From left, Susan Goffman, Cecil Howard and Stephan P. Mickle address UF Law community during Professionalism Week.

By Laselve Harrison
Special to FlaLaw

To culminate Professionalism Week, the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) welcomed the Honorable Stephan P. Mickle, senior United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Florida, who addressed students during the panel discussion entitled “Securing Employent: Minorities in the Legal Field.” Mickle was joined on the panel by Susan Goffman, director of the University of Florida Foundation, and Cecil Howard, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity for the city of Gainesville.

They engaged students in an interactive and educational discussion regarding the different avenues for obtaining success in the legal field, and how opportunities for minorities in the legal profession have evolved over the years.

Beginning with Mickle, the panelists recounted the obstacles and triumphs of their respective journeys, expounding on the role race and gender have played in their relationships among prospective employers and their colleagues in practice.  After a question-and-answer session moderated by Brandon Campbell, president of BLSA, and Jasmine Saleem, treasurer of BLSA, the panelists answered questions from the audience.

They left attendees with a lasting reminder that as future lawyers, the obligation to practice professionalism begins during law school and good practices forged now will carry-over long after graduation.