Miami Law offers an impressive range of lecture and seminar courses in the fields of litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. Take advantage of a plethora of opportunities to engage in these fields and hone your craft in any of our 9 clinics and 68 experiential courses. Our students have an opportunity to take their academic knowledge further with our unparalleled Litigation Skills program in which students learn directly from and network with 65+ local attorneys and judges. This program features a semester-long course that uniquely covers pre-trial and trial advocacy, beginning with the filling of a lawsuit and culminating in a mock trial. Beyond the classroom, join Miami Law’s mock trial, moot court, or international moot court team—the only one of its kind in the nation. Students have unparalleled opportunities to work side-by-side with faculty, practitioners, and clients via externships and practicums. These experiences provide students access to dozens of agencies and courts - state and federal, trial and appellate, bankruptcy, immigration, family and more.
There are numerous S. Florida courts, Immigration Court, and the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which has courtrooms for Circuit, Civil and Family Court, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
“Miami Law’s Litigation Skills program shows there is no better training than the real thing. After a semester of learning from respected judges and lawyers in our community, the program sends law students to trial in storied courtrooms before esteemed judges and real jury members. Personally, the knowledge I gained set me up to be successful right out of the gate as a litigator. When I was just a second-year attorney, I led a trial team to an $8 million jury verdict for our client.”
Nicole Comparato, J.D. ‘17 Legal Secondee - Global Litigation & Competition Visa
Courses*
Advanced Appellate Advocacy I and II
Advanced Arbitration
Advanced Oral Advocacy in International Arbitration
Advanced Techniques of Persuasion
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Business Litigation
Civil Procedure I and II
Civil Rights Litigation
Class Action Litigation
Collaborative Family Law Divorce
Complex Litigation
Conflict of Laws
Copyright and Trademark Litigation
Criminal Evidence
Criminal Litigation
Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
Criminal Prosecution and Defense Lawyering
Cross-Cultural Mediation
Death Penalty Litigation
Dispute Resolution in Latin America (in Spanish)
Drafting Complex Arbitration Clauses
Electronic Discovery
Evidence
Federal and State Arbitration
Federal Arbitration Act
Federal Courts
Florida Civil Procedure
Florida Criminal Procedure
Florida Post-Conviction Procedure
Forensic Advocacy in International Arbitration I and II
Globalization and Arbitration
International Arbitration
International Arbitration and ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance Issues)
International Dispute Resolution
International Human Rights Lawyering and Advocacy
International Sports Arbitration
Investment Arbitration
Judicial Writing
Large Scale Litigation
Mediation
Mediation Advocacy
Memos, Pleadings, and Motions
Multidistrict Litigation
Negotiation Skills
Patent Litigation
Preparing the Corporate Client for Litigation
Pretrial Litigation
Public Interest Litigation in Private Practice
Scientific Evidence
Social Justice Lawyering
Special Topics in Federal Court
Systemic Advocacy
Transnational Litigation
Trial Litigation
U.S. Perspective on International Commercial Arbitration
Writing for the Judiciary
*Course list is not exhaustive and does not set out a path of study.
“I think it's great to be taught by professors that sat where the student sat. We have pride in our university and interest that [all students] excel. I think as a professor we can relate to the student on a personal level.”
Judge Bertila Soto, J.D. ‘89 Adjunct Faculty, Miami Law Litigation Skills Program Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
“The International Arbitration J.D./LL.M. provided me with a valuable tool set for big firm practice. Because of the LL.M. classes, I was able to help with arbitrator selection in an ICC proceeding and discuss the inclusion of an arbitration clause in a corporate purchase agreement with a Georgian company. I do not believe I would have gained this knowledge without being part of the [international arbitration] program.”
Michael Rodriguez, J.D./LL.M. '17 in International Arbitration International Arbitration Associate Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Washington, D.C.
International Opportunities
International Moot Court Program: The only one of its kind in the U.S., Miami Law offers a unique and comprehensive International Moot Court Program in which students travel and compete, in Spanish and English, in competitions around the world. Students advocate the different sides of a case and analyze the problem, identify the legal issues, research the law, write the briefs and orally present it to a tribunal. In essence, the students learn how to litigate a case in front of an international tribunal doing what an attorney does in real life. Past competitions have included:
Competencia UBA-Rosario International Commercial Arbitration
18th Judicial District of Colorado (Centennial, CO)
ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union (New York, NY and Atlanta, GA)
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Federal Communications Commission
Florida Supreme Court
Hogan Lovells
Jones Day
Legal Services of Greater Miami
Miami-Dade County School Board Attorney's Office
Miami-Dade Legal Aid
Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office
Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office
National Women's Law Center (Washington, DC)
Office of the District Attorney (TX, MA, NY, GA)
Office of the Public Defender (CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IL, MD, OH, RI)
Office of the State Attorney (CT, FL, IL, KS, MA, NM)
Sidley Austin LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP|The Legal Aid Society (New York, NY)
University of Miami, Contract Administration
University of Miami, Office of Privacy and Data Security
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Justice (Washington, DC)
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
U.S. Southern District Court of Florida
White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs (Washington, DC)
**List is not exhaustive and is intended to provide examples of past externships and internships.
Faculty Experts
Anthony V. Alfieri is an expert in civil procedure, environmental litigation, civil rights litigation and heads the Center for Ethics and Public Service.
Paula Ariasis an expert in alternative dispute resolution in Latin America, international arbitration and litigation, international written and oral advocacy, and leads the International Moot Court Program.
Jill Barton is Director of the Legal Communications and Research Skills Program.
Ricardo J. Bascuasis an expert in evidence, criminal procedure, international criminal law.
Donna K. Cokeris an expert in criminal law, evidence, gender and inequality.
Charlton Copeland is an expert in civil litigation, elements, administrative law, and federalism.
Christie Anne Darias Daniels teaches legal writing and is a former Assistant State Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, focusing on Domestic Violence crimes
Michele DeStefano has expertise in civil procedure and runs the LawWithoutWalls program.
Andrew Elmore's main area of expertise is employment law litigation, and torts.
Abigail Fleming has expertise in environmental litigation and runs the Environmental Justice Clinic.
Sandra Friedrich has expertise in international arbitration and directs the White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. program.
Donald M. Jones has expertise in criminal procedure, constitutional law, employment discrimination.
Jeannie Jontiff is the Acting Director of the Litigation Skills Program and is an experienced litigator.
Tamara Rice Lave is an expert in criminal law and litigation, criminal procedure, ethics, punishment, and sex offender legislation.
Marni Lennon teaches in the area of alternative dispute resolution and directs the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center.
Martha R. Mahoney has expertise in criminal law, race and urban development, public interest law, property and land use.
JoNel Newman directs the Health Rights Clinic and has expertise in civil procedure and civil rights litigation.
Shara Kobetz Pelz teaches in the area of legal communication and research.
Rebecca Sharpless directs the Immigration Clinic and has expertise in immigration and refugee law, civil litigation and procedure, evidence, and trial advocacy and practice.
K. Renee Schimkat has expertise in electronic discovery, legal communication and research, and complex litigation.
Scott E. Sundbyis an expert in corporate governance, criminal law and litigation, criminal procedure, constitutional law, and innocence and wrongful conviction.
Annette Torres has expertise in civil litigation and procedure, antidiscrimination, and legal writing.
Craig Trocinoruns the Innocence Clinic and is an expert in wrongful death penalty litigation, criminal law and procedure, and appellate practice and procedure
Class Action and Complex Litigation Forum- This event offers a unique perspective for attorneys looking to understand the latest issues and topics associated with multi-district class actions and complex litigation.
HOPE Public Interest Resource Center- This center runs the HOPE Fellows Program in which students have the opportunity to create summer "dream jobs" in the public interest arena, often in Offices of the Public Defender.
International Arbitration Institute - The International Arbitration Institute is an embodiment of the University of Miami’s long tradition of engagement with the law of arbitration. The Institute strives not only for progress through the education of the new generation of arbitration lawyers, but also for progress through research in international arbitration.
Fellowships
Litigation Skills Fellowships
Ervin Gonzalez Fellowship
HOPE Fellowship Program
Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program
Scholarships / Awards
Marco A. Vazquez Memorial Scholarship
John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship
Honorable Theodore Klein Endowed Scholarship
Litigation Skills Adjunct Faculty Scholarship
Honorable Stanford Blake Mediation Award
Richard L. Lapidus Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
John M. Hogan Fund for Public Interest Litigation
American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Civility Matters Award
Some Facts about Miami and Miami Law:
“Miami Law’s Litigation Skills program shows there is no better training than the real thing. After a semester of learning from respected judges and lawyers in our community, the program sends law students to trial in storied courtrooms before esteemed judges and real jury members. Personally, the knowledge I gained set me up to be successful right out of the gate as a litigator. When I was just a second-year attorney, I led a trial team to an $8 million jury verdict for our client.”
“I think it's great to be taught by professors that sat where the student sat. We have pride in our university and interest that [all students] excel. I think as a professor we can relate to the student on a personal level.”
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