Emanuel McMiller one of the best employees in the legal field
Ask ten different lawyers if it’s possible for any particular young kid could be destined to become a lawyer, and you’ll probably hear ten different answers. But for Emanuel McMiller, the obvious answer is “yes”. Born in 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Emanuel moved to West Palm Beach when he was twelve. Raised by his grandmother and homeschooled until sophomore year of high school, Emanuel describes himself as a shy kid who immersed himself in all kinds of books, spending much of his free time at the library.
It was the assistant principal at Palm Beach Lakes High School that encouraged Emanuel to join the pre-law magnet. He did, and soon won several mock trial competition awards, taking home the Overall Best Lawyer Award his senior year. “The pre-law program just confirmed for me what I had always known – that I’ve wanted to be a lawyer from a very young age.”
The first in his family to graduate from college, Emanuel earned his fouryear political science degree from Williams College in Massachusetts on a scholarship. He joined the Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. as an Intake Specialist two years ago as his first job out of college.
Emanuel was promoted to Closing Assistant earlier this year, which afforded him the unique opportunity to see how personal injury cases are handled, from start to finish. “It’s really great to work for our clients towards the end of the process, when they are feeling the relief of their case coming to a satisfactory conclusion”, Emanuel says of working in the closing department.
After a grueling year applying to law schools, in May of this year, Emanuel announced that he will be attending Notre Dame Law School.
Bitter sweetly, his last day with the firm was July 15th, 2016. Emanuel says that among his several internships and jobs with local law firms, Craig Goldenfarb has been particularly influential. “Mr. Goldenfarb is a great lawyer, but what makes him special is that he takes time to give back to the community in so many different ways”, Emanuel said.
“I’ve always known that I want to be the kind of lawyer that makes a difference in my community. My concern is for less fortunate youth who don’t have the guidance or mentorship needed to fully realize their potential”, Emanuel says of his future plans. “That was me.”
Craig Goldenfarb was so moved by Emanuel’s incredible achievements despite tremendous odds, that he has created and endowed the Emanuel McMiller Scholarship for Higher Education. The fund will be administered by Urban Youth Impact, a local non-profit Emanuel has benefited from, to financially assist youth in their college admissions and matriculation needs.
Emanuel will stay active and involved in the scholarship that bears his name as a mentor and advisor. And hopefully, he will keep in touch with us during law school and beyond. For now, though, the pivotal time has arrived for this young man to begin his training to become the gifted lawyer he is no doubt destined to be.
