Elizabeth Berenguer
My academic career began in 2008 at Barry Law School, and I have since cultivated expertise in cognitive rhetoric specializing in teaching predictive and persuasive legal writing, appellate and advanced appellate advocacy, criminal law, pretrial practice and procedure, and trial advocacy. Additionally, I have coached numerous moot court and mock trial teams, co-directed Barry’s nationally-recognized trial team, and directed Savannah Law School’s moot court and mock trial teams. In 2012, I was hired to design the legal writing curriculum at Savannah Law School. While there, I directed the writing program, moot court, and mock trial for four years until I joined the faculty of Campbell Law School in May 2016. Campbell hired me to create and direct the upper level writing program which implements a cutting-edge approach to written persuasive advocacy. As part of my duties, I have coordinated a collaboration with Nottingham Law School in the UK which provides Campbell students the opportunity to earn an LL.M while completing their JD.
As a professor, I have served as a supervisor to individual students working as teaching assistants and research assistants. I have supervised and mentored students writing for law review and for their upper level writing requirement. I have advised student organizations such as the Public Interest Law Society, the Hispanic Law Students Association, the Moot Court Honor Board, and the Mock Trial Advocacy Board. Also, while teaching I have consistently contributed to the community by working pro bono as guardian ad litem in Florida, volunteering with elementary and middle school students through the Justice Teaching Program of the Florida Bar Association, and serving as a board member of the Coastal Empire Montessori Charter Organization and Savannah Classical Academy, both located in Savannah, Georgia.
In addition, I am an active scholar having presented multiple times at a variety of conferences and workshops including the American Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, the Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, the Southeastern Regional Legal Writing Conference, the Applied Legal Storytelling Conference, the Association of Legal Writing Directors Biennial Conference, the Psychology and the Law Conference, the Class Crit Conference, the Lat Crit Conference, the Family Law Institute, and many other CLEs and workshops.
Prior to teaching, I practiced as a criminal defense and immigration attorney in Orlando, Florida. As a public defender with the Office of the Public Defender, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Orange County, Florida, I represented clients on both misdemeanor and felony cases. I have also worked on death penalty cases as co-counsel specializing in researching and writing motions and witness preparation. Upon leaving the Public Defender's office in February 2005, I dedicated my private practice to criminal defense, appellate advocacy, and immigration.
