"I decided to establish a scholarship to provide assistance to students interested in the pursuit of Bankruptcy Law," said Redmond. "I have watched students struggle with the overwhelming amount of debt associated with legal education and wished to help in some small way."
Redmond, a Miami Law alumna and a shareholder in the Business Restructuring Department of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, Weissler, Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. in Miami, is currently President of the American Bankruptcy Institute and President-Elect of the Law Alumni Association. As the director of the Cristol Bankruptcy Pro Bono Assistance Clinic at Miami Law, she helps students offer pro bono legal services to low-income individuals who are dealing with bankruptcy.
The clinic, established by the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida, is a two-semester, six-credit elective that pairs students into teams. Clients are referred to the clinic by the Dade County Bar Association, and sitting judges of the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida.
"I hope that the scholarship will allow students to be able to focus more on studies than on the economics of getting a legal education and graduate without the burdens associated with managing and paying loan obligations," said Redmond.
Under Redmond's leadership, the Bankruptcy Assistance Clinic earned the Put Something Back pro bono award from the Dade County Bar and Legal Aid Society in 2008. Additionally, she has coached several moot court teams at Miami Law to great success over the past decade.
"I have had the opportunity to mentor and teach hundreds of students, many of whom are practicing in the bankruptcy area," she said. "I also have the opportunity to teach ethics, professionalism and other skills to students who are beginning their practice. I think in that way I can have the greatest impact on not only their competency as future lawyers, but also their professionalism and civility toward others."
Patricia Redmond, JD '79, Establishes Scholarship for Students Interested in Bankruptcy Law
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL 33124
305-284-2211