The Litigation Skills Program at the University of Miami School of Law delivers an intensive, experiential learning opportunity, equipping students with the essential practical skills required for proficient legal practice. Every semester, outstanding students in the program receive scholarships and awards in recognition of their excellence. This past spring semester, the following students were honored:
Sadye Kaner was the recipient of the Hon. Stanford Blake Award. This $500 cash prize is awarded each semester to a student in the Litigation Skills Program who has demonstrated excellence in trial advocacy.
Isiah Shechtman and Jack Costello were each awarded the John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship was established in 1989 in memory of John F. Evans, a criminal defense attorney, former deputy chief of the U.S. State Department’s Miami Strike Force, and founding partner of the law firm of Zuckerman, Spaeder, Taylor and Evans. It is given each semester to Litigation Skills students who have expressed an interest in trial practice.
Brianna Sanchez was the recipient of the Honorable Theodore Klein Endowed Scholarship. The $3,500 scholarship was established in 2006 in memory of Theodore Klein, an outstanding lawyer, law professor, Federal Magistrate, and a leader among his peers. It is awarded each semester to a Litigation Skills student who has demonstrated financial need, demonstrated ability, and excellence in oral and written advocacy and has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service.
The Director’s Book Award for Excellence in Litigation Skills is awarded each semester by the Litigation Skills faculty to the top performing students for their excellence in trial advocacy. The following received the award: Valerie Caso-Veras, July Choi, McKenzie Cossette, Elizabeth Giles, David Khazen, Lauren King, Lauren Lackey, Alessandra Lora, Isabella Maury, Dillon Richards. Diego Troncoso Breton, and Samantha Viner.
Damian Cuesta was given the American Board of Trial Advocates Award. This award comes with a $3,000 cash prize and invitation to the next ABOTA dinner and is given every spring semester to a student who has excelled in the Litigation Skills Program and has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and civility.
Mark Royero was awarded the Gaebe, Mullen, Antonelli & DiMatteo Endowed Scholarship. This $3,000 scholarship is awarded to a student with financial need, and who is interested in litigation skills, scholarship, and community service leadership. The recipient is selected by the director of Litigation Skills Program and the Dean of the Law School.
Aisha Jehaludi and Ethan Schwab were the recipients of the Litigation Skills Adjunct Faculty Scholarship. They each received $3,000. This needs-based scholarship honors excellence in advocacy, professionalism, and civility in the Litigation Skills I class. The recommendations are made by the faculty and the final determination is made by the Director of the Litigation Skills Program, in consultation with the Dean.
Omarley Spence and Eyga Williamson were awarded the Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton Endowed Litigation Scholarship and Award. This $5,000 award provides financial assistance for students from underrepresented communities who are enrolled in the Litigation Skills Program. The recipients are selected by the Dean of the School of Law based upon the recommendations of the Director of the Litigation Skills Program.
Javier Bustamante, Amanda Gonzalez, and Alexis Phelps were the recipients of the Marco A. Vazquez Memorial Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship was established in 1996 in memory of Marco A. Vazquez, a 1993 graduate of Miami Law. The Marco A. Vazquez Scholarship is awarded each semester to an academically qualified law student who has completed the Litigation Skills Program and who has demonstrated financial need.
Amanda Newberg was awarded the Richard L. Lapidus Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund in the amount of $3,900. It is awarded to a student who has excelled in the Litigation Skills program and demonstrated a clear understanding of legal ethics.
Gregory Beeson, Madeline Feit, and Jamie Sobalvarro are the recipients of the John M. Hogan Fund for Public Interest Litigation in the amount of $5,000. To memorialize his life and legacy, the law firm of Holland & Knight established the John M. Hogan Fund for Public Interest Litigation at Miami Law. The fund provides scholarship assistance to Hogan Scholars—law students who are certified legal interns with a preference given to students who wish to be placed at Legal Services of Greater Miami or the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Natalie Lanz was awarded the Daniel S. Pearson Endowed Scholarship. This $5,000 scholarship is given to students who show great promise as trial lawyers and dedication to public service and have the highest standards of professionalism.
Alexis Gomez was given the Ervin A. Gonzalez, JD ’85 Endowed Scholarship in the amount of $5,000. This scholarship was established in 2019 by colleagues and former classmates of Ervin Gonzalez and is awarded to an outstanding student of the Litigation Skills Program.
Maia Castro Botero is the recipient of the Alan Ross Memorial Scholarship. This $5,000 scholarship was established in 2018. The recipient is selected by the Dean of the Law School, at the recommendation of the Director of the Litigation Skills Program.
Alexis Phelps is the recipient of the Thomas Ewald Memorial Award. This award is given to a student who scores the most points in Trial Skills and who best exemplifies the devotion to high standards and ethical conduct followed by Thomas Ewald. This award comes with a Montblanc pen – an homage to the late Ewald, a Miami Law trial advocacy professor who was known to carry the pen in his shirt pocket.
Read more about the Litigation Skills Program at Miami Law
