will also ensure that our students are taught and mentored by top-notch faculty, increasing the value proposition of our degree and raising the profile of the law school.

Research Influencers FIU Law faculty publications have been cited in 5,381 articles.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORT FIU Law is the second most diverse law school in Florida and the sixth most diverse nationally.

As South Florida’s only public law school, the need for scholarships is reaching a critical stage.

Additional scholarships will allow us to attract the most talented students and enable them to graduate with less debt. This is often a deciding factor for those considering careers in public interest law and an important factor for all of our students regardless of their preferred careers.

Through the Next Horizon campaign, we want to help our hard-working students. Your investment will establish endowed scholarships that will bring more top students to our ranks and enable them to participate in the full range of experiential learning opportunities—from in-house clinics and a Semesterin-Practice with law firms to externships with public sector agencies. Increasing our commitment to scholarships will also provide invaluable support to aspiring public interest lawyers. Our students provide thousands of hours of free legal services to our communities each year. And we teach the theory and practice of law so that our students are ready to be attorneys once they are licensed.

“Being in Washington, DC, to represent my school was an amazing experience and a huge honor. One of our coaches, Professor H. T. Smith, told us that ‘pressure is a privilege.’

It was my privilege to represent my school under pressure with passion, pride, and principle.”

— TERRY-ANN HOWELL ’14 Won the Exceptional Advocate Award at the 17th Annual National White Collar Crime Mock Trial Invitational.

$3M

On average, FIU Law awards $3 million each year to students through merit and needbased scholarships and grants.

17th

We are ranked No. 17 by The National Jurist among the Best Value Law Schools in the nation―for low student debt and a promising job outlook.

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PROGRAM SUPPORT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMS FIU Law recognizes that an effective legal education develops not only students’ technical skills but also their professional judgment, relevant vocational aptitudes, and maturity―competencies that are generally acquired during the practice of law. We believe that lawyers occupy a unique place within our society. A well-trained, ethical lawyer has the opportunity to make profound and lasting contributions. FIU Law’s Experiential Learning Programs manifest not only our pedagogical commitment to graduating well-trained, ethical, practice-ready lawyers, but also our concomitant obligation to deliver valuable legal services to those who would not otherwise be able to access them. We offer students the opportunity to learn about the law through real-life experiences, combining theory with practice, while also benefiting the community.

Students may choose any or all three hands-on learning options―the Legal Clinic, Externships, and Pro Bono―to help them develop skills, explore potential career paths, reflect on their professional identity, and observe how the justice system functions.

Through the Next Horizon campaign, we seek partners who will support stipends for students participating in Pro Bono and Judicial and Public Interest Externship Programs. With campaign investment, we will provide fellowships or travel assistance to students participating in high-impact programs such as the FIU Law Practice Fellows Program, Moot Court, the Appellate Advocacy Program, and the Trial Advocacy Program.

“My favorite thing about FIU Law is the zeal of those charged with our legal education. The faculty and staff are very invested in our success and provide us with every opportunity to succeed, which is reflected in the curriculum and programs, such as the Trial Advocacy Program and Legal Clinics.”

— TREMAINE L. HEMANS ’19 Tremaine Hemans is a native of Jamaica and a member of the Caribbean Student Bar Association, Disabilities Rights Law Association, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, Immigration Law Association, Jamaican American Bar Association, and Women’s Law Society.

83% of our 2017 graduates were employed in full-time legal jobs within 10 months of graduation.

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LEGAL SKILLS AND VALUES FIU Law’s innovative Legal Skills and Values program prepares our students to succeed as attorneys.

Over the rigorous three-semester curriculum set in a simulated law practice environment, students hone their analytical, written, and oral communication skills while developing an understanding of professional responsibilities and client relations. The Legal Skills and Values program not only provides the traditional training in research and drafting of memoranda and legal briefs but also requires students to participate in interactive legal experiences such as presenting oral reports to supervising attorneys and oral argument to a panel of practicing attorneys. The required third semester, uncommon in law school programs, gives students the advantage of adding client and demand letters, contract preparation, and negotiation to their legal repertoire. Campaign investment in this program will support the hiring of permanent Legal Skills and Values faculty, maximizing individualized attention for every law student. Your support will make innovative technological resources for legal writing available to our students and establish an endowment for student professional development.

INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW To equip our future lawyers to practice in an increasingly global and multicultural world, FIU Law has integrated international and comparative legal studies into every aspect of the curriculum, including a required foundational course and an array of upper-level electives in public international law, international commercial transactions, international arbitration, trade law, and comparative and foreign law. Students also have the opportunity to participate in international study abroad programs such as the one held annually in Seville. They may also intern with global law firms and with institutions such as the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, The Hague Academy of International Law, the International Law Commission, and the Organization of American States. This unique global focus is enriched by the reputation of the College’s premier faculty members who are devoted full time to teaching and conducting research on international and comparative law. FIU Law is committed to strengthening its ties with the local and global legal communities, fostering research, outreach, partnership opportunities, and educational programming focused on international legal studies.

Through the campaign, we seek partners who will help us create a global network of legal professionals who will facilitate a dynamic discourse and the cross-pollination of ideas. Campaign support of exchanges with institutions and scholars from other countries will spin off new projects involving international, transnational, and comparative law. Your support for an international or comparative law chair, professorship, or faculty fellowship will elevate FIU’s contributions to global legal scholarship and policy development. Investments in international study abroad opportunities and internships with global law firms and institutions will ensure that our students receive a truly global legal education.

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FIU’s Most Impactful Research Programs Preeminent Programs at FIU are multidisciplinary and collaborative endeavors that the University recognizes for their extraordinary success in providing unique learning opportunities, pioneering research, real-world solutions, and best practices.

Emerging Preeminent Programs at FIU address critical issues of growing national and global concern. All of these programs garner special support to strengthen their offerings, including faculty cluster hires, undergraduate scholarships, and graduate fellowships.

Through the Cybersecurity@FIU Emerging Preeminent Program, FIU Law faculty are addressing the legal aspects of digital defense and protection issues impacting the global cyberscape, alongside faculty at the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, FIU Business, and the College of Engineering & Computing.

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LEGAL TECHNOLOGY E-commerce. Cryptocurrency. Data protection. The Internet of Things. Today’s technology and digital economy are evolving much more rapidly than the law. Never has there been a greater need for lawyers who understand the implications of these developments and the complex legal issues they pose.

To meet this demand and capitalize on our geographic position as the hub of the Americas, FIU Law plans to establish additional programming focused on comparative U.S., European, and Latin American approaches to artificial intelligence, privacy and data protection, and so-called “disruptive technologies,” from selfdriving cars and Internet-connected appliances to blockchainenabled smart contracts.

Your support through the campaign will help launch this innovative programming by funding faculty cluster hires, curriculum development, and graduate fellowships.

JOURNEY WITH FIU TO THE NEXT HORIZON Every world-class city needs a world-class public law school. FIU Law is that school for Miami. For nearly two decades, we have demonstrated a strong entrepreneurial spirit in serving the citizens of South Florida and ensuring students are ready to meet the challenges of a changing legal profession.

Now we seek the passion and generosity of FIU alumni, family, and friends to reach new heights.

Working together, we will secure FIU Law as the Next Horizon in legal education, entrepreneurial growth, and student success. With your generous support, we will realize our vision of being a center that develops legal and policy solutions to the world’s global challenges and provides access to excellence in legal education.

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CAMPAIGN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES STUDENT SUCCESS

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

INCREASE SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT SUPPORT

ACCELERATE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES

• S cholarship Endowment • E xperiential Learning Programs • S tipends for Student Participation in

Legal Clinic, Pro Bono Service, or Judicial and Public Interest Externships in Washington, DC

• F ellowships for Student Participation in the Trial Advocacy Program, Appellate Advocacy Program, Moot Court, or FIU Law Practice Fellows Program

• T ravel Support for Student Competitions • L egal Skills and Values • F aculty Positions • T echnology • S tudent Professional Development

• Faculty Chairs and Professorships • I nternational or Comparative Law Faculty Fellowship

• E xchanges with International Scholars and Institutions

• Legal Technology Program • Faculty Cluster Hires • F aculty Fellowships for Curriculum Development

• Graduate Fellowships • Emerging Preeminent Programs • Cybersecurity@FIU AND OTHERS

Endowment

• I nternational and Comparative Law • S tudy Abroad Support • I nternational Internships • A ccess to Practice-Ready and Academic Success Resources

• A cademic Excellence Program Infrastructure to Foster Academic Achievement and Bar Exam Success

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FIU FOUNDATION, INC. MMC 11200 SW 8th Street, MARC 5th Floor Miami, FL 33199 305-348-6298 NextHorizon.FIU.edu Publication Print Date: March 2019