F. Elizabeth Valentin

F. Elizabeth Valentin serves as Adjunct Professor and Staff Attorney at Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law, directing the Disability Inclusion and Advocacy Law Clinic. Her professional trajectory includes supervising law students at Suffolk University Law School's Health Law Clinic, representing disabled crime victims at Boston's Disability Law Center, and providing reentry services at Community Legal Aid in Worcester.

Education:

• J.D., Harvard Law School
• Law Clerk, Massachusetts Appeals Court (Associate Justice James R. Milkey)

Professor Valentin's scholarly focus centers on disability rights intersections with health law and criminal justice reform. She pioneers advocacy strategies challenging medical debt systems, disability benefit denials, and restrictive guardianship practices while promoting community-based alternatives. Her work critically examines housing discrimination against disabled individuals and collateral consequences of criminal records.

Through the Disability Inclusion and Advocacy Law Clinic, Professor Valentin mentors students in live-client representation across six core legal domains. Students handle cases involving Social Security appeals, Medicaid coverage disputes, housing accommodation requests, and guardianship avoidance strategies under her supervision.

The clinic functions as both a legal service provider for South Florida's disabled community and a training ground for future public interest attorneys, emphasizing client-centered advocacy and systemic change through individual representation.