Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Jamie R. Grosshans was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on September 14, 2020 by Governor Ron DeSantis. Previously she was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in 2018 by Governor Rick Scott. Prior to her appointment to the appellate court, she served as an Orange County Court Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida where she presided over criminal and civil matters.
Justice Grosshans was raised in Brookhaven, Mississippi and graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law. During law school, she clerked for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. Following admittance to the Florida Bar, she served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Circuit of Florida in both the misdemeanor and felony divisions where she tried numerous criminal jury trials.
Justice Grosshans later entered private practice and founded her own law firm where she focused on family law and criminal defense matters for nearly ten years. During this time she also served as an Adjunct Professor at Valencia College where she taught Hospitality Law for the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program. She also frequently volunteered as a guardian ad litem with the Orange County Legal Aid Society. Justice Grosshans has served on state court system advisory committees and has been involved in numerous activities with the Florida Bar and other legal organizations.
Justice Grosshans regularly speaks to lawyers and law students on topics such as challenges in the practice of law, the role of judges, professionalism and respect in the legal profession, criminal law, and family law.
Fifth District Court of Appeal of Florida
Judge Mary Alice “Molly” Nardella joined the Fifth District Court of Appeal in January 2021, after being appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Judge Nardella was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008. While in law school, Judge Nardella was an active member of Florida Blue Key, the University of Florida Trial Team, and the Faculty Recruitment Committee. Upon graduation, Judge Nardella was inducted into the Order of the Barristers and selected as the Outstanding Graduate of her 2008 class. Due to her score on the Florida Bar exam, Judge Nardella was invited to speak at the Fifth District Court of Appeal’s public induction ceremony in the Fall of 2008.
After graduation, Judge Nardella returned to Orlando to practice with a large commercial litigation firm where she represented clients in class actions, mass torts, insurance coverage issues, insurance bad faith, complex commercial cases, regulatory disputes, and product liability litigation. In February of 2017, Judge Nardella left that practice to help build a family firm where, among other duties, she led the Estates and Trust department.
Judge Nardella is a member of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar as well as the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Florida Bar Pro Bono Legal Services Committee.
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
On May 23, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Meredith L. Sasso to be the 93rd justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Justice Sasso was raised in Tallahassee. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008, where she was a member of the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. She began her career in private practice, representing clients in large loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal. She also served as guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children.
In August 2016, Justice Sasso joined the Office of the General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott, serving as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the Governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, and state and federal trial courts, among other duties. In January 2019, Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. Governor Ron DeSantis recommissioned her to the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeal on January 1, 2023, where she was elected by her colleagues to serve as its first Chief Judge.
She is an appointed member of the Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee. She is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the Federalist Society.
Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Lecturer, University of Liverpool
Conor was appointed Lecturer in Law at the School of Law and Social Justice in August 2021. From 2020-2021 he was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence.
Prior to this, he completed an LLB at Trinity College, Dublin in 2015, an LLM from Yale Law School in 2017, and a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Dublin in 2020. Conor is a non-practising barrister, having been called to the Irish Bar in 2020.
Conor’s research specialises in administrative law, constitutional law, and legal theory.
Conor has had work featured in leading journals like the Edinburgh Law Review, European Constitutional Law Review, International Journal of Constitutional Law, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Maryland Law Review, Modern Law Review, Law & Literature and Public Law.
Conor's work has been cited by the Irish Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court. His work has also been cited by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Oireachtas Library & Research Service. In April 2022 Conor was invited to provide expert evidence on constitutional issues to the Irish Government's Housing Commission. In the United Kingdom, Conor has given expert evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee on the work of the Law Officers. His work has been cited before the House of Commons Justice Committee and by the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of the Tynwald.
In April 2021 Conor was a co-author of an Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission-funded report analysing the Irish State’s response to the crisis from a human rights and rule of law perspective. In January 2022 Conor was co-author of a report on the Attorney General of England & Wales commissioned by the think-tank Policy Exchange.
Conor is a regular commentator on legal matters in leading national newspapers and radio stations. He has written for the Irish Times, Journal.ie, and Washington Post.
John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and Associate Dean for External Engagement, University of Notre Dame Law School
Nicole Stelle Garnett is the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, where she also serves as the Associate Dean for External Engagement and directs the Notre Dame Education Law Project. Her teaching and research focus on education law and policy, religious liberty, and topics related to property law (especially land use and urban development policies). In addition to dozens of articles on these subjects, she is the author of Lost Classroom, Lost Community: Catholic Schools' Importance in Urban America (University of Chicago Press, 2014) and Ordering the City: Land Use, Policing and the Restoration of Urban America (Yale University Press, 2009).
Garnett received her B.A. with distinction in Political Science from Stanford University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Morris S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. Before joining the law school faculty in 1999, she worked for two years as a staff attorney at the Institute for Justice, a non-profit public-interest law firm in Washington, D.C., where she helped to defend the constitutionality of the nation's first private-school-choice programs.
At Notre Dame, Garnett is a faculty fellow in the Institute for Educational Initiatives, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate, and deNicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She also is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Carlos G. Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 22, 2019, becoming the 89th Justice since statehood was granted in 1845. Previously, he served as general counsel for the United States Department of Education, where he led the Office of the General Counsel and provided legal and policy advice to the United States Secretary of Education and to other senior department officials.
Justice Muñiz has wide-ranging legal and policy experience from his years as an attorney and consultant in private practice. He served for three years as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. In that capacity he was responsible for managing a 400-lawyer staff and overseeing duties that included enforcement and litigation, legislative affairs, and communications.
During this time, Justice Muñiz worked with state attorneys general throughout the country and developed substantial experience in multistate enforcement actions, consumer protection issues, government investigations, and disputes between the states and the federal government.
In addition to his service in the Attorney General’s Office, Justice Muñiz held positions of responsibility throughout Florida state government. He served as deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor Jeb Bush, as a deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and as general counsel of the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Justice Muñiz is a graduate of the University of Virginia and of Yale Law School. Upon receipt of his law degree, he clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Thomas A. Flannery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame Law School
Jeffrey Pojanowski joined the faculty and community of Notre Dame Law School in 2010. He teaches and writes in the areas of administrative law, jurisprudence, and torts. At present, his scholarship focuses on the legal theory of administrative action, as well as the philosophy and intellectual history of legal reasoning.
Prof. Pojanowski earned his A.B. in Public Policy with highest honors from Princeton University and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004, where he was Articles Co-Chair for the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he served as a law clerk to then-Judge John Roberts on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and then to Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court of the United States. He then practiced law with Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in appellate litigation and administrative-law matters.
United States District Judge, Middle District of Florida
John L. Badalamenti is a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida and a former judge on Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Law with Highest Honors and a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Florida, and a Juris Doctor with Honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he served as an editor for the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy.
After law school, he accepted an appointment to the United States Attorney General’s Honors Program, serving as legal counsel to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Atlanta. Judge Badalamenti served as a law clerk to both the Honorable Frank Mays Hull and the late Honorable Paul H. Roney of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He served for nearly a decade as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Tampa. He represented clients in the federal trial and appellate courts and presented oral argument for the prevailing petitioner in Yates v. United States, 574 U.S. 528 (2015).
Judge Badalamenti serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches an originalism seminar.
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Environmental Law Attorney, DLA Piper
Garrett Kral is an attorney in DLA Piper’s Washington, DC, office, and a member of the Regulatory and Government Affairs Practice Group. His practice includes regulatory counseling, enforcement defense, and complex civil litigation on matters arising under major federal environmental statutes.
Garrett builds on a strong background in environmental science, a familiarity with technical processes involved in industrial operations, and valuable insights gained by serving in each branch of the federal government. With this experience, he advances the business objectives of Fortune 500 companies while limiting exposure and risk. Garrett is regarded as a strategic advisor to such clients on matters of environmental law and policy.
United States Magistrate Judge, Middle District of Florida
Prior to taking the bench in July 2019, Judge Mizell practiced civil trial and appellate litigation for nearly 20 years. Highlights include federal multi-district litigation, commercial litigation in both domestic and foreign jurisdictions, and a years-long jury trial of a medical monitoring class action.
Judge Mizell is actively involved in both professional and community organizations, including scouting. His two sons are Eagle Scouts, and his daughter is on the trail to Eagle as well.
Reflecting the family commitment to public service, his eldest son is a West Point graduate who currently serves as a military liaison with MIT Lincoln Labs, and his youngest son is an Air Force ROTC cadet at Harvard.
Founder and President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors
Because of his humble beginnings, Maximo Alvarez has always believed in helping the community, as well as the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Mr. Alvarez has been very involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame. He later received a doctorate of laws honoris causa from Belmont Abbey in 2015. Mr. Alvarez serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. In 2016, he was appointed by Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to serve on the Florida State University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is also serving as chairman of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumers’ Council, appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Sunshine Gasoline has been a constant sponsor of Miami Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Mr. Alvarez’s biggest dream was recently fulfilled when Centro Hispano Catolico opened its door to over 300 children. The Centro Hispano Catolico is a day care center for under privileged children created in honor of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. Mr. Alvarez is a strong believer in the philosophy that every new generation must be better than the last. This philosophy is carried out by his legacy of generosity that began when he was thirteen years old. Ever grateful of the country that allowed him to be where he is today and proud of his success, he states; “If I were to give back everything I have today, it would only be 10% of what was given to me”.
Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Kristina Arriaga is a passionate communicator with a storied life. Early on in her career, she orchestrated the rescue of a Cuban woman and her two children, for which she was featured in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest. More recently, she visited American Pastor Andrew Brunson in a prison in Turkey where she advocated for his release in Congress, in Turkey, and through the pages of The Wall Street Journal. In her other life, as President and CEO of Intrinsic Communications, she helps her clients elevate their stories in the court of public opinion.
Arriaga also serves with the inaugural group of seven trustees who oversee a newly created Oversight Board, an independent entity that makes biding decisions on content moderation for Meta’s 2.9 billion users. Its 20-member Board includes Judge Michael McConnell (Stanford Law School), Helle Thorning-Schmidt (former prime minister of Denmark), and Tawakkol Karman (first Arab woman to win a Nobel prize), among other notable freedom of expression experts.
Formerly, in 2016, the U.S. Congress appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was elected Vice Chair for two consecutive terms. During her 3-year tenure, she met with high-ranking government officials to advocate for human rights in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and many other countries. In protest over legislation that turned the watchdog agency into a government lapdog, she resigned with an explanatory op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Before the Commission, Arriaga was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission and the executive director of a public interest law firm that defends free expression. During her tenure at the law firm, she oversaw several strategic public relations campaigns on landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arriaga is the recipient of the 2017 Newseum Free Expression Award along with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, ABC’s correspondent Martha Raddatz, and civil rights champion John Lewis.
A sought-after speaker, she has appeared on BBC, MSNBC, C-Span, CNN, and NPR, among many others. She has lectured in numerous universities worldwide. Her 2020 op-ed for USAToday, “My family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, where 'cancel culture' was deadly serious” went viral. Her recent interviews include an extended feature by Crux entitled: “Cuban Americans cling to both U.S., Cuban identities.”
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Host, Hola Ota-Ola!
Alexander Otaola is a Cuban-American actor, social media influencer, and political activist. Otaola is the host of the web show Hola Ota-Ola!, an informative and satirical program that covers entertainment, news and politics. His show debuted on Cubanos por el Mundo: a cross platform media initiative, website, and YouTube channel that covers politics, news, and celebrity culture in Cuba and the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola is a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Cuba denouncing its human rights violations and crimes in all his shows.
Founder, Cuba Decide
Rosa María Payá Acevedo is a Cuban democracy activist and human rights
defender. In 2015, she founded the citizen initiative Cuba Decide, a movement in
favor of changing the political and economic systems in Cuba towards democracy,
through a plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, the recipient of
the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and two-time nominee of the Nobel
Peace Prize, who was killed by the regime in 2012. Rosa María is a graduate of
Physics at the University of Havana and of the Global Competitive Leadership
program at Georgetown University. She has been a lecturer and guest of honor at
various universities throughout the United States and Latin America, as well as at
the UN, the Concordia Summit of the Americas, the Freedom Forum, the US
Congress, and multiple parliaments in Europe and the Americas.
In 2020, she was the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
(CHLI) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen International Leadership Award for her global advocacy
and leadership. In 2019 she was the winner of the Morris Abram Human Rights
Award granted by UN Watch. She has also been granted the Casa Cuba Award in
Tampa, Florida, and with the Keys of the City of Miami, a city that has established
an annual day in honor of this Cuban activist and that, thanks to the work of Cuba
Decide platform, has declared July 22 as the Day of Victims of Communism in
America. In 2013, she was selected as one of the “25 most powerful women”
according to People en Español magazine.
She is the Honorary President of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy,
an organization with which she established, in collaboration with the Pan American
Democracy Foundation, the Oswaldo Payá Prize “Libertad y Vida” that, since 2016,
seeks to recognize people and institutions that have made extraordinary
contributions to the defense of democracy.
Her work has made her part of the Global Americans New Generation of Public
Intellectuals initiative in 2018. In recent years, Payá Acevedo has been a
contributor to a number of periodical publications of global relevance, including The
Washington Post and CNN.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carlos Trujillo, Ambassador, Retired, and Partner at Continental Strategy based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Miami, is a prominent Florida attorney and politician with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and business. He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (2018-2021), as a member of the Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018) and as Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP (2011–2017) and as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District (2007-2011).
After being appointed by former President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Trujillo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served as Ambassador from March 30, 2018 until January 20, 2021. During his time at the OAS, Trujillo served as Chair of the Permanent Council, Budget Committee and the Economic Development Committee. He also led the effort to re-elect Secretary General Luis Almagro.
Trujillo also was appointed by President Trump and served as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley and was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Trujillo, a native Spanish speaker, is known for his strong ties to the Hispanic community, legal acumen and leadership, and has a wealth of knowledge and connections in Latin American politics.
Prior to serving as Ambassador, Trujillo was elected as State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee, he appropriated and oversaw an $83.5 billion dollar budget. He also served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Trujillo was a Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his leadership, the firm grew to more than 50 employees and generated over $10 million in annual revenue. Previously, Trujillo served as Assistant State Attorney, Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Miami, Florida (2007–2011) were he served as a training attorney and Felony Prosecutor. Prior to founding Trujillo Vargas, LLP Carlos was an Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was responsible for felony prosecutions. While working as an Assistant State Attorney, he tried 54 criminal trials, 26 jury trials to verdict and was served as first chair on 20 jury selections. Previously, Carlos was a training attorney in the County Court Division, and also served in the Juvenile Court Division
He currently serves on the Board of Florida International University, as a member and manager of multiple real-estate holding companies in Coral Gables, Florida, and has also served as a Board Member on the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida (2015–2016) and as a member of the Electoral College in 2016.
Trujillo earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama (2004) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida (2007). He is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is married to Carmen Maria Mir and they have four children – Carlos, Isabella, Juan Pablo and Felipe.
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Lecturer, University of Liverpool
Conor was appointed Lecturer in Law at the School of Law and Social Justice in August 2021. From 2020-2021 he was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence.
Prior to this, he completed an LLB at Trinity College, Dublin in 2015, an LLM from Yale Law School in 2017, and a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Dublin in 2020. Conor is a non-practising barrister, having been called to the Irish Bar in 2020.
Conor’s research specialises in administrative law, constitutional law, and legal theory.
Conor has had work featured in leading journals like the Edinburgh Law Review, European Constitutional Law Review, International Journal of Constitutional Law, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Maryland Law Review, Modern Law Review, Law & Literature and Public Law.
Conor's work has been cited by the Irish Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court. His work has also been cited by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Oireachtas Library & Research Service. In April 2022 Conor was invited to provide expert evidence on constitutional issues to the Irish Government's Housing Commission. In the United Kingdom, Conor has given expert evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee on the work of the Law Officers. His work has been cited before the House of Commons Justice Committee and by the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of the Tynwald.
In April 2021 Conor was a co-author of an Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission-funded report analysing the Irish State’s response to the crisis from a human rights and rule of law perspective. In January 2022 Conor was co-author of a report on the Attorney General of England & Wales commissioned by the think-tank Policy Exchange.
Conor is a regular commentator on legal matters in leading national newspapers and radio stations. He has written for the Irish Times, Journal.ie, and Washington Post.
John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and Associate Dean for External Engagement, University of Notre Dame Law School
Nicole Stelle Garnett is the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, where she also serves as the Associate Dean for External Engagement and directs the Notre Dame Education Law Project. Her teaching and research focus on education law and policy, religious liberty, and topics related to property law (especially land use and urban development policies). In addition to dozens of articles on these subjects, she is the author of Lost Classroom, Lost Community: Catholic Schools' Importance in Urban America (University of Chicago Press, 2014) and Ordering the City: Land Use, Policing and the Restoration of Urban America (Yale University Press, 2009).
Garnett received her B.A. with distinction in Political Science from Stanford University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Morris S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. Before joining the law school faculty in 1999, she worked for two years as a staff attorney at the Institute for Justice, a non-profit public-interest law firm in Washington, D.C., where she helped to defend the constitutionality of the nation's first private-school-choice programs.
At Notre Dame, Garnett is a faculty fellow in the Institute for Educational Initiatives, Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate, and deNicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She also is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Carlos G. Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 22, 2019, becoming the 89th Justice since statehood was granted in 1845. Previously, he served as general counsel for the United States Department of Education, where he led the Office of the General Counsel and provided legal and policy advice to the United States Secretary of Education and to other senior department officials.
Justice Muñiz has wide-ranging legal and policy experience from his years as an attorney and consultant in private practice. He served for three years as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. In that capacity he was responsible for managing a 400-lawyer staff and overseeing duties that included enforcement and litigation, legislative affairs, and communications.
During this time, Justice Muñiz worked with state attorneys general throughout the country and developed substantial experience in multistate enforcement actions, consumer protection issues, government investigations, and disputes between the states and the federal government.
In addition to his service in the Attorney General’s Office, Justice Muñiz held positions of responsibility throughout Florida state government. He served as deputy general counsel in the Office of Governor Jeb Bush, as a deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and as general counsel of the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Justice Muñiz is a graduate of the University of Virginia and of Yale Law School. Upon receipt of his law degree, he clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Thomas A. Flannery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame Law School
Jeffrey Pojanowski joined the faculty and community of Notre Dame Law School in 2010. He teaches and writes in the areas of administrative law, jurisprudence, and torts. At present, his scholarship focuses on the legal theory of administrative action, as well as the philosophy and intellectual history of legal reasoning.
Prof. Pojanowski earned his A.B. in Public Policy with highest honors from Princeton University and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004, where he was Articles Co-Chair for the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he served as a law clerk to then-Judge John Roberts on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and then to Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court of the United States. He then practiced law with Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in appellate litigation and administrative-law matters.
Founder and President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors
Because of his humble beginnings, Maximo Alvarez has always believed in helping the community, as well as the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Mr. Alvarez has been very involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame. He later received a doctorate of laws honoris causa from Belmont Abbey in 2015. Mr. Alvarez serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. In 2016, he was appointed by Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to serve on the Florida State University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is also serving as chairman of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumers’ Council, appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Sunshine Gasoline has been a constant sponsor of Miami Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Mr. Alvarez’s biggest dream was recently fulfilled when Centro Hispano Catolico opened its door to over 300 children. The Centro Hispano Catolico is a day care center for under privileged children created in honor of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. Mr. Alvarez is a strong believer in the philosophy that every new generation must be better than the last. This philosophy is carried out by his legacy of generosity that began when he was thirteen years old. Ever grateful of the country that allowed him to be where he is today and proud of his success, he states; “If I were to give back everything I have today, it would only be 10% of what was given to me”.
Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Kristina Arriaga is a passionate communicator with a storied life. Early on in her career, she orchestrated the rescue of a Cuban woman and her two children, for which she was featured in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest. More recently, she visited American Pastor Andrew Brunson in a prison in Turkey where she advocated for his release in Congress, in Turkey, and through the pages of The Wall Street Journal. In her other life, as President and CEO of Intrinsic Communications, she helps her clients elevate their stories in the court of public opinion.
Arriaga also serves with the inaugural group of seven trustees who oversee a newly created Oversight Board, an independent entity that makes biding decisions on content moderation for Meta’s 2.9 billion users. Its 20-member Board includes Judge Michael McConnell (Stanford Law School), Helle Thorning-Schmidt (former prime minister of Denmark), and Tawakkol Karman (first Arab woman to win a Nobel prize), among other notable freedom of expression experts.
Formerly, in 2016, the U.S. Congress appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was elected Vice Chair for two consecutive terms. During her 3-year tenure, she met with high-ranking government officials to advocate for human rights in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and many other countries. In protest over legislation that turned the watchdog agency into a government lapdog, she resigned with an explanatory op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Before the Commission, Arriaga was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission and the executive director of a public interest law firm that defends free expression. During her tenure at the law firm, she oversaw several strategic public relations campaigns on landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arriaga is the recipient of the 2017 Newseum Free Expression Award along with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, ABC’s correspondent Martha Raddatz, and civil rights champion John Lewis.
A sought-after speaker, she has appeared on BBC, MSNBC, C-Span, CNN, and NPR, among many others. She has lectured in numerous universities worldwide. Her 2020 op-ed for USAToday, “My family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, where 'cancel culture' was deadly serious” went viral. Her recent interviews include an extended feature by Crux entitled: “Cuban Americans cling to both U.S., Cuban identities.”
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Host, Hola Ota-Ola!
Alexander Otaola is a Cuban-American actor, social media influencer, and political activist. Otaola is the host of the web show Hola Ota-Ola!, an informative and satirical program that covers entertainment, news and politics. His show debuted on Cubanos por el Mundo: a cross platform media initiative, website, and YouTube channel that covers politics, news, and celebrity culture in Cuba and the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola is a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Cuba denouncing its human rights violations and crimes in all his shows.
Founder, Cuba Decide
Rosa María Payá Acevedo is a Cuban democracy activist and human rights
defender. In 2015, she founded the citizen initiative Cuba Decide, a movement in
favor of changing the political and economic systems in Cuba towards democracy,
through a plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, the recipient of
the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and two-time nominee of the Nobel
Peace Prize, who was killed by the regime in 2012. Rosa María is a graduate of
Physics at the University of Havana and of the Global Competitive Leadership
program at Georgetown University. She has been a lecturer and guest of honor at
various universities throughout the United States and Latin America, as well as at
the UN, the Concordia Summit of the Americas, the Freedom Forum, the US
Congress, and multiple parliaments in Europe and the Americas.
In 2020, she was the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
(CHLI) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen International Leadership Award for her global advocacy
and leadership. In 2019 she was the winner of the Morris Abram Human Rights
Award granted by UN Watch. She has also been granted the Casa Cuba Award in
Tampa, Florida, and with the Keys of the City of Miami, a city that has established
an annual day in honor of this Cuban activist and that, thanks to the work of Cuba
Decide platform, has declared July 22 as the Day of Victims of Communism in
America. In 2013, she was selected as one of the “25 most powerful women”
according to People en Español magazine.
She is the Honorary President of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy,
an organization with which she established, in collaboration with the Pan American
Democracy Foundation, the Oswaldo Payá Prize “Libertad y Vida” that, since 2016,
seeks to recognize people and institutions that have made extraordinary
contributions to the defense of democracy.
Her work has made her part of the Global Americans New Generation of Public
Intellectuals initiative in 2018. In recent years, Payá Acevedo has been a
contributor to a number of periodical publications of global relevance, including The
Washington Post and CNN.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carlos Trujillo, Ambassador, Retired, and Partner at Continental Strategy based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Miami, is a prominent Florida attorney and politician with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and business. He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (2018-2021), as a member of the Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018) and as Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP (2011–2017) and as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District (2007-2011).
After being appointed by former President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Trujillo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served as Ambassador from March 30, 2018 until January 20, 2021. During his time at the OAS, Trujillo served as Chair of the Permanent Council, Budget Committee and the Economic Development Committee. He also led the effort to re-elect Secretary General Luis Almagro.
Trujillo also was appointed by President Trump and served as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley and was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Trujillo, a native Spanish speaker, is known for his strong ties to the Hispanic community, legal acumen and leadership, and has a wealth of knowledge and connections in Latin American politics.
Prior to serving as Ambassador, Trujillo was elected as State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee, he appropriated and oversaw an $83.5 billion dollar budget. He also served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Trujillo was a Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his leadership, the firm grew to more than 50 employees and generated over $10 million in annual revenue. Previously, Trujillo served as Assistant State Attorney, Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Miami, Florida (2007–2011) were he served as a training attorney and Felony Prosecutor. Prior to founding Trujillo Vargas, LLP Carlos was an Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was responsible for felony prosecutions. While working as an Assistant State Attorney, he tried 54 criminal trials, 26 jury trials to verdict and was served as first chair on 20 jury selections. Previously, Carlos was a training attorney in the County Court Division, and also served in the Juvenile Court Division
He currently serves on the Board of Florida International University, as a member and manager of multiple real-estate holding companies in Coral Gables, Florida, and has also served as a Board Member on the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida (2015–2016) and as a member of the Electoral College in 2016.
Trujillo earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama (2004) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida (2007). He is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is married to Carmen Maria Mir and they have four children – Carlos, Isabella, Juan Pablo and Felipe.
Founder and President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors
Because of his humble beginnings, Maximo Alvarez has always believed in helping the community, as well as the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Mr. Alvarez has been very involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame. He later received a doctorate of laws honoris causa from Belmont Abbey in 2015. Mr. Alvarez serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. In 2016, he was appointed by Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to serve on the Florida State University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is also serving as chairman of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumers’ Council, appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Sunshine Gasoline has been a constant sponsor of Miami Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Mr. Alvarez’s biggest dream was recently fulfilled when Centro Hispano Catolico opened its door to over 300 children. The Centro Hispano Catolico is a day care center for under privileged children created in honor of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. Mr. Alvarez is a strong believer in the philosophy that every new generation must be better than the last. This philosophy is carried out by his legacy of generosity that began when he was thirteen years old. Ever grateful of the country that allowed him to be where he is today and proud of his success, he states; “If I were to give back everything I have today, it would only be 10% of what was given to me”.
Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Kristina Arriaga is a passionate communicator with a storied life. Early on in her career, she orchestrated the rescue of a Cuban woman and her two children, for which she was featured in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest. More recently, she visited American Pastor Andrew Brunson in a prison in Turkey where she advocated for his release in Congress, in Turkey, and through the pages of The Wall Street Journal. In her other life, as President and CEO of Intrinsic Communications, she helps her clients elevate their stories in the court of public opinion.
Arriaga also serves with the inaugural group of seven trustees who oversee a newly created Oversight Board, an independent entity that makes biding decisions on content moderation for Meta’s 2.9 billion users. Its 20-member Board includes Judge Michael McConnell (Stanford Law School), Helle Thorning-Schmidt (former prime minister of Denmark), and Tawakkol Karman (first Arab woman to win a Nobel prize), among other notable freedom of expression experts.
Formerly, in 2016, the U.S. Congress appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was elected Vice Chair for two consecutive terms. During her 3-year tenure, she met with high-ranking government officials to advocate for human rights in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and many other countries. In protest over legislation that turned the watchdog agency into a government lapdog, she resigned with an explanatory op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Before the Commission, Arriaga was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission and the executive director of a public interest law firm that defends free expression. During her tenure at the law firm, she oversaw several strategic public relations campaigns on landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arriaga is the recipient of the 2017 Newseum Free Expression Award along with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, ABC’s correspondent Martha Raddatz, and civil rights champion John Lewis.
A sought-after speaker, she has appeared on BBC, MSNBC, C-Span, CNN, and NPR, among many others. She has lectured in numerous universities worldwide. Her 2020 op-ed for USAToday, “My family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, where 'cancel culture' was deadly serious” went viral. Her recent interviews include an extended feature by Crux entitled: “Cuban Americans cling to both U.S., Cuban identities.”
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Host, Hola Ota-Ola!
Alexander Otaola is a Cuban-American actor, social media influencer, and political activist. Otaola is the host of the web show Hola Ota-Ola!, an informative and satirical program that covers entertainment, news and politics. His show debuted on Cubanos por el Mundo: a cross platform media initiative, website, and YouTube channel that covers politics, news, and celebrity culture in Cuba and the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola is a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Cuba denouncing its human rights violations and crimes in all his shows.
Founder, Cuba Decide
Rosa María Payá Acevedo is a Cuban democracy activist and human rights
defender. In 2015, she founded the citizen initiative Cuba Decide, a movement in
favor of changing the political and economic systems in Cuba towards democracy,
through a plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, the recipient of
the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and two-time nominee of the Nobel
Peace Prize, who was killed by the regime in 2012. Rosa María is a graduate of
Physics at the University of Havana and of the Global Competitive Leadership
program at Georgetown University. She has been a lecturer and guest of honor at
various universities throughout the United States and Latin America, as well as at
the UN, the Concordia Summit of the Americas, the Freedom Forum, the US
Congress, and multiple parliaments in Europe and the Americas.
In 2020, she was the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
(CHLI) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen International Leadership Award for her global advocacy
and leadership. In 2019 she was the winner of the Morris Abram Human Rights
Award granted by UN Watch. She has also been granted the Casa Cuba Award in
Tampa, Florida, and with the Keys of the City of Miami, a city that has established
an annual day in honor of this Cuban activist and that, thanks to the work of Cuba
Decide platform, has declared July 22 as the Day of Victims of Communism in
America. In 2013, she was selected as one of the “25 most powerful women”
according to People en Español magazine.
She is the Honorary President of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy,
an organization with which she established, in collaboration with the Pan American
Democracy Foundation, the Oswaldo Payá Prize “Libertad y Vida” that, since 2016,
seeks to recognize people and institutions that have made extraordinary
contributions to the defense of democracy.
Her work has made her part of the Global Americans New Generation of Public
Intellectuals initiative in 2018. In recent years, Payá Acevedo has been a
contributor to a number of periodical publications of global relevance, including The
Washington Post and CNN.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carlos Trujillo, Ambassador, Retired, and Partner at Continental Strategy based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Miami, is a prominent Florida attorney and politician with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and business. He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (2018-2021), as a member of the Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018) and as Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP (2011–2017) and as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District (2007-2011).
After being appointed by former President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Trujillo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served as Ambassador from March 30, 2018 until January 20, 2021. During his time at the OAS, Trujillo served as Chair of the Permanent Council, Budget Committee and the Economic Development Committee. He also led the effort to re-elect Secretary General Luis Almagro.
Trujillo also was appointed by President Trump and served as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley and was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Trujillo, a native Spanish speaker, is known for his strong ties to the Hispanic community, legal acumen and leadership, and has a wealth of knowledge and connections in Latin American politics.
Prior to serving as Ambassador, Trujillo was elected as State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee, he appropriated and oversaw an $83.5 billion dollar budget. He also served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Trujillo was a Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his leadership, the firm grew to more than 50 employees and generated over $10 million in annual revenue. Previously, Trujillo served as Assistant State Attorney, Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Miami, Florida (2007–2011) were he served as a training attorney and Felony Prosecutor. Prior to founding Trujillo Vargas, LLP Carlos was an Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was responsible for felony prosecutions. While working as an Assistant State Attorney, he tried 54 criminal trials, 26 jury trials to verdict and was served as first chair on 20 jury selections. Previously, Carlos was a training attorney in the County Court Division, and also served in the Juvenile Court Division
He currently serves on the Board of Florida International University, as a member and manager of multiple real-estate holding companies in Coral Gables, Florida, and has also served as a Board Member on the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida (2015–2016) and as a member of the Electoral College in 2016.
Trujillo earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama (2004) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida (2007). He is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is married to Carmen Maria Mir and they have four children – Carlos, Isabella, Juan Pablo and Felipe.
Judicial Reasoning, Roles, and Rationales: A View from all of Florida’s Courts
Orlando Lawyers Chapter
Orlando, FLPanel 3: Common Good Constitutionalism: A Constitutional Interpretation Theory & Its Critics
Conor Casey, Nicole Stelle Garnett, Carlos G. Muñiz, Jeffrey Pojanowski
Featuring: Prof. Conor Casey, Lecturer in Law and Assistant Professor, University of Liverpool School of...
Panel 3: Common Good Constitutionalism: A Constitutional Interpretation Theory & Its Critics
Second Annual Florida Young Lawyers Summit
Tampa, FLOriginalism and the Florida Constitution
Southwest Florida Lawyers Chapter
Ft. Myers, FLTopics
ABA Walks Back CLE Diversity Quota
In 2008, the American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted Goal III: Eliminate Bias and...
Topics
Fla. Supreme Court Rejects Nonlawyer Ownership of Law Firms, Fee Splitting with Nonlawyers
The Florida Supreme Court has rejected proposals to test nonlawyer ownership in law firms, fee...
Luncheon and Roundtable Discussion: Cuba and The Rule of Law
Maximo Alvarez, Kristina Arriaga, John D. Couriel, Alexander Otaola, Rosa María Payá, Carlos Trujillo
Maximo Alvarez, President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors Kristina Arriaga, Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom...
Luncheon and Roundtable Discussion: Cuba and The Rule of Law
Maximo Alvarez, Kristina Arriaga, John D. Couriel, Alexander Otaola, Rosa María Payá, Carlos Trujillo
Maximo Alvarez, President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors Kristina Arriaga, Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom...
Luncheon and Roundtable Discussion: Cuba and The Rule of Law
Eighth Annual Florida Chapters Conference
Lake Buena Vista, FLA Conversation with Justice John Couriel
Tampa Bay Lawyers Chapter
Tampa, FL