Iraida Acebo

Registrar

B.A., Northeastern Illinois University

Iraida Acebo has been working for St. Thomas University since 1995. Before coming to STU, she was a member of the staff of the Admissions and Records Office at Northeastern Illinois University. Prior to her experience as a law school administrator, she served as the Assistant Registrar at St. Thomas University’s Office of the Registrar. She has been with the School of Law since 2000. Ms. Acebo is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the National Network of Law School Officers.

Reverend Monsignor Andrew Anderson

Associate Director for Student Affairs, Chaplain, Adjunct Professor of Law,
and Director of the Summer-in-Spain Program

B.A., St. Bernard College, 1970
M.Div., St. Vincent de Paul Major Seminary, 1973, cum laude
J.C.B., The Catholic University of America, 1980, cum laude
J.D.L., University of St. Thomas, Rome, 1982, summa cum laude
J.C.D., University of St. Thomas, Rome, 1986, magna cum laude

Ordained in 1974, Msgr. Anderson has served as Judicial Vicar, Metropolitan Tribunal, for the Archdiocese of Miami from 1982-1990 and from 1994 to the present. He also serves as associate director for student affairs, chaplain, and adjunct professor of law at St. Thomas University School of Law. Msgr. Anderson has an extensive teaching background, serving as an instructor for St. Leo’s College, Father Ryan High School, and the Permanent Deacon Program of the Archdiocese of Miami, as well as a visiting professor at Barry University and Marymount College. He has also served as president of the Eastern Region Canon Law Society, chaplain of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild, Miami, and canonical consultant to the Priest Retirement Plan. As an adjunct faculty member at St. Thomas University School of Law, Msgr. Anderson has taught, among others, Comparative Law, Church-State Relations, and Canon Law.

Cecile Dykas

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of Clinical Programs, and Visiting Assistant Professor

B.A., Catholic University
J.D., Catholic University

Cece Dykas came to the School of Law with fourteen years of legal practice experience, having served as a Judicial Clerk, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and Assistant Deputy Attorney General of Florida for the Southern Region. As Director of Clinical Programs, she fills the role of supervisor of all law school clinics, internships, and externships. At St. Thomas University School of Law, she is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of Clinical Programs, and a Visiting Assistant Professor, and she teaches the Florida Supreme Court Internship.

Larry C. Fedro

Executive Director of the Tax Clinic and Visiting Professor of Law

B.S.B.A., University of Florida, 1960
J.D., University of Florida, 1963

Larry C. Fedro was an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service for 37 years before moving into private practice in 2001. While serving at the IRS, Mr. Fedro worked in the following capacities: Estate Tax Attorney (1963-1975), Estate Tax Attorney Manager (1975-1976), Appeals Officer (1976-1983), Appeals Manager (1983-1985, 1988-2000), and Tax Shelter Program Coordinator at the National Office (1985-1988). At St. Thomas University School of Law, Mr. Fedro serves as the Executive Director of the Tax Clinic and an Adjunct Professor of Law in the Graduate Tax Program (LL.M.), and he teaches Civil Tax Procedure.

The Rev. Raúl Fernández-Calienes

Executive Assistant to the Dean and Visiting Associate Professor of Legal Writing Skills

B.A., University of Miami
M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary
M.A.R., Iliff School of Theology
Ph.D., University of Sydney, Australia
Grad.Cert.Ecum., University of Geneva, Switzerland
Grad.Cert.Publ.Mgt., St. Thomas University
C.P.E., Jackson-Memorial University of Miami Medical Center
C.P.E., Presbyterian-University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

The Rev. Raúl Fernández-Calienes, Ph.D., has been active in ministry, education, and service with indigenous and minority peoples for most of his life. He served on the staff of the Aboriginal & Islander Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia for almost a decade. He also was on the staff of the St. Thomas University Human Rights Institute and has been a consultant with grassroots, church, and educational organizations in the Northern Territory of Australia, southern India, and the South Pacific. He has won many research and practicum awards, from such organizations as the Lilly Foundation, the Consortium on Rights Development, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. His many publications include monographs and several kinds of shorter works in national and international journals. A sought-after researcher and editor, he has done editorial and production work on many books by other people. At St. Thomas, he was the adjunct faculty member with the Graduate Writing Program, as well as the technical editor for the University’s Self-Study Report 2003 for 10-year accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and for the law school’s Self Study Report 2005 for the American Bar Association and the American Association of Law Schools. Currently, at the St. Thomas University School of Law, he teaches writing skills to law students in the J.D. program. He also is an Assistant Editor of the Journal of the Legal Writing Institute.

Alfredo García

Dean and Professor of Law

B.A., Jacksonville University
M.A., University of Florida
J.D., University of Florida, Frederic G. Levin College of Law

Professor Alfredo Garcia was appointed Dean of St. Thomas University School of Law in January 2007. He brings to the position a wealth of experience as an administrator, faculty member, and legal practitioner. Dean Garcia previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2003-2006 and as Interim Associate Dean from 1993-1994. In these positions, he was a liaison between the School of Law faculty and administration assuming responsibility for faculty teaching assignments, class schedules, classroom assignments, application of academic policies, the academic calendar, and faculty support services. He also had general oversight of the clinical programs, the LL.M. programs, the joint degree programs, the Legal Research & Writing programs, and the Law Review.

In addition to his vast administrative experience, Dean Garcia also brings to the position more than 17 years of law faculty teaching experience and more than two decades of higher education teaching experience. As a member of the St. Thomas University School of Law faculty, he has taught Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Torts, Sixth Amendment Seminar, and Clinics. Dean Garcia has been a visiting professor at American University College of Law, College of William and Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, and Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center, among others.

Dean Garcia’s publications include three books, Criminal Law: Concepts and Practice, with Podgor, Henning, and Taslitz (Carolina Press, 2005); The Fifth Amendment: A Comprehensive Approach (Greenwood, 2002); and The Sixth Amendment in Modern American Jurisprudence: A Critical Perspective (Greenwood, 2002); as well as three entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Law and extensive law review articles for journals including Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and the University of Toledo Law Review. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Race and Racism in Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Committee and on the Editorial Board of Human Rights Magazine, published by the ABA.

Prior to entering academia, Dean Garcia was an Assistant State Attorney in Miami, trying felony and narcotics-related cases including attempted murder, solicitation to commit murder, burglary, kidnapping, trafficking, and white collar crimes. He also served as a criminal defense attorney in private practice in Miami. In addition to his extensive trial and motion experience, Dean Garcia has extensive appellate experience preparing briefs and arguing cases at the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Third District Court of Appeals (Florida).

Born in Cuba, Dean Garcia earned his B.A. from Jacksonville University and earned both his M.A. and his J.D. from the University of Florida.

Karl T. Gruben

Law Library Director and Associate Professor of Law

B.A., University of Texas at Austin
M.L.S., University of Texas at Austin
J.D., South Texas College of Law

After completing his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Library Science degrees at the University of Texas at Austin, Professor Gruben began work as a professional law librarian at the State Law Library in Austin, Texas. In 1977 Professor Gruben began a long tenure as Librarian, then Director, then Firmwide Director of Libraries with the law firm of Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., remaining with V&E for 25 years. Early on, Professor Gruben completed his J.D. degree at the South Texas College of Law in 1982. In 2001 he became the Practice Information Support Director for the law firm of Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey, L.L.P., before moving to St. Thomas University Law School’s Library in 2004. Active in library associations, Professor Gruben has served on the Executive Board of the Texas Library Association and the Executive Board of the American Association of Law Libraries. He has written and made presentations in the law and law library literature, including Parker’s Texas Business Statutes (ed. and comp.), Parker’s Texas Uniform Commercial Code (ed. and comp.), A Reference Guide to Texas Law & Legal History (co-ed.); a chapter in Law Librarianship: A Handbook for the Electronic Age; and others. At St. Thomas, Professor Gruben teaches Computer Assisted Legal Research.

John F. Hernández

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Visiting Associate Professor of Law

B.S., University of Florida, with high honors
J.D., Georgetown University School of Law, cum laude
LL.M., University of Florida

John F. Hernández has been a Senior Attorney in the Chief Counsel’s Office in the Miami District Counsel’s Office, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, an Attorney in the Public Defender’s Office in the Sixteenth Judicial District, and an attorney in private practice in South Florida. He was previously a Visiting Professor of Law at the Emory University School of Law and an Adjunct Professor at the Florida International University; he also has lectured at the Washburn University School of Law and presented at an American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting. His publications include articles in the Arkansas, John Marshall, Memphis State, St. Thomas, and University of Florida law reviews. He is on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of Greater Miami. At St. Thomas University School of Law, Professor Hernández has served for many years in a number of different capacities, both as an educator and administrator; currently, he teaches Torts and the Sexual Identity and the Law Seminar and serves as Assistant Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs.

Peter T. Kelly

Director of Student Services and Special Assistant to the President

B.A., Cornell University
J.D., Catholic University School of Law

As Director of Student Services in the Law School, Mr. Kelly deals with a variety of student-related issues in the Office for Student Affairs. As Special Assistant to the President, he works on a number of special projects within the Office of the President. As director of special events at the Law School, Mr. Kelly coordinates logistics for Orientation; Commencement; and Distinguished Speaker lectures. Peter obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, where he was Student Commencement Speaker. While in law school, Peter worked as a law clerk at Catholic University’s Office of the General Counsel. Upon his law school graduation, Peter served as a legal analyst in Washington, D.C., at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Office of Judges Programs. In that capacity, Peter advised several federal courts of legal and administrative policy changes with regard to implementation of the electronic case filing system, and he performed various research projects for federal rules advisory committees. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Classics at Cornell University, Peter lived in Guangzhou, China, and taught English at Guangdong Pui Ching College. Prior to attending law school, Peter worked as an analyst at Putnam Investments.

Fareza Khan

Director of Admissions

B.A., Boston College
M.S., Boston College

Fareza Khan, Director of Admissions, joined St. Thomas University School of Law in December 2004. Mrs. Khan earned her Bachelor’s of Arts and Master’s of Science degree from Boston College. She joins us from Boston College Law School where she was the Assistant Director for Financial Aid and prior to that she was their Law School Admissions Coordinator. During her time as the Assistant Director for Financial Aid at BC, Mrs. Khan was awarded the Staffer of the Year award from the Law Student Association. Mrs. Khan currently oversees the entire Admissions department and is dedicated to helping students in making the right choice for attending law school.

The Honorable David L. Levy

Director of Professionalism

B.A., University of Miami, 1965
J.D., University of Tulsa College of Law, 1968

From 1970 to 1978, Judge Levy served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. Starting out in the County Court Division, Judge Levy moved to the Felony Division, and later was appointed Chief Prosecutor in the Criminal Division (1971-1973), and the Organized Crime and Public Corruption Prosecution Unit (1973-1978). From 1978-1989, Judge Levy served as Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. In 1985 and 1986, Judge Levy was appointed to the temporary position of Associate Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Since 1989, Judge Levy has served as Judge on the State of Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. In 2004, Judge Levy was elected Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeal. He has served on the Supreme Court of Florida’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, the Advisory Board of Miami-Dade Community College Legal Assistant Program, and currently serves on the St. Thomas University School of Law Board of Advisors. Judge Levy has served as Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami and St. Thomas University, and currently serves as Director of Professionalism at St. Thomas University School of Law, where he also teaches Trial Advocacy Practice and Criminal Procedure II.

 

Richard H. W. Maloy

Associate Professor

A.B., Dartmouth College
J.D., Columbia University
LL.M., University of Miami

Prior to entering the academic field, Professor Richard H. W. Maloy engaged in an extensive practice of law in the South Florida where he owned and operated the first Law Center in the United States. He has taught debtor/creditor relations and bankruptcy law for 15 years at the University of Miami and St. Thomas University Schools of Law; he also has lectured at Barry University and the College of William and Mary. He is the author of many books on appellate practice and bankruptcy, and he has co-authored Benders Florida Forms for 25 years. An “AV” rated attorney, he is listed in Who’s Who in American Law. At St. Thomas University School of Law, Professor Maloy teaches Bankruptcy.

Anthony C. Musto

Legal Research and Writing and
Director, Community Outreach and Pro Bono Services

B.G.S., University of Miami, 1972
J.D., Catholic University of America, 1975

Anthony C. Musto is board certified by The Florida Bar in the field of appellate practice and is a two-term member of the Bar’s Appellate Practice Certification Committee. He has handled well over 1,000 appellate proceedings, including more than 50 on the merits in the Supreme Court of Florida. Over the years, his practice has focused primarily on appeals, civil and criminal litigation, and local government and administrative matters. During his career, he has served as a City Commissioner for the City of Hallandale Beach, the Chief Counsel of the Florida Attorney General’s Miami Office, the Chief Appellate Counsel of the Broward County Attorney’s Office, an Assistant State Attorney, an Assistant Public Defender, a special master for code enforcement matters, an arbitrator for Lemon Law disputes, and a hearing officer for both traffic infraction and school expulsion proceedings. Prof. Musto is a past-chair of the Appellate Practice, Criminal Law, and Government Lawyer Sections of The Florida Bar, the Bar’s Council of Sections, the Florida Criminal Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration Committee. He has been a member of the Supreme Court of Florida Commission on Professionalism and he is a recipient of The Florida Bar Claude Pepper Award, which is presented “for exemplifying the highest ideals of dedication, professionalism and ethics in serving the public as a government lawyer.” His has also received the Florida Association of County Attorneys President’s Award, the organization’s highest honor, and recognition by Law & Politics magazine as one of Florida’s top lawyers. His achievements include organizing the first national conference on professionalism for government lawyers, as well as authoring, submitting and successfully arguing in favor of the rule adopted by the Supreme Court of Florida requiring the use of recycled paper for documents filed in the state court system, a rule that has resulted in the saving of an estimated 850,000 trees annually. In addition, he developed and coordinated the Broward County Attorney’s Office’s pro bono program, a program that became a model for public agencies throughout the nation, as reflected by its receipt of the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award and the Supreme Court of Florida Chief Justice’s Law Firm Commendation. He has taught at St. Thomas University School of Law since 2000, initially as an adjunct Instructor and becoming a Professor in 2005.

Roza Pati

Executive Director, Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights

B.A., University of Tirana, Faculty of History and Philology, highest honors
J.D., University of Tirana, Faculty of Law
LL.M., St. Thomas University School of Law, summa cum laude
Dr. iur. Candidate, University of Potsdam, Faculty of Law

Valedictorian of the Charter Class of the LL.M. in Intercultural Human Rights, Roza Pati joined St. Thomas Law School staff in 2002 first as Director of Recruitment and Program Development and since 2003 as the Executive Director of the Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights & Adjunct Professor in the same program. She brings in a wealth of experience in academia and administration having been a professor in her home country, a former Member of Parliament and a former Cabinet Member serving as the Secretary of State for Youth and Women. Her interest in international law and international relations, development and human rights is obvious in her experience with several international institutions and non-governmental organizations, such as UNFPA, OXFAM, Mercy Corps International, International Rescue Committee as well as in her writings. She has lectured and held speeches in numerous conferences, panels and symposia, and is the author of several publications including Rights and Their Limits: the Constitution for Europe in International and Comparative Legal Perspective , 23 Berkeley J. Int’l L. (2005); The New Dialogue of Civilizations, Roza Pati & Joe Holland, eds., (2004); The Challenge of Inclusion in Albania 2000 - Participation in Albania: Current practice, best practice, opportunities and challenges for the future, Roza Pati & Josh Levene (2000).

Mercedes Pino

Director of Career Services

Mercedes Pino, Director of Career Services, joined St. Thomas University School of Law in May 2007. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law, where she served as Chief Ambassador and Research Assistant for the Career Services Office. Upon her law school graduation, Mercedes served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit. After working for the State Attorney’s Office, she returned to Stetson to work as Assistant Director of Career Services. She later moved to New York to serve as Assistant Director at Touro Law Center. During her time as the Assistant Director for Career Services at Touro, Mercedes was awarded the Presidential Award from the Student Bar Association. Mercedes currently oversees the Office of Career Services and is dedicated to providing students with the tools necessary to realize their career goals.

Barbara Singer

Assistant Dean of Academic Support and Visiting Associate Professor of Law

A.B., Indiana University
J.D., from Indiana University School of Law, cum laude
LL.B., Cambridge University, England, with First Class Honors

Barbara Singer joined St. Thomas University School of Law in August 2001 as Assistant Dean for Academic Support. From 1994 to 2001, Dean Singer served as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas Law School. During that time period, she also provided bar preparation assistance for St. Thomas graduates studying for the Florida bar examination. Dean Singer also served as a visiting and associate professor at the law school from 1986 to 1992. In addition, she has been a member of the faculty at the University of Miami School of Law and Indiana University School of Law. Currently at St. Thomas University School of Law, Professor Singer teaches Contracts and Property and serves as the Assistant Dean of Academic Support.

 

Siegfried Wiessner

Professor of Law and Director of the Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights

J.D. (Equivalent), University of Tübingen, Germany, 1977
LL.M., Yale University, 1983
Dr.iur., University of Tübingen, Germany, 1989

Prof. Wiessner is a Professor of Law at St. Thomas University School of Law, the Academic Director of the St. Thomas University Human Rights Institute, and the Director of its LL.M./J.S.D. Program in Intercultural Human Rights. Since 1994, he has chaired the Steering Committee for the annual St. Thomas University Tribal Sovereignty Symposium in Miami, Florida. Professor Wiessner is the author of a number of books and articles in the fields of constitutional law, international law, human rights, the law of armed conflict, arbitration, space law, and refugee law. In 2004, he published a casebook on International Law in Contemporary Perspective with Professor W. Michael Reisman (Yale). His recent writings include articles on International Law in the 21st Century, Policy-Oriented Jurisprudence and Human Rights Abuses in Internal Conflict, Legitimacy and Accountability of NGOs, American Indian Treaties and Modern International Law, and an overall assessment of Rights and Status of Indigenous Peoples: A Global Comparative and International Legal Analysis. Professor Wiessner has undertaken research in Latin America and Europe, has served on numerous academic panels, and has given lectures across the world. Most recently, he has taught the international protection of human rights at the UN/UNITAR International Law Fellowship Programs at The Hague. At the St. Thomas University School of Law, Professor Wiessner teaches Constitutional Law, International Law, and the International Law Seminar.