They are motivated by personal
fulfillment, service to others and a need to make a difference.
And that’s where the commonalities end. The inaugural
class of the FIU College of Law is as diverse as diverse gets.
“I had certain expectations, and this group of applicants
blew them all away,” said College of Law Dean Leonard
Strickman, who has ample experience in the business of starting
and running law schools. “These are smart, motivated,
high-achieving individuals with the drive to succeed, both in
the study of law and in life.”
“This class is the best argument against those who advanced
the notion that South Florida did not need a public law school,”
said Strickman who came to FIU in 2001 with a combined 20 years
of dean experience at the Northern Illinois University College
of Law and the University of Arkansas School of Law.
FIU student Brian Abramson, 28, became the first applicant and
the first student to commit to the full- time law program.
“I was very happy that our dream was fulfilled, and happier
still that it worked out in time for me to come here myself,”
said Abramson, who spent the summer working on his thesis for
a master’s in sociology.
“I am really looking forward to the particular collegiality
among the group of students, given the rare opportunity of inaugurating
a new law school. The founding class will create traditions,
like beginning a brand-new Law Review,” said Abramson,
who is a Dean’s Scholar. “I am looking forward to
being a part of all of that.”
The level of excitement is consistent throughout the class.
Christina Palin, a 30-year-old single mother, has been thinking
about law school for the past 10 years. For her, FIU’s
program was tailor made.
“I wish we could have started this summer. Now that I
know I’ve been accepted, I can’t wait to start,”
said Palin, who lives and works in West Miami-Dade. “My
job is here, my support network is here. I think I was meant
to go to this particular law school.”
Palin is a senior transportation planner with a master’s
degree in political science. She works at PBS&J, an engineering
company, where she develops hurricane evacuation plans for the
Federal Government. Palin plans to keep her job and attend the
part-time law program at FIU.
“Cost is an issue but you can get around that with student
loans,” said Palin, who lives with her 4-year-old daughter
Emily less than two miles from University Park. “The issue
of access is much more difficult to resolve, and that’s
what FIU offers me -- access.”
Access was also central for Colin Clark, whose LSAT score of
170 – highest in the class and in the 98th percentile
nationally – would have earned entry to just about any
law school in America.
“I have a family to support, I have a job here,”
said the 34-year-old who is putting the finishing touches on
his brand new MBA from FIU. “My wife is finishing her
masters in linguistics, my daughter will be going there soon.
I couldn’t just get up and go.”
Clark lives and works in South Miami-Dade – a 15-minute
drive from FIU.
“This law school makes it possible for me. Spending hours
on the road to and from school would not be practical,”
said Clark, who is enrolled in the evening law program and plans
to go into commercial law.
FIU is also opening the door to her dreams for Brandy Gonzalez-Abreu,
who after years of schooling and with a masters’ in English
literature to her credit, found herself dissatisfied with her
job as a high school teacher.
“I cannot believe the general lack for respect for the
profession,” said Gonzalez-Abreu, 26, who has been selected
to receive a full scholarship from the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt.
“Maybe as a lawyer I can be an advocate for teachers.”
Gonzalez-Abreu says she’s been thinking about going to
law school for several years, but had never pursued it until
she heard that FIU was opening the College of Law.
“I’ve met the dean and some of the professors, and
they are committed,” said Gonzalez-Abreu, who is modest
about her 162 LSAT score. “I like what I see.”
So does Strickman.
“I’m impressed with the caliber of students but
in some ways the most distinguishing characteristic of this
class is its diversity,” said Dean Strickman. “And
I’m not just talking about ethnicity here. There’s
a great variety in characteristics such as age and life experience.”
Of the students committed to the program thus far, about 60
percent are in the full-time program. The average age in the
class is right around 30 and many of the students already have
other advanced degrees. Approximately 40 percent of the students
are women. The ethnic breakdown is about 43 percent Anglo, 44
percent Hispanic, 7 percent African American and 4 percent Asian.
“This is the most diverse class I have been involved in
recruiting,” said Strickman, “The FIU College of
Law is the beneficiary of this incredible pool of talent that
has been sitting here all these years waiting for the opportunity.
We are going to make it worth their while.”