THE FOUNDATION
For the past seventeen years, John W. Kozyak and the law firm he co-founded, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, have played a major role in the promotion of minority law school students in the community. The Foundation provides minority students the opportunity to be mentored by some of the best and most respected lawyers in the mentee’s field of interest. The foundation hosts several networking events. The 7th Minority Mentoring Picnic attracted more than 3,000 judges, attorneys, guest and minority students from every law school in every Florida and some from as far as California and New York. The Foundation helps set ...
Online Payments
Sponsor Level Platinum Plus . . .$10,000.00 USD Platinum . . .$7,500.00 USD Gold . . .$5,000.00 USD Silver . . .$2,500.00 USD Bronze . . .$1,500.00 USD Supporting . . .$750.00 USD Bar Association: 101 or more members . . .$750.00 USD Bar Association: 100 or less members . . .$500.00 USD Sponsor Name Your Name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Tents are ONLY available with a sponsorship and cannot be purchased alone. Tents are on a first come first serve basis as only a limited amount are permitted by the park. All tents are 10' x 10'. TENT PACKAGE 1 tent, 1 table & ...
The Founder
John W. Kozyak Foundation Founder and Managing Director Founder of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, PA For more than twenty years, John W. Kozyak has been promoting black law students and minority lawyers. He has worked to create new relationships, new opportunities and financial sources to help minorities succeed. John designed the mentoring program to take minority law students and connect them with a mentor in the area of law that they are interested in pursuing. Each year, John pairs hundreds of potential mentees with established lawyers and judges who have offered their time and resources to provide mentorship opportunities to their mentees. Mentors help guide ...
MENTORING WORKS
We hope these comments from mentors and mentees will help further explain the program and give you some ideas for being a better mentor or mentee. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Jennifer Cornwell, Esq. Student at Florida Coastal School of Law, 2L March 2012 - I am writing to ask you to support Mr. Kozyak's foundation and annual picnic. Not only does Mr. Kozyak talk the talk, but he walks the walk. I am a minority student who completed a brief form at the picnic. As a result, Mr. Kozyak contacted me himself: he actually wanted to help. He gave me honest feedback about my resume and answered ...
PARTICIPATE
The Foundation relies on participation by its sponsors, mentors, and others who donate their time, money and skills in order to make the Foundation and all of its events successful. We are looking for mentors who are interested in mentoring young minority law students. Many lawyers have found the mentor/mentee relationship personally and professionally satisfying. Unfortunately, we need to raise money to put on the annual picnic and other events. Sponsorship opportunities are available and John Kozyak or Detra Shaw-Wilder would be delighted to put interested parties in contact with law firms, accounting firms and bar associations, which have previously been sponsors, to disuss the ...
THE PICNIC
The Kozyak Minority Mentoring Picnic is an annual event which is currently in its 8th year. The picnic has grown exponentially each year and is well attended by many judges, established lawyers and law students from every school in Florida. The picnic is sponsored by many businesses, multiple voluntary bar associations, a bank and numerous law firms. Many sponsors rent tents where it is easy for students to meet lawyers, judges and potential employees. We have a “Leaders and Legends” tent where some of the very best lawyers in the country have shared their experiences. For example, former Attorney General ...
PHOTOS
2011 Picnic Photos 2010 Picnic Photos 2009 Picnic Photos 2008 Picnic Photos 2007 Picnic Photos 2006 Picnic Photos
The Mission
The Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance and support to minorities interested in pursuing legal careers, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and limited financial aid. The Foundation takes primary responsibility for finding experienced lawyers and judges to mentor black law students at every law school in Florida and working with other voluntary bar associations to find mentors for all minority law students. John Kozyak, the Foundation’s founder, grew up in a totally segregated, community and was in high school when the 1974 Civil Rights Legislation was implemented. He has had a long-time commitment to creating opportunities for minority students. He ...
The Board
John W. Kozyak Foundation Founder and Managing Director Founder of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, PA John W. Kozyak is a founding partner of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton and co-chairs the firm’s bankruptcy practice. John regularly plays a major role in bankruptcy courts across the nation, representing business owners, lenders, creditors’ committees, and major creditors, and he has been appointed a trustee and receiver in major cases. John grew up in southern Illinois outside of St. Louis and moved to Miami in 1977. His wife, Barbara Silverman, is also a lawyer and Director of the foundation. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Detra P. Shaw-Wilder Associate Managing Director Former President of the Gwen ...
The Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance and support to minorities interested in pursuing legal careers, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and limited financial aid. The Foundation takes primary responsibility for finding experienced lawyers and judges to mentor black law students at every law school in Florida and working with other voluntary bar associations to find mentors for all minority law students.
John Kozyak, the Foundation’s founder, grew up in a totally segregated, community and was in high school when the 1974 Civil Rights Legislation was implemented. He has had a long-time commitment to creating opportunities for minority students. He moved to Miami in 1974 for a summer clerkship without knowing a person and was fortunate enough to be hired by two well known, respected lawyers, who were wonderful mentors. The mentoring program matches one or two lawyers and judges, often one who is experienced to mentor a minority student. It is designed to be a low cost, high impact program with many, many success stories. It is modeled loosely after big Brothers/Big Sisters, which John participated in ,while in college and as a young lawyer.
The Foundation regularly promotes awareness in the legal community for the need to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
