Denise Cespedes

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Professor Cespedes was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She obtained her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida. She graduated summa cum laude from FAMU College of Law where she was an editor of the FAMU Law Review, a Holland & Knight Scholar and recipient of the Certificate of Excellence and Florida A&M University Merit Scholarship. She received the esteemed honor of speaking on behalf of the newly inducted lawyers at the 5th District Court of Appeal’s induction ceremony after having earned one of the highest scores on the July 2013 Florida Bar Exam.

Professor Cespedes formerly served as an adjunct instructor at the FAMU College of Law teaching Multistate Bar Law & Skills and Florida Practice. Prior to beginning her career in academia, Professor Cespedes practiced civil defense litigation representing owners, developers and general contractors in connection with major construction defect claims. She has also litigated a variety of cases surrounding wrongful death, premises liability and personal injury matters. She remains an active member of the Florida Bar.

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• Reproductive Rights
  
• Civil Litigation
  
• Legal Writing
  

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•  Instructor • 2021 – Present
  Florida A&M University College of Law, Orlando, FL
  
• Adjunct Professor • 2018 - 2021
  Florida A&M University College of Law, Orlando, FL
  
• Associate Attorney • 2017 – 2021
  Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck, Orlando, FL
  
• Associate Attorney • 2015 – 2017
  Baumann, Gant & Keeley, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL
  
• Associate Attorney • 2013 – 2015
  Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck, Orlando, FL

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• Publications:
  
  Uncharted Boundaries: Geofence Warrants in Abortion Criminal Investigations Post-Roe, _ U. Fla. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y _ (forthcoming Spring 2024).
  
  Mother May I?: The Constitutionality of Florida’s Revived Parental Consent Requirement for the Termination of an Unmarried Minor’s Pregnancy, 21 Fla. Coastal L. Rev. 1 (2021).
  
  
• Presentations:
  
  • Presenter, Great Scott! Back to the Future with In-Class, Timed Assessments in LRW, LWI One-Day Work-shop at the University of Florida Levin College of Law (December 7, 2023)
  • Presenter, First-Gen Teaching First-Gen for NextGen, LWI One-Day Workshop at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University (December 8, 2023)
  • Panel Moderator & Organizer, Navigating Abortion Rights in Florida & The Abortion Ballot Initiative feat. panelists Representative Anna Eskamani and ACLU Research Manager & Policy Counsel Michelle Morton, Florida A&M University College of Law (Oct. 27, 2023)
  • Speaker, Teaching Race; CRT Bans, Realities, and Realizing the Fifth Freedom, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference (July 23, 2023)
  • Presenter, The Three R’s in Changing Legal Research & Writing (LRW) Curriculum: Research, Revamp, and Reinvigorate, LWI One-Day Workshop at the University of Florida Levin College of Law (December 22, 2022)
  • Presenter, Hallmarks of Successful Essay Writing on the Bar Exam, St. Thomas University College of Law (Fall 2019; Spring 2020; Fall 2020; Spring 2021; Summer 2022)
  • Presenter, Hallmarks of Successful Essay Writing on the Bar Exam, Florida State University College of Law (Summer 2022)
  
  
• Media Activity:
  
  • Media interview featured on WFTV/Channel 9 Orlando News (September 8, 2023)
  • Quoted in "Florida abortions are in a state of legal flux. We clear up the confusion", WJCT News (April 18, 2023)
  • Guest Columnist, "Abortion debate in Florida may hinge on right to privacy", Orlando Sentinel (May 31, 2022)

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Florida Bar Exam
Honors: • Selected for the esteemed honor of speaking on behalf of the newly inducted lawyers at the Fifth District Court of Appeal induction ceremony after having earned one of the highest scores on the July 2013 Florida Bar Exam.

Florida A&M University College of Law
Honors: • Class Valedictorian
• Summa Cum Laude
• Holland & Knight Scholar (Full-Tuition Scholarship), Fall 2011-Spring 2012
• Certificate of Excellence Recipient, Fall 2011
• Florida A&M University Merit Scholarship Recipient, Fall 2012

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•  LAW 5792 Legal Research & Writing I
  
• LAW 5793 Legal Research & Writing II
  
• LAW 6388 Interviewing Counseling & Negotiation
  
• LAW 6303 Florida Practice
  
• LAW 6304 Multistate Bar Law and Skills
  

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• LinkedIn

• Scholarly Commons