Two students appointed to National Black Law Student Association

A four year law student  and single mom to a three-year old boy, Scheril Murray Powell knew early on that she wanted to practice law.

Raised by a mom who encouraged social-issue discussions around the dinner table, and inspired by her godmother – a former Lauderdale Lakes City Commissioner, past president of the Broward League of Cities and current Florida State representative – to become an agent for the greater good, Powell became inspired to study law. She knew as a lawyer she would have the ability to position herself to become “a catalyst for progress and change.”

From left to right Charles McGee, Scheril Murray Powell and Elroy John.

If her track record at FIU Law is any indication of what Powell is capable of doing– look out.

As an evening student, she commutes from Lake Worth, Florida – a 76-mile journey – to attend class. She works as a law clerk at Doumar, Allsworth, Laystorm, Voigt, Wachs & Adair, LLP; serves as a campus representative for WestLaw and Kaplan; holds a real estate license; participates as both a competitor and coach for the FIU Law Board of Advocates Negotiations Team; and is a member of two Student Bar Association organizations: the H.T. Smith Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and the Catholic Law Students Association.

She now adds to her list of achievements the title of Coordinator of Convention Competitions for the National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA).

It’s her second year on the board and her first playing a major role. NBLSA’s mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black and minority attorneys who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.

In 2013, she competed in the Nelson Mandela Negotiation competition, which is organized by NBLSA. While there, she and her partner took home second place, and Powell earned the title of Best Negotiator. Several months later, she received a call from the competition’s director, who asked her to consider becoming involved with the organization on a deeper level.

“It was amazing to be asked to join the NBLSA board. I knew it would be an opportunity to evangelize about the skills you gain through competition. I am grateful that I have represented FIU Law in competitions and feel that in my role with NBLSA I can plant a seed in the minds of law students from across the country about the benefits of competing,” Powell said. “At a minimum, I would be able to plan a competition that would give competitors an experience they could rave about when they returned to their law schools and which would cause others to want to try out for their law school teams.”

NBLSA created the National Competitions Coordinator position just for her. She will coordinate NBLSA’s National Moot Court, Mock Trial and International Negotiations competitions, which are held during their annual convention. The position will allow her “to see the other side,” and she hopes to create a system for organizing competitions that can be easily replicated across organizations and across the country.

“Competitions are a fantastic potential revenue stream for student organizations when properly executed. Long term, I would like to consult with universities and student organizations to help them execute flawless, world-class competition experiences for their students. I am also hoping to ignite a movement of law-related competitions at the collegiate and high school levels to inspire youth to consider a career in the legal field,” she said.

Working alongside her is fellow FIU Law student Elroy John – a rising third year. This is the first time two FIU Law students have served on a board of a national organization simultaneously.

“I am very proud of Scheril and Elroy and the roles they will take on with NBLSA,” FIU Law Dean R. Alexander Acosta said. “Our student body never ceases to impress me. They are the hardest working, most driven group of men and women and no doubt Scheril and Elroy will do great things for NBLSA.”

At the local level, Charles McGee, a rising third year law student, has been appointed pre-law director for the Southern Region Board for the Black Law Student Association. McGee will be responsible for cultivating relationships with undergraduate students interested in attending law school.

For Powell, making sure that FIU Law is represented at NBLSA’s competition is very important.

“I look forward to seeing my classmates, especially my fellow BLSA members, compete this year,” Powell said. “I know the talent we have in our law school. The last two times we sent participants to compete we returned home with multiple trophies. Last year, we did not compete, but I feel like 2016 will be the year for FIU Law!”