NSU Law Alumni Newsletter - February 2020
NSU Law Health Care Policy Discussion
NSU Law is hosting a non-partisan discussion to educate voters about a slate of core national and public health law election issues. National expert, James Hodge, Jr., the Peter Kiewit Foundation Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, and NSU Law Professor Kathy Cerminara will be presenting on:
February 19, 2020 
6:30 pm at NSU College of Law
Crowdfunding and Securities Regulation for Start-Ups CLE
Presented by the Sharon and Mitchell W. Berger Entrepreneur Law Clinic, this program introduces the various approaches to crowdfunding and crowd-financing available to companies using them to launch their enterprises and products. Panelists include Attorney Sharon Berger, Professor Steven Kass, Dean Susan Stephan, Professor Jon Garon.
February 27, 2020
6:00 pm at NSU College of Law
Mentoring Dinner Success: Upcoming Event - Careers in Academia
On January 29, 2020 Sharon Abrahams (Ed.D. 1998), Director of Professional Development at Foley & Lardner, presented a practical and interactive workshop to alumni and current students on how to best prepare for a job interview.

The next Mentoring Dinner will be held on February 25, 2020 and will focus on Careers in Academia with current alumnae and NSU Law faculty. Panelists include: Professor Heather Baxter (JD '00), Professor Jessica Garcia-Brown (JD '98), Professor of Practice Olga Torres (JD '17), and Adjunct Professor Jocelyne Macelloni (JD '11). Interim Dean Debra Moss Vollweiler will moderate the panel.
Florida Pro Bono Challenge
NSU Law's consistent history of student and alumni pro bono volunteering is evident in our leadership in the Florida Bar Foundation Pro Bono Law School Challenge. Alumni are encouraged to connect with students to cover all pro bono cases and mentoring opportunities and make a difference in the community!
February 3 - April 3, 2020
Legal Research and Writing Outreach Success
Thank you to the NSU Law Legal Research and Writing faculty and collaborating judges for helping make the 7th annual judicial workshop a huge success. The event titled: The Importance of Professionalism in Adversarial Legal Writing: A Judicial Roundtable Discussion took place on January 31, 2020 at the Broward County Courthouse and included over 75 1L students.
NSU College of Law Diversity Rankings
Congratulations to NSU College of Law for its rankings in Best Law Schools for African Americans (3rd in Florida & 23rd Nationally) and Best Law School for Hispanics (4th in Florida & 10th Nationally) by National Jurist.
Faculty News
Professor Kathy Cerminara
Interviewed by Local 10 Kathleen Corso on individuals that are using crowdfunding social media and direct fundraising campaigns to help offset out-of-pocket medical expenses. Local10 Interview
Professor Michael Dale
Presented at the Miami Family Law Inns of Court in Coral Gables on February 11, 2020 on The Role of Attorneys Ad Litem and Guardians Ad Litem for Children in Custody Cases.

Will be the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) program director for a three day trial skills program for 24 FEMA lawyers in Washington, DC on April 13-15, 2020.

Will serve as the lead teacher at a NITA 5 day dependency and delinquency trial skills program at Hofstra Law School in Hempstead, New York at the beginning of June 2020.
Professor Amanda Foster
With Professor Roma Perez will be presenting at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference to be held at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law. Their presentation, Women in the Academy: It’s Not Just a Mommy-Track, focuses on analyzing the impact that this assumption has on female professors’ opportunities for upward mobility at their law schools. The presentation will also explore what female professors can do to overcome this perception and how their law schools can foster their success in the academy and enable them to achieve parity with their male colleagues.
Professor Jessica Garcia-Brown
On February 4, 2020, presented The Future Has Arrived: Traffic Laws and Regulations for Autonomous Vehicles, to Broward County Traffic Hearing Officers, discussing the traffic laws surrounding the current legal and statutory guidelines in place for autonomous vehicles (AV) with The Honorable Dan Kanner. Garcia-Brown and Judge Kanner discussed potential challenges along with the benefits that this technology creates both on the roads and in the courtroom potential legal questions and scenarios that resulted from the advent of this burgeoning technological market.

Presented on academic and scholarly opportunities at NSU to prospective undergraduate students and parents on the Shark Preview faculty panel in January 16, 2020.

Volunteered on the NSU Global Day of Service on January 25, 2020 assisting in the packing of over 450 meals for the local food bank.
Professor Emeritus and C. William Trout Senior Fellow in Public Interest Law Joel Mintz
Participated in roundtable discussions on scholarship in two sessions at the AALS meeting in Washington, D.C.: Agency Action on Environmental Law in the Trump Era, and Food, Environmental and Natural Resources: Works in Progress.

Presented Opportunities for Scholarship on Agency Regulatory Enforcement at a member-scholar meeting of the Center for Progressive Reform in Washington, D.C. 

Participated in board meetings of two non-profit environmental public interest organizations: The Center for Progressive Reform and the Everglades Law Center.

Presented Supplemental Environmental Projects As a Remedy at a scholarly conference in Austin, Texas on Complex Litigation, sponsored by the University of Texas Law Review.

Was quoted in two trade periodicals (Greenwire and Bloomberg News) with regard to a request for comments promulgated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on administrative enforcement by federal agencies and departments.

Submitted questions to panelists at a Conference of the Everglades Coalition held on Captiva Island, FL.
Professor Roma Perez 
Presented at the LWI conference, Teaching Legal Writing Beyond the First Year, held at Gonzaga University School of Law. Her presentation, focused on integrating advanced litigation and transactional skills in the legal writing classroom and in upper-level clinical courses to engage law students, enhance their retention of these skills, and their overall legal analysis competency.

Presented with Professor Amanda Foster at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference to be held at the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law. Their presentation, Women in the Academy: It’s Not Just a Mommy-Track, focuses on analyzing the impact that this assumption has on female professors’ opportunities for upward mobility at their law schools. The presentation will also explore what female professors can do to overcome this perception and how their law schools can foster their success in the academy and enable them to achieve parity with their male colleagues.
Debra Moss Curtis 2017
Interim Dean Debra Moss Vollweiler 
Published the lead article, Law School as a Consumer Product: Beat ‘em or Join ‘em, in 40 PACE L. REV. 1 (2020).  https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/plr/
Student News
AIDD Law Clinic Outreach
On January 15, 2020, the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Law Clinic attended the 5th Annual Broward County ESE Parent Resource Fair at Piper High School in Sunrise, FL. AIDD Law Clinic interns, Casey Curtis (JD '20) and Dalilian Gutierrez (JD '20), met with families and provided information regarding the clinic’s pro bono legal services.
Capitol City Challenge 2020
NSU Law alumnus Berkin Aslan (JD '16), and NSU Law students Alexsandra Litowsky (JD '20) and Steven Saban (JD '20) along with Professor Megan Chaney took the lead in writing this years case file for the Capitol City Challenge.
NSU Law Upcoming March Events
Building Trial Skills
March 2 -7, 2020
NSU Shepard Broad College of Law

FBA Civil Rights & Human Trafficking
March 12, 2020
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

US Attorney for the Southern District Ariana Fajardo Orshan (JD '96) and The Honorable Stacy Ross (JD '97) join other leaders present a program that will focus on the necessary steps used through federal practice to prevent the expansion of human trafficking and civil rights violations.

SELS Symposium
March 14, 2020
9:00 am - 4:45 pm

Six relevant and engaging panel topics including Keynote Speaker: Mike Bartock, Esq. with Paramount Pictures.

Paulette Brown: Distinguished Visiting Chair
March 18, 2020
6:00 am - 8:00 pm

Presentation Topic: Missed Opportunities: Beyond the 19th Amendment

ILSA Symposium
March 20, 2020
8:50 am - 12:00 pm

Tackling Florida's Opioid Epidemic: The Inevitable Dilemma for Law Makers

Class Actions
1982
John B. Marion IV joined Upchurch Watson White & Max in West Palm Beach.  

1984 
Gary S. Betensky of Day Pitney in West Palm Beach has been appointed editor of the ABA Section of Litigation’s Business Torts and Unfair Competition Committee’s Business Torts Journal and other publications issued by the committee.

1985  
Lou La Cava of La Cava & Jacobson spoke at Obstetric and Gynecology Grand Rounds on “Avoiding Litigation, Is It Possible?” He also spoke at Ocala Regional Medical Center’s and The Marion County Medical Society’s CME on “Medical Errors.”

1992 
Hollis Salzman , partner and co-chair of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation practice at Robins Kaplan , has been elected Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section. The election was confirmed today, January 30, during the New York State Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s annual meeting. Hollis, who also acts as managing partner of Robins Kaplan’s New York office, currently oversees dozens of high-profile cases and develops business for an antitrust group. In addition to her antitrust practice, Salzman serves at the highest levels of numerous national and local bar associations. She is an appointed Co-Chair of the American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law’s Competition/Consumer Protection Policy and U.S. Task Force and an Advisory Board member of the American Antitrust Institute. She also provides pro bono representation to indigent and working-poor women in matrimonial and family law matters.

1993 
Laurie Briggs has been named a shareholder in the Palm Beach County personal injury firm Searcy Denney, Scarola, Barnhart and Shipley .

Justin Grosz of The JG Firm is pleased to announce that his firm has partnered with Kelley Kronenberg to create the Justice for Kids Division at the firm. The new division is solely devoted to protecting abused, disabled and catastrophically injured children. As founder of The JG Firm, Grosz has focused his practice on representing individuals and families who have suffered catastrophic injuries or death as a result of someone’s negligence or intentional acts. Grosz, a former Broward County Assistant State Attorney, has devoted his twenty-five-year career to fighting for those less fortunate, who have been victimized at the hands of others. 

1998  
Sandy P. Fay were elected shareholder at Colodny Fass in Sunrise.

2002 
Rachel Herlache in West Palm Beach were elected partners at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough .

2003
Alison Smith joined the law firm of Kelley Kronenberg as Partner in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office. Alison focuses her practice on Employment and Labor Law. Smith has significant experience handling all aspects of employment and labor law including conducting training and employee investigations, engaging in collective bargaining with various unions and providing advice and counsel to private and public entities regarding existing and emerging laws such as the ADA, Florida Civil Rights Act, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA and others. In addition to her extensive experience, Smith has five reported cases in Florida’s Third and Fourth District Court of Appeals. She continues to be an educator on major topics of her practice as a speaker and presenter at several municipal and labor and employment seminars throughout the state. She is heavily involved in the South Florida legal community as an active member of the Nova Southeastern University Board of Governors and Keiser University’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board, and Secretary for the Broward County Bar Association. Smith was also a past chair of Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, Inc., and past President of the Caribbean Bar Association.

2005 
Douglas P. Gerber was named a partner at the Orlando-based law firm of Killgore, Pearlman, Semanie, Denius & Squires, P.A . Gerber focuses his practice on all aspects of civil and business litigation, including but not limited to construction defects, insurance defense, commercial and residential real estate disputes, contract law, and commercial landlord-tenant law.

2006  
Jennifer Diaz of Diaz Trade Law participated in an International Women Business Forum event hosted by Miami Dade County. She also moderated a Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo panel on “How to Import Into the USA” featuring U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration.  

2007
Eric Rosen has opened his own firm in Fort Lauderdale, Rosen Injury Law . The firm will retain the same focus that Rosen has always had, including tobacco litigation, while adding noncatastrophic injury cases. Rosen was previously a partner with Kelley | Ustal and has said he will serve as co-counsel with his former colleagues on cases in the coming months. Eric served as president of the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association in 2018-2019. Prior to his 11 years with his former firm, he was a Broward assistant state attorney. He is an active mentor at NSU Law to our current and past students.  

2009 
Jeffrey M. Wank has been appointed to Florida’s Children First Board of Directors. Wank is a Partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Kelley Kronenberg , having joined the firm in 2016 to focus his practice on Insurance Coverage and First Party Property Insurance Defense Litigation. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS) and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA) as well as on the Board of Directors for the B’nai B’rith Justice Unit.

2010
Valerie Barnhart of Perera Barnhart Aleman , a business and employment law firm, presented at the Florida Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference in Orlando on cybersecurity and privacy for lawyers and law firms. The program was entitled “Secure the Hatches. Cybersecurity and Privacy for Lawyers.”

Stacie J. Schmerling , a partner in Talenfeld Law , is pleased to announce that her firm has partnered with Kelley Kronenberg to create the Justice for Kids Division at the firm. The new division is solely devoted to protecting abused, disabled and catastrophically injured children. Schmerling brings not only her experience as a childrens’ rights lawyer to the new Division, but also her more than a decade’s experience as a former veteran child welfare investigator and social worker.  

2011  
Marc Marra has been promoted to partner at Kelley Kronenberg in their Fort Lauderdale office. Marfa focuses his practice on assisting banks and other financial service providers with regulatory, enforcement, transactional, and litigation matters. He also handles representation of Condominium and Homeowner’s Associations throughout South Florida in areas including collections, foreclosures, estoppel, enforcement of covenants, vendor negotiations, and day-to-day management. Marc sits on the Board of Governors for NSU Shepard Broad College of Law, he is the president of NSU Law’s Broward Alumni Chapter, participates by being a donor to NSU, regularly volunteers and is a mentor to NSU law students. Marra is also a very committed member of the Broward County Bar.  

Jorge Freddy Perera of Perera Barnhart Aleman , a business and employment law firm, has been selected as a “Top Ranked Lawyer” by ALM Media and Martindale Hubbell. He also received an AV Preeminent® Judicial Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The Judicial Edition award indicates perfect ratings from the judiciary on the attorney’s legal ability and ethical standards.

2012
David Klein has been promoted to partner of Rabideau Klein in Palm Beach. Klein specializes in real estate law. His practice encompasses land use, real estate transactions, finance and leasing.  

2014 
Augusto Perera of Augusto Perera, P.A. was elected to the Cuban American Bar Association board.

2015
Joshua Lida of Lida Law, PLLC had his article Looking to the Future with Judge Hunter Davis published in the Judge’s Corner of the February 2020 Broward County Bar Association Barrister on page 16. Lida focuses his practice on criminal defense and professional license defense. Here is the link to the article https://www.browardbar.org/wp-content/uploads/barrister/2020/feb/February-2020-Barrister.pdf
 
2018 
Ritika Singh had had her article published as the lead article in the International and Comparative Law Review, 2019: Vol. 19, No.2 (online ISSN: 2464-6601) This Law Review is a peer-reviewed legal journal published by the Faculty of Law, Palacky University Olomouc (Czech Republic) in cooperation with Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz (Austria) and Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz (Austria). The title of the article is India’s Rape Crisis: Redefining India’s Rape Laws Based on a Constructive and Comparative Analysis of the Rape Epidemic in India and The United States. The link to the article is https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/iclr/19/2/article-p7.xml
Giving to NSU Law
At NSU Law, we are able to offer opportunities for students to realize their potential when our generous donors give to the law school in areas including our scholarship funds, programs, and law clinics. We are grateful to our alumni, staff, faculty, and friends whose support for our students helps us to prepare them for successful careers after graduation. Please consider making a gift today.

To learn more about opportunities to support NSU Shepard Broad College of Law, please contact our Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship, Tiffany Garner, at 954-262-6303 or
Contact Us
For questions, to submit class actions, information on how to get involved, alumni benefits and resources and to learn more about upcoming events at NSU Law, contact lawalumni@nova.edu
 
Karen Rose, Director of Alumni Relations
E:  kr550@nova.edu  | P: 954-262-6303
How to Get Involved:

Help us keep you up-to-date with the latest College of Law Alumni, news, library and career development resources, and community engagement opportunities. Learn more about our  Mentoring Program, Law Connect Plus CLE seminars, and upcoming  alumni events.

Want to stay in touch with the NSU College of Law?  Update your information to receive important news and events throughout the year.