Dear Miami Law Alumni and Friends:
 
First and foremost, I hope to see you during our exciting Homecoming & Alumni Weekend! The week will kick off with on Thursday, November 4th with a Celebration of former Assistant Dean for Professional Development, William P. VanderWyden III, JD ’84  (“Dean V”)  and Class Reunions for the classes of 1981, 2000, 2001 and 2011 right here at  the law school. Friday evening, November 5th, the class of 1991 will celebrate their reunion and the University of Miami’s Homecoming Celebration “Illuminated by Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century” will take over the campus for what is promised to be a fun and interactive night for everyone – be sure to stop by the School of Law’s tent to catch up. 

We will round out the weekend on Saturday, November 6th, with our most celebrated tradition: the 72nd Annual “Morning Spirits” & Homecoming Breakfast. The LAA worked diligently in recruiting Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, bestselling author of Doing Justice, and host of "Stay Tuned with Preet," as our breakfast speaker. You can register and learn a bit more about all that is happening here. 
 
If you haven’t heard, We are delighted to welcome interim Dean Nell Jessup Newton to our school as we undertake a search for a permanent Dean.  The Office of Law Development and Alumni Relations sat down with Dean Newton to interview her. You may read the full interview here. She is excited to lead the School of Law in this transitional period and has already met with the Alumni leadership.

Finally, to become more engaged with our alma mater, please fill out this form. There are many ways for alumni to stay connected to the university. We hope you find fulfillment in sharing your time and expertise.
 
Along with the members of the Law Alumni Association, I look forward to seeing many of you at the Alumni Weekend & Homecoming festivities. I welcome the engagement of every one of you with our Alma Mater during this time of transition, and I am grateful for your continuing support as we forge ahead. As always, should you have any questions, please reach out to me at any time at julie@colson.com.
 
Thank you for everything you do for our school.

Gratefully,
Julie Braman Kane, BA '90, JD '93
President, Law Alumni Association

Partner, Colson Hicks Eidson
 

Remember to connect and keep up with the latest from your Law Alumni Association on the web, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If you have any accomplishments you would like to share, Submit a Class Note and we will update the Class Notes page with your story!

Miami Law Swears in 203 new lawyers, those who took the oath had passed the July Florida Bar Exam on their first attempt and pushed Miami Law’s pass rate to 82.5%, the second highest in the state. Senior United States District Judge Federico A. Moreno, JD ’78, of the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, led the swearing-in ceremony. 

Jaret Davis, JD '99, recognized as one of Onyx Magazine's 2021 "Men of Honor." The Men of Honor honorees were chosen because they exemplify leadership, achievement, integrity, and vision in their efforts to transform their communities and professions, according to ONYX Magazine. 

Miami Law grads are successful in all areas of practice and can be found at the helm of some of the most prominent law firms, corporations, and foundations nationally and internationally. We are proud to celebrate and showcase the outstanding professional accomplishments of some of our many extraordinary graduates.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EARLY YEARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW - 1965 - 1974

1965 – Dean Frederick D. Lewis became dean. Lewis, an expert in automobile and insurance law, came to the University of Miami after serving as professor and dean at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. During his tenure, Dean Lewis continued to build up the law school’s scholarship program, announcing the Harvey T. Reid merit-based scholarships in 1970. While serving as dean, he was also appointed to serve as the chairman of the nominating committee for the Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association. In 1972, Dean Lewis stepped down as dean and joined the law school faculty.  He continued teaching at UM until his death in 1979.

1967 – The Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning was founded by Professor Philip E. Heckerling, who was a member of the School of Law’s faculty from 1963-1983. The Institute was founded with the purpose of bringing together estate planning experts to refine their skills. The Heckerling Institute led to the founding of the highly selective Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning.
 
1969 – The University of Miami Inter-American Law Review (originally the Lawyer of the Americas) was founded. More than 50 years later, the Inter-American Law Review continues to publish scholarly commentary on the most pressing legal issues affecting the Americas. John Errol Lee, JD '69, was the first black alumnus of the University of Miami School of Law. 

1972 – The Law School welcomed its first Black faculty member, Professor Robert H. Waters. Professor Waters served on the Law School’s faculty for nearly 30 years and was a beloved colleague, professor, and mentor to many at Miami Law. During his tenure at the Law School, he founded the James Weldon Johnson Summer Institute to support minority law students. Today, Miami Law’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Robert H. Waters Chapter is named in his honor.

1974 – Soia Mentschikoff became dean. A Russian-American legal scholar and lauded professor, she served as the first female dean of the University of Miami School of Law. Before her tenure at Miami Law, Dean Mentschikoff broke legal ground nationwide, becoming the first woman in history to teach at both the University of Chicago Law School and Harvard Law School. Among her many accomplishments, Dean Mentschikoff was also the first woman elected president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the first woman mentioned as a possible nominee for the United States Supreme Court, represented the United States at the Hague in an effort to build support for a uniform law governing international sales and arbitration, and served as one of the primary drafters of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). As Miami Law’s dean, she introduced an intensive tutorial program intended to teach first-year law students research and writing skills, a first-year course called Elements centering on the jurisprudence of the legal system, enacted upper-level curricular reform, built a new wing of the Law Library and a new classroom building, increased and improved the Law Library’s collection and revised the law school’s admissions standards. She was succeeded in 1982 by Dean Claude R. Sowel.

1974 – Professor Henry Manne founded the Law and Economics Center at the University of Miami School of Law. The Law and Economics Center institutionalized the study of law and economics into the study and practice of law for a wide variety of students and practitioners, now including hundreds of federal judges. The Center now continues at George Mason University School of Law, where it is an integrated part of the law school and continues to offer many of the same programs it offered in its infancy.

Enjoy the memories shared in these videos by Miami Law Alumni who attended during these years:

Joan Berk, JD '69
Gerald Hayes, JD '78
Thomas R. Spencer, Jr., JD ’69 
Joe Weinberger, JD ’79
 

Miami Law named Jaime Rich Vining, JD '06, and Daniel Barsky, JD '06, co-directors of the Startup Clinic, formerly known as the “Startup Practicum.”