SCHOLARS LIVE UP TO PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS SCOTT SQUIRES, LEAH WESTON AND EAMON WELCH
and Graduate with Honors
By MichelleValencia
MI A MI LAW maga zi ne | FA LL 201 4
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eet three outstanding recent graduates—Scott Squires, Eamon Welch, and Leah Weston. Each was awarded one of the prestigious Harvey T. Reid and Soia Mentschikoff Scholarships during their time at Miami Law. “It was a great privilege to receive the Reid Scholarship,” said Squires, who recently became an associate in Greenberg Traurig’s real estate group in Miami. “The generosity of the University of Miami opened countless doors for me and my time at the law school exceeded my greatest expectations.” The Harvey T. Reid Scholarship program was established in 1970 by the late Harvey T. Reid, former chairperson of West Publishing Company. It provides a three year fulltuition scholarship to students who possess truly exemplary academic records and demonstrate superior leadership qualities. Squires, who received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. degree from the University
of Miami, graduated from Miami Law ranked second in his class. He was a member of the University of Miami Law Review. He received the Bruce J. Winick Award for Academic Excellence, the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, and the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement. Weston was both a Harvey Reid Scholar and Miami Public Interest Scholar. She remained on the Dean’s List all semesters at Miami Law and won the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, as well as the Dean’s Certificate for Outstanding Performance for Legal Communication and Research Skills I & II. She worked at the Community Justice Project of Florida Legal Services, where she also worked during the summer of 2013 as an Ella Baker Intern, an innovative training program for future community lawyers. Weston, a double ‘Cane, was also inducted into Iron Arrow, the University of Miami’s oldest tradition and highest honor during her third year. “I come from a family of Miami Hurricanes, so it was a particularly meaningful way to round out my time
at the University of Miami.” Weston is now working as an Equal Justice Works Americorps Fellow at the Health Rights Clinic. Welch received the Mentschikoff Scholarship, also a full-tuition award. It was established at Miami Law to honor the late Soia Mentschikoff, a great legal scholar who served as the Law School’s dean from 1974-1982. A graduate of Trinity College with a B.A. in Philosophy, Duke University with a M.A. in Humanities, and Cornell University with a Certificate in Financial Management, Welch served as President of the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board during his third year at Miami Law. He was a member of the University of Miami Law Review, received the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement Award and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Welch was also a Dean’s Fellow for Constitutional Law and a Research Assistant to Professor Kunal Parker. After working as a summer associate at Greenberg Traurig in Miami after his 2L year, and continuing to work there as a law clerk throughout his 3L year, Welch is now an associate with Greenberg Traurig’s real estate group. Welch credits the Mentschikoff Scholarship with “opening up unbelievable doors for my professional career.” “After receiving the Mentschikoff Scholarship and visiting Miami Law, my decision to attend was easy,” he said. “The academic and extracurricular opportunities that Miami Law affords convinced me that I would receive a first-rate legal education on par with any law school in the country.”