Faculty & Staff

Robert Abrams is an expert in both Water Law and Environmental Law. He is co-author of a leading casebook in each field: Legal Control of Water Resources (with Barton Thompson, Jr., John Leshy, & Sandra Zellmer, 6th ed. 2018) and Nature Law & Society: A Coursebook on Environmental Law & Policy, (with Zygmunt Plater, Robert Graham, Lisa Heinzerling, David Wirth, & Noah Hall (5rd ed. 2016). He is editor and a contributing author of a book that blends the two fields, Water Rights and Environmental Regulation: A Lawyer’s Guide (2018).

Professor Abrams attended law school at both Stanford University where he was a member of the Law Review and the University of Michigan. He holds his J.D. cum laude (1973) and A.B. with distinction (1969) from the latter. In addition to his areas of specialization, Professor Abrams also teaches the first year Civil Procedure class.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254-4001robert.abrams@famu.edu

Nicky Boothe Perry was named interim dean of FAMU Law in April 2019 and served until June of 2020.

Professor Nicky Boothe Perry is a tenured Professor at the Florida A&M University College of Law where she teaches Torts, Professional Responsibility, the Guardian Ad Litem Clinic, and Florida Practice. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and went on to graduate cum laude from Florida State University College of Law where she was Secretary for the Moot Court Team, Secretary for Phi Alpha Delta, and a Hogan Scholarship recipient. She worked as a defense litigator for ten years before joining the FAMU College of Law Faculty. Professor Boothe is a member of the Order of Barristers and has earned numerous awards from the Florida and Orange County Bar Associations for pro bono work in the Central Florida community.

Professor Boothe Perry focuses her scholarship on issues of professionalism and ethics in the legal profession. Recognized as a leader in the field, she is a Fellow at the National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism. Her articles have appeared in the University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy, Nebraska Law Review, New Mexico Law Review, American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law and Loyola University Law Review. She has served as a speaker, panelist, and commentator at a number of national conferences. She is a member of the Florida Supreme Court Special Committee on Professionalism, the Florida Bar Professionalism Committee, the Orange County Bar Association Professionalism Committee, The American Bar Association Civil Rights Litigation Committee, and is a certified lecturer with the Department of Insurance.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3229nicky.bootheperry@famu.edu

Professor Patricia Broussard joined the faculty of Florida A&M University College of Law after teaching at Howard University School of Law for seven years. She teaches Constitutional Law I and II, First Amendment, Advance Appellate Advocacy, and Advance Topics on Women and the Law. Professor Broussard began her legal career clerking for the Honorable George W. Mitchell of the District of Columbia Superior Court. She writes in the area of Human Rights with a specialty focus on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

She is committed to service and while at Howard received the Warren Rosmarin Award for outstanding teaching and service. She regularly coaches moot court and client counseling teams and serves as a commissioner for the City of Orlando Mayor’s Martin Luther King Commission. She developed and implemented an annual neighborhood service project entitled “Clean- Up Parramore Day” for the law school. She is a four time recipient of the Percy Luney Spirit of Service Award and a five time recipient of Professor of the year. Professor Broussard believes that the success of her students is her greatest accomplishment in academia.

Professor Broussard has a J.D., cum laude, from Howard University School of Law and a B.S. degree from Northwestern University.

Curriculum Vitae

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407 254 3293patricia.broussard@famu.edu

Associate Professor Jeffrey M. Brown joined the College of Law as a permanent member of the Faculty in the fall of 2010 after serving as a Visitor during the 2009-2010 school year. Prior to joining the College of Law he served as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Law at Northern Illinois University College of Law from 1999 until 2009.

His current research interests include assessing the capacity of regional courts to promote more effective development and human rights paradigms in failed states like Haiti and identifying effective normative and institutional frameworks to empower NGOs in the developing world.

He has consulted on USAID and State Department-funded rule of law initiatives in China and Russia for Vermont Law School and occasionally returns to Russia to guest lecture and conduct research. As a member of a consortium of Chicago-area law schools, he helped to coordinate a USAID-funded rule of law assistance program designed to bolster Palestinian legal education.

Professor Brown is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3253jeffrey.brown@famu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

(407) 254 3224rhoda.cato@famu.edu

(407) 254 3285eunice.caussade@famu.edu

Professor Ann Marie Cavazos, a Professor of Law, has been expanding student knowledge for Florida A&M University College of Law for over a decade. Joining the faculty team in 2005, under her visionary leadership the Clinical Program ranked 7th nationally for “Best in Practical Training.” She is committed to service, scholarship, and teaching. Cavazos serves as President of the FAMU Faculty Senate and teaches Florida Constitutional Law, Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Prosecution Clinic, Transactional Law, and Florida Practice. To support the endeavor of pedagogy reform for the 21st Century legal education she spearheaded, co-wrote and published two books that can immediately equip law students with practical legal skills in the classroom, namely, “Florida Family Law and Tort Law Practice and Skills Workbooks. 

Prior to joining the faculty, she was pro bono manager at Greater Orlando Area Legal Services and Director of the Alianza for Fair Housing Program of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida. She also worked as a staff attorney with the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society and was appointed to the bench as a referee in the Brooklyn and Bronx Family Court. She holds a J.D. from Temple University School of Law and a B.S. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 4007ann.cavazos@famu.edu

Professor Cespedes was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She obtained her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida. She graduated summa cum laude from FAMU College of Law where she was an editor of the FAMU Law Review, a Holland & Knight Scholar and recipient of the Certificate of Excellence and Florida A&M University Merit Scholarship. She received the esteemed honor of speaking on behalf of the newly inducted lawyers at the 5^th District court of Appeal’s induction ceremony after having earned one of the highest scores on the July 2013 Florida Bar Exam.

Professor Cespedes formerly served as an adjunct instructor at the FAMU College of Law teaching Multistate Bar Law & Skills and Florida Practice. Prior to beginning her career in academia, Professor Cespedes practiced civil defense litigation representing owners, developers and general contractors in connection with major construction defect claims. She has also litigated a variety of cases surrounding wrongful death, premises liability and personal injury matters. She remains an active member of the Florida bar.

Markita D. Cooper is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. This is a role she held previously at FAMU Law.

Professor Cooper joined the faculty of FAMU College of Law after 17 years on the faculty of Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California. ​At Golden Gate, Professor Cooper served as Associate Dean for J.D. Program Academic Affairs and Faculty Chair. Her primary teaching and scholarship interests include torts, defamation, privacy, and employment law. Her publications have focused on workplace defamation, employment references and referrals, the intersection of defamation law and workplace violence, and historical perspectives on invasion of privacy and technology.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3201markita.cooper@famu.edu

Kim Crag-Chaderton was named interim Director of Legal Clinic and Field Placement in October 2019 and served until July of 2021.

Kim Crag-Chaderton, Esq. joined the Florida A&M University College of Law faculty team in 2018 as an instructor. She teaches the Criminal Defense and Guardian ad Litem Clinics as well as oversees the Field Placement studies. Attorney Crag-Chaderton obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of the Virgin Islands and went on to graduate from Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis.

Prior to joining the faculty, she was a Senior Attorney for the Department of Children and Families for thirteen years where she earned numerous awards and commendations. Prior to her work with the Department of Children and Families she worked as a defense litigator for five years with the Office of Public Defender – Ninth Circuit. She has also worked as a law clerk at the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands where she drafted opinions and orders; researched, reviewed, and analyzed memoranda of law; and mediated small claims matters.

Curriculum Vitae

Mark Dorosin is an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of Legal Clinics and Field Placements. He has been a civil rights lawyer for over 25 years, working to address the continuing impacts of racial segregation and exclusion, including in housing, employment discrimination, environmental justice, restrictions on political participation, and racial disparities in education. Prior to joining FAMU, Professor Dorosin served as the Managing Attorney of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law-North Carolina Regional Office, and before that as co-Director of the Julius L. Chambers Center for Civil Rights. He also led the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Law Center for Civil Rights for 10 years.

Professor Dorosin’s areas of expertise include civil and constitutional rights, education law, fair housing, and environmental justice.

Professor Dorosin received his J.D. from UNC Law School (1994), an M.A.in history from UNC-Greensboro (1989), and a B.A. from Duke University (1987).

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

Professor John Duncan joins the FAMU College of Law after serving as the R.J. Reynolds Nabisco Distinguished Visiting Chair of International Law and Business at North Carolina Central University College of Law, where he taught administrative and international law. He also taught at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Emory University School of Law, and Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M University College of Law.) He earned his Ph.D. in anthropological linguistics from Stanford University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.B.P.A. from Southeastern University, an M.A. in linguistics, an M.S. in audiology and speech pathology from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in romance languages from DePauw University. His legal scholarship includes articles in top-tier law journals, as well as being an academic contributor to the 9th and 10th editions of Black’s Law Dictionary.

Professor Duncan came to academia after a military career, retiring as a colonel from the United States Air Force, where he served as a Judge Advocate General and Intelligence Officer. Professor Duncan’s military background includes service as the Legal Advisor to the United Nations Command General Officers at Pan Mun Jam, Korea; Staff Judge Advocate at Crete, Greece and to the Air Force Special Operations Wing; Instructor at the National Security Agency National Cryptologic School; Vietnam combat veteran; and as a Special Operations Officer with 51 combat missions. He is also a board member of the U. S. Air Force Judge Advocate General School.

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

407-254-3242john.duncan@famu.edu

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254-3202jonathan.fineman@famu.edu

Joseph Karl Grant joined the FAMU College of Law faculty in 2013. Professor Grant teaches Property I and II, Business Organizations, Wills & Estates, and Trust Administration at the FAMU College of Law. Professor Grant has also taught seminars on Corporate Social Justice and Reconstruction and the Law.  Professor Grant received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law (1998), and A.B. from Brown University (1995). He spent his junior year of college at the University of London, Queen Mary & Westfield College. After law school, Professor Grant returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he practiced in the Corporate and Securities, and the Labor and Employment law practice groups at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP, and in the Corporate and Securities practice group at Thompson, Hine & Flory, LLP. After leaving large law firm practice, and prior to his entry in the legal academy, Professor Grant founded and managed The Grant Law Firm, LLC in Cleveland, Ohio. Professor Grant has served on the faculties at several law schools, including West Virginia University College of Law (2004-2005), Appalachian School of Law (2005-2008), Capital University School of Law (2008-2013), and the University of Oregon School of Law (Fall 2011).

Professor Grant is a frequent featured speaker and panelist at conferences, symposia, and bar-sponsored CLE events on these and other topics. Additionally, he has provided expert opinions and commentary to the media on a host of issues in his areas of teaching, practice, and expertise.

Scholarly Commons

Social Science Reseach Network

(407) 254 3244joseph.grant@famu.edu

Ronald C. Griffin has served as a professor of law at FAMU since 2009. He has taught Commercial Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Consumer’s Rights, International Transactions, and Secured Transactions.

As a visiting professor of law at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Professor Griffin served as a scholar and consultant in the specialized field of international trade and sales. He was invited to observe the hearings of the Meech Lake Accord, Canada’s process for reconstructing its Constitution. His international study of law and culture has also included extended visits to Scotland, Ireland, South Africa and Japan.

Professor Griffin has published several articles including: Republicanism (Comment): How Can Blacks Revive a Constitutional Dream; Hill’s Account: Law School, Legal Education and the Black Law Student; and Broadcast Advertising: What Has It Done to the Audience, A Prairie Perspective on Global Warming and Climate Change.

He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and an Associate Fellow at the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska.

Professor Griffin received his LLM from the University of Virginia and his JD from Howard University.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3223

ronald.griffin@famu.edu

Priscilla Norwood Harris has taught law for over fifteen years. As a 2016-2017 U.S. Core
Fulbright Scholar, she taught at undergraduate and graduate students at Vilnius University and
worked with Lithuanian courts. She has also taught undergraduate students in China. In addition, she has taught graduate students at several American law schools, including LL.M. students at Vanderbilt Law School. In addition, she has conducted public health field research in Appalachia funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s in Public Health. Her research interests include public health law, environmental law, and legal research and writing.

She received her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from Florida State University. Before teaching, she practiced law for over ten years in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. She is still an active member of the Florida bar

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

407-254-3269

priscilla.harris@famu.edu

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(407) 254 3220

william.henslee@famu.edu

Professor Areto Imoukhuede earned a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was awarded the Dean’s Certificate for Outstanding Service.  He earned a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University where he was awarded the Golden Bear Award for Financial Acumen.   

Professor Imoukhuede researches fundamental rights as duties under the U.S. Constitution with his primary focuses being on education and homeland security. He has presented his academic research across the nation and overseas, including in Athens, Greece and Rome, Italy. 

He teaches U.S. Constitutional law and upper-level, advanced courses on constitutional theory. His other JD courses include administrative law and contracts, and has taught courses in education law, federal privacy law, and employment discrimination. Professor Imoukhuede has extended his teaching mission internationally, teaching courses on International Justice, The Human Right to Education, and an Introduction to U.S. Constitutional Law in Barcelona and Granada, Spain; Rome, Italy; and in the Hague in the Netherlands. 

His national service includes serving as one of the John Mercer Langston, Black Male Writing Workshop founders and as a site inspector for the ABA accreditation process for law schools. Professor Imoukhuede served as chair of his past institution’s promotion and tenure committee and was appointed to serve on several other committees, most notably: strategic planning, ABA Self-Study, and program review committees.  

He has previously served as Investigative Counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee. His other federal service includes work as a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House, where he conducted extensive research on U.S. education policy, and an internshipwith the U.S. DOJ Antitrust Division.  

Professor Imoukhuede practiced law with a large, Chicago-based, international law firm where he represented several Fortune 100 clients in major complex litigation matters involving antitrust, insurance coverage, pharmaceutical, and franchising disputes. 

Professor Imoukhuede is a member of the Bars of Illinois, the District of Columbia, and the Northern District of Illinois.  He is a proud Eagle Scout.

Curriculum Vitae

Areto.Imoukhuede@FAMU.edu

Darryll K. Jones is a Professor of Law. He previously served as the Director of Legal Clinics and Field Placement.

Jones assumed the duties of Interim Dean on July 1, 2015, after serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs since 2012.   Jones joined the College of Law in July 2009 as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development.  In that role, he helped to successfully guide FAMU Law through its first post-accreditation review. He received his LLM (Tax) and JD degrees from the University of Florida.

From 1993 to 2006 he taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2003 until 2006. From 2006 to 2009, Professor Jones served as Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law where he was selected for the Homer & Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Faculty Research and the Outstanding Faculty Service Award.

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

407 254 3264

darryll.jones@famu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3231

yolanda.jones@famu.edu

Deidré A. Keller is the dean of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law in Orlando, Florida. Prior to joining FAMU Law, she was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law where she taught for ten years. Dean Keller’s teaching experience includes Property, Intellectual Property, Law & Literature, Internet Law, Legal Problem Solving & Analysis, Estates, Wills, and Trusts, and The Legal History of Montgomery, Alabama.

Dean Keller writes at the intersections of intellectual property, personhood theory, critical race theory, and the Constitution. Prior to teaching, Keller practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia, with the firms of Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan, LLP and Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. She specialized in intellectual property counseling and procurement, focusing on trademarks and copyrights.

Scholarly Commons

407-254-3200

deidre.keller@famu.edu

 (407) 254 3246

lundy.langston@famu.edu

Dr. Jeremy Levitt is the distinguished professor of international law. A former Fulbright Research Chair in Human Rights and Social Justice at the Human Rights Research and Education Center, University of Ottawa, he was the first Black male to serve as a law dean in Canada and the first African American to serve as dean in Canada in any discipline. He formerly served as associate dean for international programs and founding director of the Center for International Law and Justice at FAMU.

Dr. Levitt is an internationally recognized public intellectual, legal scholar, international lawyer, political scientist and global administrator with a rare combination of experiential and theoretical training and experiences. He is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities in international law and politics of Africa and is a pioneering scholar-practitioner in international human rights law, conflict and peace studies, transitional justice, and racial justice studies. He is the author and editor of seven books and numerous scholarly works.

Dr. Levitt has extensive field expertise in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. In 2016, he was a Senior External Scholar at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center in Accra, Ghana. In 2009-2010, Louise Arbour, former UN High Commission for Human Rights nominated him to serve as Head of the International Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the Republic of Liberia (TRC) during the country’s civil war. He was appointed to this position by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia and Africa’s first elected female president. In 2005, he was a visiting fellow at the Lauterpacht Center for International Law at Cambridge University. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

Dr. Levitt holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge, a Doctor of Law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University.

Scholarly Commons

407 254 3248

jeremy.levitt@famu.edu

Reginald J. Mitchell, Esq. is currently the FAMU College of Law Director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation Program. He is also volunteering as the FAMU Rattler Boosters, Inc. General Counsel and the FAMU National Alumni Association General Counsel. He is formerly the Assistant General Counsel for Risk of the Florida Department of Children and Families. He was formerly a Medicaid Subrogation Attorney with Health Management Systems; Florida Legal Counsel of People for the American Way (PFAW) as a registered lobbyist with the Florida Legislature; and Florida Election Protection Director of People for the American Way Foundation. Mr. Mitchell also served as an Associate Attorney at Parks and Crump, LLC. Mr. Mitchell’s areas of practice included personal injury, wrongful death and auto-tort litigation.

Scholarly Commons

Reginald.MitchellSr@famu.edu

407-254-4009

LeRoy Pernell is a professor and former dean of Florida A&M University College of Law. He is credited with leading the law school to full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2009 and reaccreditation in 2014.   He is also Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law. 

He began his career in legal education at The Ohio State University College of Law where he served as Professor of Law and Vice Provost of Minority Affairs.  Teaching primarily in the areas of Criminal Procedure, Torts and Juvenile Law, he also created clinical education courses at Ohio State in the areas of Mental and Developmental Disability as well as Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Relief.  At Northern Illinois University he created the Zeke Giogi Legal Clinic, in Rockford, the first clinical program for the NIU College of Law.  Professor Pernell has also held the position of a Public Defender and served as of counsel to the law practice of the late Otto Beatty, Jr, former Ohio state representative.

Pernell recently published, along with Professor Omar Saleem, Cases and Materials on Combatting Racism in Criminal Procedure (Vandeplas Press 2020).  He has published a wide range of articles and book chapters in the areas of criminal procedure, race and the law, torts and sports law.  His most recent articles are “In Memoriam: David Williams II – Mentor, Colleague, Friend”, 81 Ohio St. L.J. 11 (2020) and “Racial Justice and Federal Habeas Corpus as Post-Conviction Relief from State Convictions”, 69 Mercer Law Review 433 (2018). 

Pernell earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1971, and received his Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1974. He was of counsel with the firm Otto Beatty & Associates in Columbus Ohio.

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

407-254-4034

leroy.pernell@famu.edu

Prior to joining FAMU’s faculty, Shiv Narayan Persaud served as a state agency attorney, an assistant public defender, an assistant state attorney and a sole practitioner. In varying capacities at several state agencies, he worked on the State’s highway outdoor advertising program, assisted in the reconstruction of the firefighter certification examination, and streamlined real estate license law prosecutions. With the opportunity to represent indigent and private clients, in addition to the institutional knowledge of being a successful prosecutor, he brings a practical understanding to the classroom which elucidates and strengthens a student’s inferential analysis. Being in academia has also afforded him the opportunity to reach a vast and diverse array of individuals who will eventually become the policymakers and professionals in our legal system. He believes that the College’s commitment to excellence cannot underplay the value of instilling the principles of cultural competence in the legal profession.

 (407) 254 4026

shiv.persaud@famu.edu

Cynthia Ramkellawan is a Florida A&M University College of Law graduate who has remained committed to the College of Law’s Mission. She received the honor of being a Top Honor Graduate upon graduating from the University of Central Florida with her Bachelor of Arts. At the time of her graduation, she was the youngest student to matriculate and receive her Juris Doctorate from the Florida A&M College of Law, magna cum laude. She also earned an LL.M in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served in the capacity of LL.M Advisor on the Georgetown Journal of International Law.

In May, 2021, Cynthia was honored by the UCF Alumni Association as a recipient of its Seventh Annual 30 Under 30 Award recognizing her professional successes and exemplary service to her community.

Cynthia maintains active bar memberships in Florida and New York.

Curriculum Vitae

Scholarly Commons

Cynthia.Ramkellawan@famu.edu

407-254-4003

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3245

rhonda.reaves@famu.edu

Professor Reyes earned an LL.M. from the Harvard Law School, a J.D. summa cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center and a B.S. in Accounting magna cum laude from Florida Atlantic University. She currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Harvard Latino Law Review. Professor Reyes teaches Civil Procedure, Evidence, Immigration Law, Advanced Topics in Immigration Law, Latinos and the Law, and Professional Responsibility. She also serves as faculty advisor to the Hispanic American Law Students Association. Her areas of research and writing interest include immigration law and policy, crimmigration, ethics, evidence, the federal courts, and Latinos and the law. Professor Reyes is admitted to practice in Florida and before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 2470

maritza.reyes@famu.edu

Omar Saleem is a Professor of Law and former founding Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Florida A&M College of Law. He received his B.A. from City University of New York at Queens College and his J.D., cum laude, from North Carolina Central University of Law where he was the editor-in-chief of the law review and received numerous academic awards, including the NAACP National John Warren Davis Award for Academic Excellence, and the North Carolina Board of Governors Academic Award. He received his LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law. He was a law clerk for the Honorable Henry E. Frye, Associate Justice for the North Carolina Supreme Court.

As an assistant public defender he handled criminal proceedings in juvenile, district and superior court, and appeals filed at the North Carolina appellate level. As Legal Services attorney he handled matters involving insurance, domestic violence, housing, consumer fraud, wills, and the uniform commercial code.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 4011

omar.saleem@famu.edu

Jennifer Smith is a professor of law at the Florida A&M University College of Law. Before joining the FAMU College of Law, Professor Smith was a partner with Holland & Knight LLP, an international law firm, where she chaired the law firm’s South Florida Health Law Group. She practiced in both the Washington, D.C. and Miami offices. During that time, the Young Lawyers Division of the Washington Bar Association recognized her as “The Young Lawyer of the Year.” Prior to becoming a partner, she was recognized as an “extraordinary associate” by the law firm. While an associate, she took a leave from the law firm to volunteer as a human rights attorney with the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before joining the firm, Professor Smith served as a federal judicial law clerk to former Chief Judge Joseph W. Hatchett on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States. She holds a B.S. from Hampton University and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

Professor Smith teaches Federal Civil Procedure and several upper-level courses. She continues to represent the underrepresented in pro bono work. She is well-published in several law journals; federal and state court judges have cited her scholarship as authority; and she is a co-author of a recent supplement to Civil Procedure: A STUDENT ELECTRONIC DISCOVERY PRIMER: AN ESSENTIAL COMPANION FOR CIVIL PROCEDURE COURSES (Carolina Academic Press, 2016). The Primer supplements the traditional law school introductory Civil Procedure course by providing a condensed introduction to electronic discovery. In 2017, 2018 and 2021, Professor Smith submitted petitions for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Scholarly Commons

407) 254 3256

jennifer.smith@famu.edu

Phyllis Taite is a tenured Professor of Law at Florida A&M University College of Law. She holds a LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law and a B.S. from Florida A&M University.  She currently teaches a combination of Wills and Estates, Trusts and Fiduciary Administration, Federal Income Tax and Law, Policy Social Justice with an emphasis on Tax Policy.  Her teaching package may also include Estate & Gift Tax, Partnership Tax, Property Law, Constitutional Law, and other reasonably related courses.

Professor Taite is the faculty advisor to the Tax Law Society, Women’s Law Caucus and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law student organizations.  She previously served as the faculty advisor for the Volunteer Income Tax Program where she received several honors from Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation and the Internal Revenue Service.

Scholarly Commons

(407) 254 3236

phyllis.taite@famu.edu

Professor Walker began her career in academia as an Assistant Professor of Lawyering Process at Florida Coastal School of Law (“FSCL”) in Jacksonville, Florida.  At FCSL, Professor Walker taught first-year law students Legal Research and Writing.  In addition, she taught upper-level law students skills courses including: Pretrial Litigation Drafting and Client Interviewing and Counseling.

Professor Walker also practiced appellate law at Korn & Zehmer, P.A., where she represented clients before the Florida state appellate courts on a variety of appellate issues.

Professor Walker received her Juris Doctorate degree from Florida State University College of Law, cum laude. Professor Walker received her undergraduate degree with a major in Criminal Justice from the University of North Florida. Licensed in Florida, she is actively involved in community activities and organizing Team Fox fundraising events for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

(407) 254 3211

tonya.walker@famu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Marlese.Wells@famu.edu

407-254-4045

Eurilynne Anise Williams serves as Interim Director and Instructor of Academic Success & Bar Preparation (ASBP) at FAMU College of Law.  She oversees the administration and operations of the ASBP Department, including the design and implementation of curriculum for first year and upper-level critical skills courses.  She teaches Introduction to Analytical Skills I and II, and Advanced Analytical Skills, which she has taught in a live instruction setting and via online, asynchronous delivery.  Professor Williams also manages the Bar Exam Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Program for the biannual administrations of the bar exam. The program provides graduates with access to supplemental bar preparation resources and tutoring.  Professor Williams conducts bar examination preparedness workshops covering the Multistate Bar Exam, Florida Essay Exam and Multistate Performance Tests, and offers advising on the strategic use of bar preparation resources.

Professor Williams demonstrates her embrace of FAMU College of Law’s mission through her research and presentations that amplify methods for supporting underprepared and underperforming law students to success, and strategies for enhancing law students’ writing.  She has frequently been invited to share her presentations at national conferences hosted by the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) and the Legal Writing Institute (LWI).   Professor Williams’ passion for developing a pipeline of future legal professionals is evidenced by her involvement in local public school TEACH-IN events, law school recruitment activities including teaching in the Legal Scholars Summer Program, and through her service on the AASE Diversity Committee’s Adopt-A-School initiative.

Before joining FAMU’s faculty, Professor Williams dedicated eight years to public and private law practice.  As a Senior Attorney with the State of Florida Guardian Ad Litem Program in the 18^th Judicial Circuit, she had the privilege of advocating for the best interests of Florida’s children.  Her private practice focused on litigating family law, guardianship, adoption, and dependency cases, building on the foundation she established as an associate with the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, 5th District.

Professor Williams graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctor from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law where she served as Business Managing Editor of Law Review and Secretary of Moot Court Board.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of West Florida.  Professor Williams is admitted to practice in Florida, is a member of the American Bar Association, and the Association of Academic Support Educators.

Curriculum Vitae

 407 254 4002

eurilynne.williams@famu.edu