Law Firm Proves Commitment to Miami Law's Legal Corps

The law firm of Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin, P.A. has supported Miami Law's Legal Corps with two donations over the past two years, each of which funded a six-month fellowship with the housing foreclosure project at Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc.

By UM News 07-02-2012

Legal Corps is a post-graduate fellowship program that provides public interest organizations, government agencies and the judiciary with Bar-certified attorneys. Designed to further Miami Law's strong commitment to public service, Legal Corps provides underfunded and understaffed public sector legal agencies, at no cost, the benefit of recent Miami Law graduates.

"Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin, P.A., is proud to support fellows in the Legal Corps program through the School of Law," said Christine Gudaitis, a partner at Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin. "The work these fellows do is invaluable, and as a firm we are honored to be a part of providing legal assistance to areas of the community that need it most. More than half of our attorneys are UM Law graduates and we find that they have strong training, a firm grasp of the law and are excellent job candidates. We are enthusiastic supporters of the School of Law and its initiatives and are pleased to be involved with Legal Corps."

The first Ver Ploeg fellow, Timothy Flinn, JD '10, secured a position with Acosta Civil Trial Attorneys in Coral Gables after his fellowship ended. The second fellow, Christina Bilenki, who graduated last year, completed her fellowship at Legal Services in May.

"The Ver Ploeg Fellowship at LSGMI provided me with a unique opportunity to gain valuable work experience right out of law school," Bilenki said. "I not only had significant client interaction, but drafted pleadings and was exposed to many court room proceedings that will prove to be very beneficial as I continue forward in the legal profession. I could not have asked for a better experience coming out of law school."

Tamesha Keel, Director of Legal Corps, said the Fellows are grateful for the donors' financial support. "Their generosity," she went on, "ensures access to justice by the neediest citizens in our communities, while simultaneously allowing our graduates the opportunity to gain the training and experience necessary to succeed in today's legal environment, thus fulfilling Legal Corps' commitment to change the world, one lawyer at a time."