Frank Citera grew up in New York and is a first-generation college student and law student. He remembers wanting to be a lawyer from as early as sixth grade. While in undergraduate school at Columbia University, Citera was encouraged to apply to the University of Miami. After receiving a scholarship and paying a visit to the campus, he decided Miami Law was the right fit for him.
While at Miami Law, he was a member of the University of Miami Law Review and moot court. What he loved most about the law school were the people he met in class and his professors, including Professor Irwin Stotzky (who still teaches at the law school!). Citera enjoyed the sense of community at UM.
Citera was affectionately taken under the wing of the late Dean Soia Mentschikoff, who encouraged him to look for post-graduation employment in New York, Washington, or Chicago. He ended up working for a litigation boutique in Chicago for many years. Although the firm primarily did defense work, the firm was unique in that it did occasional plaintiffs' work. While at the firm, Citera had a number of mentors, including Richard Phelan, a prominent trial lawyer. He now works at Greenberg Traurig in Chicago where he heads up the firm's Product Liabilty and Mass Torts Litigation Practice. He has also spent a considerable amount of time working out of the firm's Miami office.
Citera serves the law school as an adjunct professor in Toxic Torts and is a member of the Law Alumni Association, where he is the chair of the National Alumni Advisory Council. He also helps to spread Miami Law’s reach by encouraging students to seek employment across the country. He is a member of the Heritage Society, an organization open to individuals who include the University of Miami in their estate plans or make a planned gift.
In his free time, Citera enjoys reading, playing golf, and running. He also loves the arts and keeps up with many current musicians. He is appreciative of all the support the law school has given him and tries to pay it back in any way possible. He also enjoys mentoring and finds that to be an important part of paying it forward.
