International law program equips students to thrive in a global setting | FIU News

Alina Fernandez Portela

Alina M. Fernandez Portela ’15, J.D. ’19 is an associate at the Miami office of Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, a global regulation agency acknowledged as just one of the world’s best firms advising on corporate, finance, litigation, regulatory and mental property legislation. It was listed in Forbes’ America’s “Top Reliable Corporate Legislation Firms” in 2019.

In her part, Fernandez Portela researches legal queries, drafts persuasive arguments and participates in all phases of advanced arbitration proceedings – a system similar to litigation that takes spot in entrance of a single or a few selected arbitrators – in English and Spanish and in assorted industries from construction to telecommunications.

Right after arriving from Cuba when she was 20 a long time outdated, Fernandez Portela attained an associate’s diploma from Miami Dade School, a bachelor’s degree in English from FIU and went on to regulation university at the college.

Whilst at FIU Legislation, Fernandez Portela was a member of the moot court docket crew and gained the “Outstanding Advocate Award”. She was also the 2017 oral advocacy champion at FIU Law’s 15^th Once-a-year Moot Court Level of competition.

She competed two times at the yearly Phillip C. Jessup International Regulation Moot Courtroom Opposition, the place she was awarded “Top 10 Orator” the two periods. She also participated in Moot Madrid, an worldwide industrial arbitration competitors in Spain. In the course of legislation university, she labored for numerous law companies in Miami and served as a judicial intern for Maria M. Korvick of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Courtroom of Florida.

Fernandez Portela uncovered her contacting in worldwide regulation.

“I felt there was an possibility for me,” she suggests. “I normally pictured myself carrying out a little something at the international level that concerned traveling and performing anything critical, significant. I communicate Spanish and Latin The usa is an important and developing legal sector, so I understood my language competencies would be set to superior use.”

She says participating in FIU’s moot court and the prestigious worldwide competitions have been pivotal for her profession.

“It was the best matter that at any time occurred to me in law school,” she suggests. “At a person level, I felt I was just finding the alternatives inside FIU. Probably the options were locating me. It was a issue of ‘just maintain going’ and get advantage of these possibilities.”