SERENA A. WITTER is originally from Orange County, California and graduated from Stanford University, with Departmental Honors, in 2002 with a B.S. in Science, Technology, and Society, with concentrations in chemistry and mathematics. After graduating, Mrs. Witter worked as a Litigation Legal Assistant at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP in New York City. Mrs. Witter then worked as a Litigation Paralegal at Hunton & Williams, LLP in Miami. Mrs. Witter thereafter attended and graduated from University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, in 2007.
During law school, Mrs. Witter worked as a legal intern for the Honorable Thomas Wilson in the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and also as a Certified Legal Intern for the Public Defender for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida in the Juvenile Division. Mrs. Witter was an active member and served as Secretary of the law school’s Chapter of the Black Law Students Association. Mrs. Witter also served as an Intern for the Children & Youth Law Clinic which is part of the nationally recognized Center for Ethics and Public Service. For her strong performance in the law school’s Litigation Skills Program, Mrs. Witter received the Spring 2006 Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton Litigation Skills Scholarship. In addition, for her paper on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Mrs. Witter received the 2006 Rodney Thaxton Scholarship from the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Foundation.
Mrs. Witter is devoted to the improvement of literacy skills and the pursuit of academic excellence of South Florida’s youth. In addition to her work at the Juvenile Division of the Public Defender’s office and the Children & Youth Law Clinic, Mrs. Witter also volunteered as a Legal Fellow in the Lawyers for Literacy program, founded by the Honorable Ursula Ungaro, a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida. Mrs. Witter has since joined the Dade County Bar Young Lawyers eMentoring program which was founded by Mr. Elegant, and also mentors the young people of her church, Maranatha SDA Church, in Miami Gardens.
Representative Cases
- Jimenez – Assisted in obtaining a defense verdict following a bench trial in a claim for equitable accounting involving the termination of a real estate brokerage firm. Assisted in drafting the successful motion for involuntary dismissal. (Eleventh Jud. Cir. Case No. 06-10505 CA 13)
- Penabad – Assisted in drafting successful answer brief filed in order to affirm summary judgment obtained in complex, multi-party commercial case. (Third Dist. Case No. 3D08-1337, consol. 3D08-1116)
- Valpa – Assisted in drafting successful Response to Petition for Writ of Common Law Certiorari, against employer in sexual harassment case on behalf of three plaintiffs. (Third Dist. Case No. 3D08-2830)
- Boyd – Prevailed at motion to dismiss hearing in negligence action against home health care agency brought by plaintiff who sustained extensive injuries in a fall while receiving treatment. (Fifteenth Jud. Cir. Case No. 2007 CA-011017-XXXX-MB)
Background
EDUCATION
 • B.S., Stanford University, departmental honors, 2002.
• J.D., University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, 2007.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE• Petros & Elegant, P.A., Associate Attorney, Law Clerk as a Law Student - Coral Gables, FL (January 2006 - present)
• Public Defender, Certified Legal Intern, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida - Miami, FL (June 2006 - July 2006)
• Honorable Thomas Wilson., Judicial Intern, 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida - Miami, FL (July 2005 - August 2005)
• Hunton & Williams, L.L.P., Litigation Paralegal - Miami, FL (September 2003 - August 2004)
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore, L.L.P., Litigation Legal Assistant - New York, NY (August 2002 - August 2003)
BAR ADMISSIONS
• The Florida Bar
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
• American Bar Association
• Dade County Bar Association
• Gwen S. Cherry Bar Association
• Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association
HONORS AND
AWARDS
• 2006 Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton Litigation Skills Scholarship from the Univ. of Miami School of Law
• 2006 Rodney Thaxton Scholarship from the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Foundation
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
Dade County Bar Young Lawyers eMentoring Program
• Mentor, September 2007 - present.
• Mentor to high school students in order to promote interest in careers in law, legal services, and criminal justice.
Youth Department, Maranatha SDA Church
• Youth Council Member, 2003 - present.
• Actively involved with the Youth Department of Maranatha SDA Church in Miami Gardens, FL.
• Planned and executed various social activities, religious studies, church services, and community service events specifically tailored to foster spiritual growth in teenagers and youth.
University of Miami School of Law’s Center for Ethics and Public Service
• Intern for the Children & Youth Law Clinic, August 2005 - May 2006.
• Legally and personally represented two teenage women in the foster care system, ensuring a stable and smooth transition from state custody to independent adulthood.
Lawyers for Literacy Program
• Legal Fellow, August 2006 - May 2007.
• Assisted in teaching legal awareness classes at The Chapman Center for Community Partnership for Homelessness.
Bedtime Stories
• Volunteer, December 2003 - August 2004.
• Read books to and with homeless children residing at the Salvation Army shelter. Taught and tested literacy skills. Assessed reading level and monitored progress of literacy improvement and development.
Right Track
• Volunteer, December 2003 - June 2004.
• Tutored K-12 boys in various school subjects. Assisted students with extracurricular academic exercises. Assessed difficulties with student understanding of academic material. Taught skills and techniques necessary to complete homework.
Power Lunch, New York, NY
• Volunteer, January 2003 - June 2003.
• Read books with student during school lunch hour. Assisted students with puzzles, quizzes and word games to promote interest in learning. Taught and tested literacy skills. Assessed reading level and monitored progress of literacy improvement and development.
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