Michael "Mike" Clelland, a 2005 graduate of the College of Law, represents Seminole County in the Florida House of Representatives.

From his role as a fire fighter to his position as a member of the Florida Legislature, Michael Clelland has long exemplified the motto of his alma mater, "Excellence with Caring". A current Florida House Representative, this 2005 Florida A&M University College of Law graduate continues to fight for the underserved, including the rights of small businesses and middle-class citizens. 

Julian Jackson-Fannin serves as law clerk to the Honorable Donald L. Graham, Senior U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of Florida.

Julian Jackson-Fannin is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Oxford College of Emory University and Emory University where he received his A.A. and B.A. degrees, majoring in Economics with concentrations in Business Policy Analysis and Financial Economics and minoring in English. After receiving his undergraduate degrees, Jackson-Fannin worked in banking and consumer credit counseling for a number of years. In 2008, he moved to Orlando, Florida where he enrolled at Florida A&M University College of Law.

While in law school, Jackson-Fannin served as Editor-in-Chief of the FAMU Law Review, Moot Court Vice-Chairman of Practical Skills, Treasurer of FAMU Black Law Students Association, and served as a judicial intern at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the Complex Business Litigation Court for the 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida. He was also awarded the Dean's Top Performer Scholarship Award in 2009 and received book awards in Torts I, Civil Procedure II, and Contracts II. In addition, he was named Thurgood Marshall College Fund's Distinguished Scholar in May 2011.

After graduating from Florida A&M College of Law with honors in 2011, Jackson-Fannin was admitted to the Florida Bar and started work as an Assistant Public Defender in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida. He represented hundreds of indigent clients on misdemeanor and felony charges through all stages of litigation -- including trial and post-conviction proceedings.

Currently, Jackson-Fannin serves as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Donald L. Graham, Senior United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida. In keeping with his academic and professional accomplishments, he remains steadfastly dedicated to the inclusion of minorities in every aspect of the legal profession.

Percy King serves as a law clerk for the Honorable Henry Lee Adams, Jr., Senior U.S. District Court Judge, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville.

FAMU College of Law original alumni and survivors receive medallions and certificates as the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni. All 57 graduates of the original law school were installed as Distinguished Alumni.

The College of Law bestowed the designation of Distinguished Alumnus/a to all graduates of the original College of Law during Homecoming Week 2013, during the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Banquet on October 17, 2013, on the main campus in Tallahassee. The event initiated an historic College of Law reunion, honoring the 57 men and women who were members of the graduating classes from 1954 through 1968.

College of Law officials began planning the reunion at the request of Irving L. Mills, Jr., a member of the Class of 1966, who also served as chair of the Inaugural Banquet. The speaker line-up for the banquet program featured FAMU Interim President Larry Robinson, and graduates of the original law school, including Florida Senator Arthenia Joyner, Class of 1968, who officiated the program.

"At a time and place where the climate of advanced education for African-Americans was extremely volatile, the graduates of the original FAMU College of Law became true catalysts for change," said College of Law Dean LeRoy Pernell. "Honoring all 57 graduates as our Inaugural Distinguished Alumni is a fitting distinction for the legacy of their contributions."

While the Banquet was a crowning event for the weekend, the reunion allowed surviving members of the 13 graduating classes to reflect on their years spent attending the law school in Tallahassee, and to acknowledge their individual accomplishments in the legal, educational, political and business arenas. The original College of Law was closed by the State of Florida in 1968 after the Board of Control withdrew permission to admit law students two years prior. The College of Law was re-established in Orlando in 2002.

The College of Law held a second recognition ceremony in Orlando for the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni or family members during Florida Classic Week 2013. An event to honor select graduates of the re-established College of Law will take place annually in Orlando. 

Jarian Lyons ('06) has joined Dan Newlin and Partners as an Associate Attorney.

Lateefah Muhammad ('07) has taken the position Of Counsel at the Akbar Law Firm, P.A. in Tallahassee, FL.

LaDray Gilbert ('08) was selected by the Jackson County, FL NAACP as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 MLK Day Parade.

Alicia Peyton ('08) is now Associate Attorney at King and Markmon in Orlando.

Valeta Cameron ('09) has joined the firm Rhodes Law, P.A. in Melbourne, FL as an Associate Attorney.

Emily Dunn Martelli ('09) joined the Orlando Law Group, PL in Orlando, FL, and is the Co-Founder and Legal Partner with Dr. Hotel Match, LLC.

Dan Gerola ('10) is now Vice President, Finance Operations at Verizon in Orlando, FL.

Karen Skyers ('10) joined the Thirteenth Judicial District in Tampa, FL as an Associate Attorney.

Josephine Balzac ('11) has joined the firm Weiland, Hilado, and DeLattre, P.A. in Orlando, FL as an Associate Attorney.

Verhonda Williams ('11) is a Complex Litigation Attorney with the Gladstone Law Group in Boca Raton, FL.

Leonard Desir ('12) has joined Trujillo, Vargas, Ortiz, Gonzalez LLP in Kissimmee, FL as an Associate Attorney.

Jason Duey's ('12) article "What's the Problem Money Can't Solve? Why Determining the Validity of a Copyright Application is a Clear Precondition to an Infringement Action," was published in the Ohio Northern University Law Review.

Terra Jackson ('12) is a Legal Compliance Specialist with Altisource in Atlanta, GA.

Allison Kreiger Walsh ('12) is now the Director of Business Development and Branding at Advanced Recovery Systems.

Jeffrey Ray's ('12) article "Offshore Safety and Environmental Regimes: A Post-Macondo Comparative Analysis of the United States and United Kingdom," was published in the Mississippi College Law Review (2014).

Matthew Aycox ('13) joined Ericlides, Gelman, Hall, Indek, Goodman & Waters in Tampa, FL.
Carlos Baradat ('13) is now an Adjunct Professor of Legal Studies at Hodges University based in Naples, FL.

Jared Brooks ('13) is now Staff Attorney with Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, FL, practicing in the areas of employment discrimination, workers' compensation, and student custody matters.

Hector Concepcion ('13) is an Associate Attorney with Gonzalez and Cartwright, P.A. in Lake Worth, FL.

Eric Everson ('13) is now serving as Vice President of Audit at JPMorgan Chase in Orlando.

Candice Montgomery ('13) has joined the Benjamin Law Firm, P.A. as an Associate Attorney working primarily with family law matters.

Jennifer Reed (Druffel) ('13) is Of Counsel at Cynthia Conlin, P.A. in Orlando, FL (Attorney Conlin, is a class of 2007 alum).

FAMU College of Law July 2013 Florida Bar exam passers pose after reciting the Oath of Attorney at the September Swearing-In event in the Ceremonial Moot Courtroom.

The College of Law continued a steady trend of improvement with the release of the July 2013 Florida Bar examination scores from the Florida Supreme Court. For the first time in school history, the College of Law scored in the seventy-percentile for the July Bar. The 71.7 percent overall score is within 5.5 percentage points of the state average of 77.2 percent. 

Cespedes Addresses Court of Appeal as a Top Scorer on 

July 2013 Bar Exam

College of Law alumna Denise Cespedes ('13), who grew up in Miami, Florida, addressed the Fifth District Court of Appeal's Oath of Admission Ceremony on Monday, October 7, 2013. Cespedes joined other speakers with the distinguished recognition of earning one of the highest scores on the July 2013 Florida Bar Exam. Only five examinees were selected for this honor from over 2,300 examinees that passed the exam.

The ceremony took place at 2 p.m. at the Fifth District Court of Appeal at 300 S. Beach Street, Daytona Beach, Florida.

"It is a proud moment for a law school dean to learn that one of your graduates was a top scorer on a Bar exam," said LeRoy Pernell, FAMU College of Law Dean. "Ms. Cespedes is one of the reasons why the passage rate of our first-time Bar examinees has improved by nearly 22 percentage points since 2009. We are very proud of her accomplishment."

Although she felt confident after taking the Florida Bar exam, Cespedes admits that she felt relieved upon learning she passed. The relief quickly subsided to excitement about the possibilities for her future as a litigator. She was shocked to learn she had scored one of the highest scores on the Bar exam. 

College of Law alumna Denise Cespedes ('13) accepts the Valedictorian Award at the 9th Annual Hooding Ceremony in May 2013. Cespedes, who graduated summa cum laude, addressed the Fifth District Court of Appeal as a top scorer on the July 2013 Florida Bar exam.

"I almost asked them to double check," Cespedes said of receiving one of the highest scores. "Once the surprise passed, I felt proud and honored by the opportunity to represent my school. I never expected I would receive such an honor and complete the exam so successfully," she said.

Cespedes graduated from the FAMU College of Law as the summa cum laude valedictorian of the Spring 2013 class. She attended the University of Central Florida where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice She returned to UCF prior to attending FAMU to earn the M.S. degree in the same field.

"My decision to attend FAMU was based on several reasons," Cespedes said. "I wanted to stay close to family and after living in Orlando for so many years, I was hesitant about leaving. I visited the campus and loved the diversity and opportunity, and felt like it was an institution I could become a part of and contribute to. I'm glad I made that decision."

Cespedes has held an interest in law since she was old enough to understand the role of an attorney. She grew up watching the television show Law and Order, and noted the poise and portrayal of legal intelligence the actors displayed during courtroom scenes. She participated in a high school law class that served as the school's trial by jury for students facing disciplinary action through school code violations. "I was able to try cases, defend the accused, mediate disputes among students, and preside over trials on the bench," Cespedes said. "I loved the atmosphere of advocating for someone, and I knew the law was my passion. I have not doubted it since."

While attending the College of Law, Cespedes was selected as a Holland & Knight Scholar, earning the law school's most prestigious merit scholarship, and an internship at Holland & Knight, LLP. She was also a student member of the Central Florida Inns of Court and Hispanic American Law Student Association.

Cespedes also took advantage of the College of Law's BEST (Bar Exam Success Training) Program through the Academic Success and Bar Preparation office. The BEST program, which is free to all alumni, supplements the commercial bar exam course to optimize graduates' chances for success on the bar exam. For more information about the BEST program, call 407.254.4024. 

Around Campus: Alumni Showing Support of the Alma Mater

Dean LeRoy Pernell (center) with Senator Arthenia Joyner ('68) and the Honorable Edward Rodgers, Sr. (Ret.) ('63) during the 2013 Classic Open House and Tailgate event.