University of Miami School of Law student Carla M. Rubio has been named one of only five students nationwide to receive a prestigious scholarship from the Order of Barristers, underscoring the school’s powerhouse reputation in litigation and dispute resolution.
The Order of Barristers is a highly respected national honorary organization dedicated to promoting oral advocacy and brief-writing skills through effective advocacy programs in law schools. With 120 member schools across the country, each institution may nominate just one student. Of those nominees, only five scholarships were awarded this year across the fields of trial, appellate, and alternative dispute resolution advocacy.
A historic win for a rising advocate
Rubio, who is in top 20 percent of her class, serves as the incoming president of the Charles C. Papy Jr. Moot Court Board and is senior staff editor of the University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review. Her advocacy track record is stellar: she was a finalist in the John T. Gaubatz Competition; a finalist at the Jerome Prince Evidence Competition; and a finalist at the Wagner Labor and Employment Competition, where she also took home the award for respondent best brief. Additionally, she is the recipient of the Litigation Skill Program’s Daniel S. Pearson Endowed Scholarship, earned a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Torts, and is active in the Cuban American Bar Association.
Farah Barquero, the director of the law reviews and moot court programs, nominated Rubio for the award.
"I nominated Carla without reservation for this scholarship, as she approaches every responsibility with humility, supports her peers with genuine care, and consistently rises to meet challenges with determination and grace," Barquero said. "She is eminently deserving of this recognition, and I am so proud of her."
For Rubio, a first-generation law student who previously graduated summa cum laude from Florida International University, the news brought instant joy.
"My immediate reaction was to call my parents. They are my biggest supporters and cheerleaders," Rubio said. "Granted, because I am the first in my family to pursue a legal career, these phone calls also come with long explanations of why this is such an accomplishment. Whether big or small, any win is cause for celebration in our whole family. The word spread quickly, and soon I received phone calls from my uncles, aunts, grandparents—you name it."
Leaving it all on the podium
Rubio attributes her selection to her relentless work ethic, which spans from her time in the School of Law’s Litigation Skills Program to national competitions.
"I believe what stood out was my dedication and passion for both the craft of advocacy and the Miami Law team," Rubio said. "To me, this is not just an assignment to complete, but an opportunity to push myself to the best of my abilities—to stand before a judge or jury and leave it all on the podium."
Her advice to aspiring advocates is simple: practice.
"What an advocate truly needs is practice. Practice, practice, and more practice," Rubio said, recalling how her hands shook during her third major competition. “The more I hear my argument out loud, the more confident and convincing I become."
Looking to the future
Her experience has solidified her career aspirations. Having already served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Judge Monica Gordo at the Florida Third District Court of Appeal and working this summer as a law clerk at Cole, Scott & Kissane, Rubio knows where she wants to be. "My experience with Moot Court has opened my eyes to the realm of appellate advocacy, the field I hope to enter after graduation," she said.
As she enters her final year, Rubio is focused on keeping the School of Law's Moot Court team at the top, where it currently ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the state.
"Being president will be a full-time job," Rubio said, "but it’s one that I’m more than willing to take on to support and lead our well-oiled machine."
Read more about the School of Law’s Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution area of study.
