Being corporate legal counsel for Paul Davis Restoration, Inc. is the perfect job for alum Laura Ferrante. Her responsibilities are diverse and Ferrante relishes conquering the new challenges that her job provides.

John E. Thrasher has been a strong supporter of Florida State University for many years. In November 2014, he became the first College of Law alumnus to assume the FSU presidency. Although he is in the first year of his presidency, Thrasher has a clear vision for what he plans to accomplish.

Our community of more than 8,700 supportive alumni includes Jeff Stoops, who is president and CEO of SBA Communications Corporation. Since joining the Boca Raton-based company, Stoops has expanded SBA into Canada, Central America and South America.

Chief Bankruptcy Judge Karen (Kinkennon) Specie, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida, was appointed to the bench in July 2012. Her specialization in the area of bankruptcy law happened by chance.

As a law student at Florida State, alum Marla Butler thought she did not have the personality to be a firm lawyer. Butler is now the assistant managing partner and hiring partner in the New York City office of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi.

2L Chancey Smith chose to study law at Florida State because she was intrigued by our international programs. During the summer of 2014, she worked at the Constitutional Court of Korea – Seoul through Florida State’s externship program.

Alum Cecelia Bonifay has a thriving real estate and land use practice at Akerman in Orlando, where she chairs the firm’s Land Use & Sustainable Development practice group.