Willard Shepard, a longtime broadcast journalist at NBC 6 (WTVJ-TV) in South Florida, was among ten FIU law school graduates recently sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court Bar by Chief Justice John Roberts. The honor allows attorneys to practice law and present arguments before the nation’s highest court, and only 6% of lawyers in the country get the opportunity.
One of the FIU Law School alumni who was recognized with Shepard is Captain Lisa Heller of American Airlines. She practices aviation law and is stationed at Miami International Airport. For over the past ten years, FIU College of Law graduates have passed the Florida Bar exam at a higher rate than any other law school in Florida.
“The honor is a dream come true and at the same time, a recognition of the big responsibility we have, and my FIU comrades have when families and businesses come to us when they need a lawyer,” Sheppard says.
For the last three decades, Shepard has been a household name and a trusted source of information for thousands of South Floridians. He has worked as an investigative reporter and anchor at NBC 6. During his on-air segments, Shepard frequently drew from his 28-year military career, which included 52 missions as a Gulf War fighter pilot. Along the way, he also obtained a law degree.
After retiring as a broadcast journalist last April, Shepard is now completely devoted to his own legal practice, Willard Shepard Law & Media. He also works alongside Brett Rivkind, an attorney specializing in personal injury and maritime law, at Rivkind Law in Miami.
