During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students, including Matt Mignella, J.D. '22, faced difficulties in securing internship opportunities. Thankfully, Jessi Tamayo, the director of Miami Law's Externship Program, provided valuable assistance to Mignella by helping him secure an externship with UHealth Compliance, which eventually led to his current role as a manager in UHealth's Office of Regulatory Compliance. Tamayo's support and guidance were instrumental in helping Mignella navigate the challenges he faced in finding internships during the pandemic.
"I am grateful for Jessi Tamayo, who coordinated the externship experience for me when my previously planned internship fell through due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mignella.
During his externship at UHealth, Mignella, who received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University, was mentored by Miami Law alumna Alyssa Lawrence, J.D. '15, who created the externship program at UHealth Compliance. The externship program has been a tremendous success as many externs, like Mignella, have secured full-time roles with UHealth.
"Even if the students do not return for full-time employment, the students are exposed to a nontraditional legal career, and typically find it much more interesting than they expect," said Mignella. "For example, Cristina Garcia-Delgado, J.D. '18, my direct supervisor, has risen from an extern to the director of Regulatory Compliance. Alyssa and Cristina have both been mentors to me in the early stages of my career and have played a pivotal role in my growth and development."
During his externship, Mignella learned about the primary laws and regulations that govern the health care industry and the risks that academic medical centers face.
"I also learned that compliance involves mastering many different skills, such as contract review, writing for different audiences, legal research, and auditing. However, the main takeaway from my experience was that a J.D. could be used in untraditional ways. This realization changed my interests in law school and ultimately broadened the scope of my job search from the traditional law firm route," he said.
After Mignella graduated from Miami Law and passed The Florida Bar in July 2022, he began working as a litigator in insurance defense. Still, he quickly realized that litigation was not a good fit for him.
Now a medical compliance manager at UHealth, Mignella conducts monthly contract reviews and weekly audits. Daily, he performs various tasks, including meetings, contract reviews, and investigations.
"I do always have to be prepared for the unexpected," said Mignella. "For example, I need to be ready to pivot from what I had planned to do when a government surveyor shows up at one of our facilities and when there is a time sensitive request from the federal regulators."
Miami Law's externship program allows students to obtain academic credit while working in a real-world legal setting during the academic year and over the summer. The externship program offers national and international opportunities with corporations, government agencies, public interest organizations, and the judiciary. The program is designed to enhance students' educational experience by allowing them to do advanced legal work that is generally unavailable through the law school's curriculum.
From an extern to a compliance specialist and now a medical compliance manager, Mignella has come full circle. He directly supervises two Miami Law students, 2L Emma Shapiro and 3L Ashley Rodriguez, and will welcome another Miami Law student to the regulatory team this summer.
Read more about Miami Law's Externship Programs.
