Aileen Penate Hernandez graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2010. While at St. Thomas Law, Mrs. Hernandez was the Vice President of Membership for the St. Thomas Moot Court Board, a Senior Articles Editor for the St. Thomas Law Review, and member/competitor of the St. Thomas Mock Trial Team. Aileen was a part of the Appellate Litigation Clinic (2009-2010), during which she successfully argued O.B. v. State of Florida (2010), a noteworthy case in Florida’s Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. From 2010-2017, Aileen served as Alumni Coach for countless moot court competitions, including Gibbons, Prince, San Diego Criminal Procedure, and Orseck. She currently serves as faculty advisor for the Moot Court Board at STU College of Law.

Mrs. Hernandez is a Senior Supervising Attorney at the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office. She has extensive trial experience in felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile. She has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 in South Florida as well as the prestigious Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s (FACDL) James Miller Award as a rising star in criminal defense and liberty’s last champion.