International Law - Meet Our Students

Tom Miller

United Kingdom

Tom Miller comes to Stetson Law from the United Kingdom where he is currently completing his degree in law at the University of East Anglia (UEA). He is particularly interested in criminal and international law. At Stetson, he hopes to further develop his advocacy skills and develop his understanding of U.S. law. He has participated in moot competitions and has helped judge competitions. He has worked in a small law firm in his hometown where he gained experience in conveyancing and writing wills. Miller has volunteered at the Norfolk Community Law Service, where he was a tribunal advocate and helped individuals with welfare benefits claims. After he has completed his law degree, he hopes to train and qualify as a solicitor.

Cathryn Skinner

United Kingdom

Cathryn Skinner is a third-year law student from the University of East Anglia. She is interested in insurance and corporate law and is looking to expand her area of knowledge and interest. She hopes while at Stetson that she will enhance her knowledge of the U.S. legal system in addition to developing her advocacy skills. Once graduated, she aspires to qualify as a lawyer and put the knowledge and skills gained while studying at Stetson into practice.

Stan Abramenko

United States

Stan Abramenko was born in western Russia and raised in the United States. He completed his bachelor's degree at Florida State University in 2012 and attended Stetson university from 2013 until 2016. He was later licensed by the Florida bar while he resumed his education in the International LL.M. program at Stetson.

E. Alan Brock

United States

E. Alan Brock earned his J.D. with an international concentration from Stetson University College of Law in 2017. He also was a team member of the 2017 SUCOL award-winning Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot team. Prior to law school, Brock earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Science from Florida State University in 2003.

Currently, he is an active member of the Stetson Student Bar Association and an International Programs ambassador. Outside of school, Brock worked in local government and non-profit management. He served as a county commissioner in Wakulla County, Florida, from 2008-2012. He also is an active volunteer in the community

James R. Clegg

United States

James R. Clegg is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminology and psychology. He was awarded his Juris Doctor in December 2016 from Stetson University College of Law. He has also earned a Master's in International Economic Law degree from the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole located in Toulouse, France. He has traveled extensively through study abroad programs at Stetson. After the completion of the LL.M. program, he hopes to have a career in international public law.

Lastenia N. Caballero Diaz

Honduras/United States

Lastenia N. Caballero Diaz discovered her passion for law at the age of four while growing up in Honduras. She went to university to study business administration and decided to attend the Catholic University of Honduras to start her legal education and pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. During her legal studies, she worked for the Supreme Court of Honduras as a judicial assistant and in 2013, graduated with honors with an LL.B.. After moving to Florida, she wanted to continue practicing law to qualify to practice in the United States and therefore chose Stetson Law to continue her education. She believes that Stetson Law's exceptional standards and prestige will offer her more professional opportunities and eventually lead her to fulfill her personal goal of one day running her own legal practice. Her areas of legal interest include criminal, immigration, and international business law.

Stephanie Espada

France

Stephanie Espada is from Toulouse, France where she attained her bachelor's degree from Toulouse University. She is now completing her master's degree specializing in international law. She spent a year as an exchange student at the University College Dublin in Ireland and had the opportunity to gain practical experience in intellectual property at an Irish law firm. Now she is studying at Stetson Law as an exchange student to complete an LL.M. in International Law. Studying the U.S. legal system at Stetson will provide her with new skills to practice law and a broadened legal perspective. She believes that engaging herself in a dual degree with an LL.M in International Law with an emphasis in business law in combination with a French master's degree will be beneficial for her prospective career in international intellectual property and as a business lawyer.

Rubén Fernández de Ávila

Venezuela/United States

Rubén Fernández de Ávila received his law degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela. He has a specialization from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in tax law (thesis pending) and a specialization in international taxes from Caribbean International University in Curacao. He served as a legal and tax coordinator at various companies in Empresas Polar, the largest private corporation in Venezuela. He also served as an associate lawyer at Rivas & Associates Law Firm in Caracas, Venezuela, where he practiced in the areas of corporate and tax law. He is currently pursuing his LL.M. in International Law and his goal is to practice in the U.S. as a lawyer.

Delia Garcia

Cuba/United States

Delia Garcia is originally from Cuba where she earned her LL.B. from the University of Havana in 2007. Once graduated, she worked as a federal prosecutor for three years and after that acted as a legal adviser at the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources in Cuba. For political and economic reasons, she left her country for the United States. She hopes to continue practicing law in her new country and plans to use her knowledge and skills to help others in the field of civil law. During her LL.M. program, she expects to meet peers from many countries and improve her legal English skills. After her LL.M., she plans to complete her J.D. and eventually pass the Florida Bar Exam.

Irina Goga

Romania/United States

Irina Goga moved recently to the United States from Bucharest, Romania, where she was born and raised. She graduated from the University of Bucharest with an LL.B. and passed the Romanian Bar in 2012. She earned a master's degree in Civil and Criminal Law from the same university in 2013. After her education, she worked for a well-known Romanian law firm, which specialized in civil, commercial, business, and real estate law with clients in important roles in government and the media. Now that she lives in the U.S., she would like to continue practicing law and the LL.M. program is her first step back into the legal field. She later plans to complete her J.D. and prepare for the Florida Bar Exam. In the future, she would love to practice international law and immigration law.

Ryan Gontrum

United States

Tewodros Mengistu

Ethiopia/United States

Tewodros Mengistu earned his LL.B. degree from Haramaya University College Law in Ethiopia in 2008. He served as a public prosecutor in Ethiopia for Addis Ababa City Administration for five years and then he received his license from the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia with the capacity to practice law at all levels of federal courts, including the highest court of the country. Mengistu moved to the U.S. in 2014 to continue practicing law and joined the ideal program with Stetson's Accelerated J.D. He is now a 2L Accelerated J.D. student, expecting to graduate in May 2017, and intends to specialize in immigration law and international business law.

Mohamed Mohamed

Egypt

Mohamed Mohamed comes to Stetson Law from Cairo, Egypt, where he completed his LL.B. at Alazhar University in 2014 during which he completed a short-term study abroad at Temple University in the summer of 2013. He is highly interested in international humanitarian law. He is most proud of his work as a legal assistant and consultant to help the refugees in Mannheim, Germany. He also took part in programs such as the Caravans of Peace Project in South Africa, and multiple training courses in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Jordan. He looks forward to the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. legal system and being able to participate in Stetson's small classroom discussions with its diverse student population. After he earns his LL.M. from Stetson, he wishes to work internationally to advocate for people's rights and to help those in need.

Salah M. Muhammad

United States

Salah M. Muhammad is from Hackensack, New Jersey. He graduated with his bachelor's degree from Oglethorpe University and his J.D. from the Charleston School of Law. His legal interests and passions are immigration law, human rights, criminal defense, and family law. He previously clerked for a criminal defense firm in downtown Charleston, S.C. Muhammad hopes to achieve excellent advocacy and research skills with his Stetson Law experience. His professional aspirations are to work in the United Nations' International Criminal Court and become an amazing trial attorney domestically and abroad.

Nathaniel O. Ovabor

Nigeria

Nathaniel O. Ovabor is a graduate of Law from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and gained qualification as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from the Nigerian Law School in Abuja. He has worked as a pro bono counselor with the Corps Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and currently works as a legal adviser to a federal legislator at the Nigerian House of Representatives, National Assembly. He believes that the experience of studying at Stetson Law will provide him with a great opportunity to expand his legal knowledge, particularly in International Business Law. Ovabor hopes to meet new people and learn about different cultures and the U.S. legal system. After completing his LL.M. program, he aspires to become a legal adviser to top government agencies and officials within and outside Nigeria.

Merve Özcan

Turkey

Merve Özcan graduated in 2014 from Cankaya University with her LL.B. finishing with honors. After graduation, she started a yearlong internship with Çınar & Çınar Law Office. She provided consultant services for international clients while learning the best methods of offering services to clients. She also earned multiple certificates in health law and became a professional life coach. In 2015, all her hard work earned her the official titles of attorney and International Coach Federation (ICF) Certified Coach. After her internship, she began working as an attorney for KGF, which works to make financial access for SME easier through guarantee provisions. Although she enjoys her work as an attorney, her primary goal is to enter the world of academia and eventually become a successful professor and attorney of immigration law.

Julie Pradel

France

Julie Pradel is a French student who obtained a master's degree in International Law at the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole. Fascinated by this law field, she saw no alternative to fulfilling her academic background in a foreign country. She believes that comparing different legal systems will help her develop very valuable knowledge. She has traveled to Florida, which has heightened her interest in studying and possibly working there in the future. This is just one of the numerous motives that led her to apply for an International Law L.L.M. at Stetson University.

Jelena Schidzig

Germany

Azadeh Shirazi

Iran/United States

Christopher Stratton

United States

Christopher Stratton is originally from Rochester, New York. After moving to Florida, he obtained his bachelor's degree in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida and later attended the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. Now he has returned to Florida to complete his LL.M. in International Law with a focus on business from Stetson Law.

Smaili Constantino

Brazil