FAMU Law Launches Mentoring Program with Lawyers from Across the Country

For Immediate Release: October 23, 2020

FAMU Law Launches Mentoring Program with Lawyers from Across the Country

ORLANDO, Florida – Lawyers from coast to coast have signed on to serve as mentors to Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law students as part of the inaugural Mentoring Program. The 57 lawyers are from states as far away as California and New York, include several judges, and represent areas of law ranging from intellectual property to personal injury.

The FAMU College of Law Mentoring Program was officially launched on Oct. 15, 2020 with a virtual event featuring Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson as the keynote speaker. Lawson shared the story of “The Three Questions” by Leo Tolstoy, illustrating the importance of appreciating the present.

“What you’re undertaking as law students is a big thing. What you’re undertaking as lawyers and judges who are mentoring is an extra big responsibility,” he said. “If you just show up and give it your best to do good to the person in front of you, this will be a really great experience for all of you.”

More than 100 lawyers and law students participated in the online kick-off event that afforded mentors and mentees an opportunity to get to know each other during virtual breakout sessions. Participants also viewed a video presentation modeling a mentoring session to help guide future discussions.

The 57 pairs of mentors and mentees were matched according to common interests in practice areas, location, professions, or backgrounds. Mentors and mentees have committed to meeting at least four times per academic year.

Because of the pandemic, the program will be conducted virtually during the 2020-2021 academic year. The virtual format provided an opportunity for lawyers across the country to participate. The mentors, who must have a minimum of 10 years of legal practice, include 11 judges and 24 FAMU College of Law alumni.

The Mentoring Program was developed by the Mentoring Committee of the College of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council, a volunteer group of lawyers, professionals, and elected officials who serve as ambassadors, advancing the mission of the law school in the legal, business and broader communities; serving in an advisory capacity to the administration and faculty in the evaluation of the College of Law and its educational programs; and supporting the College of Law’s efforts to attract and retain a diverse and high quality student body.

The Mentoring Committee is chaired by Gary Salzman, a shareholder with Garganese, Weiss, D’Agresta & Salzman, P.A. and includes the Hon. Faye Allen, Orange County Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit; Donald Henderson, partner, Mateer Harbert Attorneys at Law; Paige Carlos, 2012 graduate; Aleisha Hodo, 2013 graduate; Alaina Wallace, 2020 graduate; Randolph Reliford, assistant dean for career planning and professional development; Mildred Graham, director of advancement and alumni affairs; and Asia Evans, a third-year law student.

“We are grateful to all of the lawyers who will share their advice and expertise with our eager and enthusiastic law students,” said Deidré Keller, dean and professor or law. “This mentoring program marks the start of what we hope will be a rewarding and valuable tradition at FAMU College of Law.”

 

Below is a list of the 57 FAMU College of Law Mentors for the 2020-2021 academic year.

First Name	Last Name	Employer	State
Judge Faye	Allen	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Joy	Anakhu*	New York City Law Department	New York
Marilyn	Anglade*	Third District Court of Appeal	Florida
Asima	Azam	Divine & Estes, P.A.	Florida
Alvin	Benton*	Capital One Financial Corporation	Texas
David	Bigney	The Bigney Law Firm	Florida
Judge Alice	Blackwell	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Brooke	Boltz	Boltz Legal	Florida
Amanda	Bova	Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation	Florida
Michael	Brown*	Law Office of Michael S. Brown, PLLC	Florida
Andrele	Brutus St. Vil*	The University of Pittsburgh Law School	Pennsylvania
Dale A.	Burket	Lowndes	Florida
Jeffrey	Byrd	Jeffrey M. Byrd, P.A.	Florida
Stefanie	Camfield*	Florida Department of Children and Families	Florida
Judge Amy J.	Carter*	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Charles	Castellon	Widerman Malek PL	Florida
Judge Vincent S.	Chiu	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Cynthia	Conlin*	Cynthia Conlin & Associates	Florida
Juan	De La Torre*	De La Torre Law	Florida
Ava	Doppelt	Allen, Dyer, Doppelt & Gilchrist, P.A.	Florida
Judge Robert	Eagan	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Trizia G	Eavenson*	Eavenson Law, LLC	Florida
Camille	Evans	Virtus Law	Florida
Jon	Gibbs	Lowndes	Florida
Judge Elizabeth	Gibson	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Jacquin	Gilchrist	The Gilchrist Law Firm, P.A.	Florida
Janice	Haywood*	U.S. Department of Homeland Security	Florida
Casinova	Henderson*	Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service	California
Georgiana	Holmes	Orange County Govt, County Attorney’s Office	Florida
Iyada	Jackson*	Jackson Legal Services	Florida
Jason Ward	Johnson	Roetzel & Andress, LPA	Florida
Judge Victoria M.	Johnson*	Dougherty County Magistrate Court	Georgia
Kamilah	Jolly*	Jolly Esquire, PLLC	Florida
Jarian	Lyons*	Lyons Legal	Florida
Vernisha	Mayweather*	The Law Office of V. Mayweather, PLLC	Florida
Candice	McKinley*	C McKinley Law & Associates	Georgia
Candis	Mitchell	Federal Public Defender	California
Lance	Morley	LendingTree, LLC	Florida
Nayef	Mubarak	Mubarak Law	Florida
Gozie	Onyema	Smiths Group PLC	Illinois
Reganel	Reeves*	Esquire Litigation Group	Florida
Brett	Renton	Shutts & Bowen	Florida
Regina	Saint Jour*	MetLife	Florida
Gary	Salzman	Garganese, Weiss, D’Agresta & Salzman, P.A.	Florida
Tony	Sos	Dellecker Wilson King McKenna Ruffier & Sos	Florida
Judge Elizabeth	Starr	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Rickey	Strong*	Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law	Florida
Camille A.	Thompson*	American University College of Law	Florida
Anna	Torres	TorresVictor	Florida
Roberta	Walton*	Orange County Clerk of Courts	Florida
Ka’Juel	Washington*	The Washington Trial Group	Florida
Judge Keith F.	White	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Daniel	Whitley	Whitley Law Office, PLLC	Kentucky
Ryan	Williams	State Attorney’s Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Judge Carly	Wish	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida
Judge Tom	Young	Ninth Judicial Circuit	Florida

*FAMU College of Law Alumni

 

Media Contact: stephanie.strong@famu.edu

About FAMU College of Law

The FAMU College of Law is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando, just steps from the George C. Young United States Courthouse and Federal Building; and blocks from governmental offices, major law firms, large corporations and legal service agencies.

The college’s prime location provides students with direct access to the area’s largest employers of individuals with law degrees, offering our students and graduates ample avenues to gain practical experience in the legal profession.

With tuition among the lowest of the law schools in Florida, along with a full-time day program and a part-time evening program, the college is distinctly positioned to offer the traditional student and the working professional a chance to earn a law degree while accruing minimal debt.

Thanks to its renowned faculty, the college focuses on academic excellence in the classroom; emphasizes practical experience and public service within its clinical programs; and stresses professionalism through its co-curricular activities.