Awards & Academic Honors

Class rank and honors (including Order of the Coif) will be determined by the cumulative grade-point average. The Law Registrar determines class rank after all grades are received for the Fall and Spring semesters. The first ranking of the 1L class is after the Spring semester; there is no ranking of the 1L class after the Fall Semester.

For those students entering in Fall 2008 and thereafter, the class rank shall be reported as follows:

All students whose cumulative GPA falls within the top 20% of the class will receive an individual numerical ranking. All students whose cumulative GPA falls within the top 33% or top 50% will be so notified that they fall within this percentage band. The balance of the class will not be ranked.

The degree of Juris Doctor will be awarded with honors under the following circumstances:

Degree Honors

For Entering Classes Before 2015-16

The J.D. degree will be awarded with honors under the following circumstances: summa cum laude—final cumulative grade-point average of 3.800 or higher; magna cum laude— 3.500 or higher; cum laude—3.200 or higher.

For Entering Classes from 2015-16 and Thereafter

J.D. degree honors will be based on percentages and will no longer be awarded on the basis of meeting a specific grade-point average. The J.D. degree will be awarded with honors based on the final cumulative grade-point average as follows:

Summa cum laude – awarded to the top 2% of the class;
Magna cum laude awarded to the next 10%;
Cum laude – awarded to the next 33%.

For All Classes

The designations at the Commencement Ceremony are based on the cumulative grade-point average at the end of the previous semester and are only preliminary. The award of honors is determined exclusively by the final cumulative grade-point average.

For students who receive their degrees in September and January, eligibility for honors will be determined based upon the student’s grade-point average in comparison with those students who graduated the previous May.

As of Fall 2014, transfer students and students awarded advanced standing credits who receive 17 or more credits towards their JD degree from a school other than UM Law are eligible for cum laude degree honors only.

Students who graduate in the top 10% of the class (Fall, Spring, and Summer graduating classes combined) and who meet other requirements of the Order may be elected to the prestigious Order of the Coif. Students should be aware that having more than 25 percent of all courses without traditional letter grades will render them ineligible for Order of the Coif. For this purpose, "courses without traditional letter grades" includes all courses taken outside the School of Law (including but not limited to first-year courses taken by a transfer student at another law school).

Graduating Students (December and May) are encouraged to apply for nomination to the Order of Barristers – the highest honor in appellate and trial advocacy. The Order of Barristers is a national honorary organization whose purpose is the encouragement of oral advocacy and brief writing skills through effective law school appellate moot court and mock trial programs. The Order provides national recognition for graduating seniors who have excelled in advocacy and service at their respective schools. Each accredited law school can induct only ten to twelve students per year.

The School of Law participates in two award programs.

The CALI Excellence for the Future Award is a certificate presented to the top student in each course if the instructor chooses to participate.

The Dean's Certificate of Achievement is awarded to one or, in exceptional circumstances, two students in each class who has/have excelled. This award applies to courses taught by full-time faculty and instructors. The Dean’s Certificate may be awarded to the same student who receives the CALI Award.

The Roger Sorino Award is dedicated to the memory of Roger Sorino, a highly involved UM Law student who died suddenly in 1951. This award is given to a graduating law student who best exemplifies leadership, dedication to the school, and service to the community. Nominees do not have to be members of Bar & Gavel, but they must be graduating in May.

John T. Gaubatz Competition

• Winning Team: Kurt Marmar Award (monetary prize funded by Kurt Marmar Endowment)
• Finalist Team: C. Clyde Atkins Award (monetary prize funded by C. Clyde Atkins Endowment)
• Best Advocate: Humberto J. Peña Award (monetary prize funded by Humberto J. Peña Endowment)
• Best Brief: plaque (no monetary award)
• Best Oral Advocate: plaque (no monetary award)

Interschool Competitions

• Teams that advance to the final rounds receive plaques (if provided by the competition)
• Teams/individuals that win best brief or best oral advocate awards receive plaques or certificates (if provided by the competition)

The Soia Mentschikoff Award for Excellence in Scholarly Writing is awarded to the candidate who writes the best student article or casenote.

The Daniel B. Gaubatz Memorial Award is awarded to the candidate who shows humor, concern for others, and dedication to the Review. Both awards are handed out at our annual banquet in the Spring.

The Best Casenote Award is given to the Junior Staff Editor who produces the best casenote from the Student Writing Competition; the Senior Writing Editor nominates a recipient to be approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

The Jack Ankus ‘58 Memorial Service Award is given to the member who best exemplifies a commitment to public service. Recipients for this award are selected based on nominations by members of the Law Review.

The Daniel E. Murray Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to an individual for distinguished achievement in the field of law and continued dedication to the Law Review. Recipients for this award are selected based on nominations by members of the Law Review.

The Lilian R. Levy Award is awarded in recognition of members of the Inter-American Law Review (IALR) who have demonstrated both outstanding achievement in legal research and writing and extraordinary dedication to the improvement of the publication.

Most Outstanding Articles and Comments Editor Award is given in recognition of an Articles and Comments Editor who puts forth outstanding effort and time, beyond the already demanding editorial schedule, to make a lasting and meaningful contribution to the IALR.

The Grey Quill Award are given in recognition of members of the IALR who demonstrate outstanding student writing.

The Sidley Austin Law Review Scholarship at Miami Law is presented annually to the editor in chief of the Business Law Review.

The Center for Ethics & Public Service Fellowship Prizes are given each year at the Center's spring reception to a graduating 3L fellow in each of the Center's programs. The awards are given in recognition of the excellence of their work and the commitment to their programs.

HOPE Pro Bono Challenge Award

Miami Law’s Public Interest Resource Center awards a student in each class who completed the most pro bono hours.

HOPE Commitment Community Service

Miami Law’s Public Interest Resource Center awards a student in each class who completed the most community service.

3L Awards

Exemplary Service to the Poor

This award is given to a graduating 3L student who has performed exemplary service benefiting poor persons. The work must have been accomplished through an existing student or community organization. Qualifying work includes law-related as well as non-law-related work and may be either directly beneficial to poor persons or to a charitable, religious or educational organization whose overall mission and activities predominately address the needs of poor persons. The term "poor" is not limited to those who meet federal poverty standards but also includes "working poor." A qualifying student may have received academic credit or financial compensation for the work.

Innovative Service in the Public Interest

This award may be given to a graduating 3L student or to a student organization whose board membership consists significantly of graduating 3L students. Qualifying work includes the meaningful expansion of an existing program, or the creation of a new program. The award seeks to recognize innovation in addressing public interest concerns and may include (1) work for persons of limited means; (2) work that expands the work of a charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental or educational organization and addresses the needs of persons of limited means; (3) work that is designed to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties, or public rights; (4) work that expands the work of a charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental, and/or educational organization; (5) work that is designed to improve the law, the legal system, or the legal profession. A qualifying student may have received academic credit or financial compensation for the work. For more information on the Application Process, contact the HOPE office.

When warranted, and typically after four semesters as a Dean's Fellow, one or two Dean's Fellows may be recognized for outstanding dedication and service to the Academic Achievement Program and presented with a plaque acknowledging this special honor. This award is presented and the recipient designated at the discretion of the AAP Director.

Each semester students who distinguish themselves in Litigation Skills I are recognized by the legal community for their hard work and talent. These students qualify to receive prestigious awards and scholarships generously donated to the law school including:

Thomas Ewald Memorial Award

This award is given each semester to the student in Litigation Skills I who best exemplifies the devotion to high standards and ethical conduct followed by Tom Ewald.

John F. Evans Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 1989 in memory of John F. Evans, criminal defense attorney, former deputy chief of the US State Department's Miami Strike Force, and founding partner of the law firm of Zuckerman, Spaeder, Taylor and Evans. It is awarded each semester to a second or third year student who has expressed an interest in trial practice.

Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton Scholarship

Established in 1995 by one of Miami's leading law firms, this scholarship is awarded each semester to a minority law student who has completed Litigation Skills I with an expressed interest in trial advocacy.

Marco A. Vazquez Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1996 in memory of Marco A. Vazquez, a 1993 graduate of the school of law, the Marco A. Vazquez Scholarship is awarded each semester to an academically qualified second or third year law student who has completed the Litigation Skills Program and who has demonstrated financial need. Preference is given to Cuban/American students.

Honorable Theodore Klein Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2006 in memory of Theodore Klein, an outstanding Lawyer, Law Professor, U.S. Magistrate and a Leader among his peers, this scholarship is awarded each semester to a second or third year law student who has demonstrated financial need, ability and excellence in oral and written advocacy and a commitment to public service.

American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Award

A cash award of $1,000 is given each spring to the top third year minority law student who has shown excellence in becoming a civil trial lawyer.

Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) Award

This $250 cash award is given each spring semester to the top second year law student(s) who show great promise in the practice of Criminal Litigation. The number of recipients and the amount of the award vary from year to year.

Markus Award

Miami Law alumnus Stuart Markus began practicing law in Miami in 1958 and worked as a trial attorney for 55 years. He was well-known for representing the "little guy," often without accepting a fee. After he died in late 2013 at age 81, his family established the Markus Award at Miami Law, which recognizes a student each year for outstanding work in one of the law school's in-house clinics.

CLEA Award

The CLEA award is for an outstanding clinicial team. All faculty clinicians come together each year to choose a team to win the award.

Jonathan Richter Never Give Up Award

In January 2023, the small but dedicated Miami Law Innocence Clinic community lost one of the best and brightest. A 2016 University of Miami School of Law graduate, Jonathan Richter was an innocence clinic student in 2015 and a fellow in 2016. The award will go each year to an Innocence Clinic student or students who embody Jonathan's fighting spirit and exhibit outstanding contributions to the clinic and the wrongfully convicted.