After a national search, Abigail Fleming, J.D. '19, has been named the associate director of the Environmental Justice Clinic.
Fleming, who recently served as the acting director of the EJC, began co-teaching at the Environmental Justice Clinic after graduation as the Mysun Foundation Practitioner in Residence.
"It is an honor to continue the essential work of the EJC," said Fleming. "I am excited to keep working alongside our community partners seeking environmental justice in South Florida."
Fleming joined public and private-sector leaders from the Americas in April to discuss the confluence of concerns and opportunities challenging the hemisphere at the 2023 Concordia Americas Summit.
The EJC advocates for and seeks to empower vulnerable communities that disproportionately bear the environmental, economic, and health burdens of the development, implementation, and enforcement of the law.
Fleming's work sits at the intersection of civil rights, environmental, poverty, and public health law, tackling issues in South Florida, including climate change, contamination, environmental health, and municipal equity. Fleming seeks systemic change for clients through advocacy, public policy resources, and rights education.
Also after a national search, Melanie S. Cherdack becomes the associate director of the Investor Rights Clinic after a stint as the acting associate director.
Cherdack brings decades of securities arbitration and litigation experience to the clinic. She previously served as assistant general counsel to a large brokerage firm and worked at national law firms in New York and Miami. She has devoted much of her career to representing investors victimized by financial fraud. She serves as a FINRA and National Futures Association arbitrator.
A frequent speaker and moderator, Cherdack has written extensively on securities fraud and arbitration issues. She is on the Florida Bar's 517 Task Force, working to modernize Florida's Securities and Investor Protection Act. She is also active in the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association, serving on many of its committees and on the editorial board of the PIABA Bar Journal.
"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside the IRC's students representing vulnerable investors who would otherwise be unable to hire an attorney," said Cherdack. "It's also an exciting time to be advocating with the clinic for important changes to securities regulations as technology is rapidly changing the investing landscape."
The clinic is staffed by second and third-year law students who represent under-served investors in securities arbitration claims against their brokers before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. FINRA is a self-regulatory organization that administers the largest forum for the arbitration of securities claims in the United States. Arbitration is the most widely used means of resolving disputes in the securities industry. The clinic conducts investor education outreach programs in the community and advocates on behalf of public investors on proposed securities laws and regulations.
"Our clinical programs are nationally recognized and provide unique learning opportunities for our students," said David Yellen, dean and M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law. "Abigail and Melanie are experienced and dedicated teachers and they will help lead our clinics to even greater things."
Read more about Miami Law's clinics.
