Princeton Club of South Florida Presents Inaugural Gail Serota Award for Civic Service to Honor Late Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman Partner

Coral Reef Senior High student earns prestigious recognition from alumni group

MIAMI, Fla. – The Princeton Club of South Florida has honored the life of Gail Serota (1953-2018), partner at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman and wife of firm founder Joseph Serota, with the establishment of the annual Gail Serota Award for Civic Service. The inaugural award, which was presented to Aisha Chebbi at the recent Princeton Prize Reception, recognizes a South Florida high school student for his or her achievements in civic service.

A representative of the Office of Miami-Dade Commission Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson presented Chebbi with the award during the Princeton Prize Reception on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 in Miami. Chebbi is a junior at Coral Reef Senior High School’s International Baccalaureate program. She was lauded for her work spearheading Interfaith Youth Miami, her contributions to Miami-Dade County’s “Student Voices,” a group aimed at combating prejudice and bullying, and her leadership as president of the Muslim Student Union.

The Gail Serota Award for Civic Service was created to honor the many contributions Serota made to the community throughout her life. Serota was not only an accomplished scholar and attorney, but a dedicated member of the community who was elected to the Pinecrest Village Council.  She served as the vice mayor along with a number of other leadership roles.  She was also a Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Princeton University.

“I could not think of a more fitting way to honor my wife and her legacy,” said Joseph Serota, Gail Serota’s husband and founding member at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman. “She was devoted to serving our community through a variety of organizations, and to have our alma mater, the place where we first met, honor her in this special way is important to me. Aisha is a great example of what our young leaders are capable of achieving while still in high school. I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the future.”

Gail and Joseph Serota met during their undergraduate studies at Princeton. They later both studied law at the University of Miami. They married in 1980. 

The Princeton Prize, awarded along with the Gail Serota Award, recognizes the efforts of secondary school students to improve racial relations in our community. 

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About Weiss Serota Helfman Cole &Bierman, P.L.:

Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L. is a prominent South Florida law firm serving corporate, governmental and individual clients with an integrated array of professional services including commercial litigation, land-use and real estate law, construction law, labor and employment law, government law and governmental relations. The firm has offices in Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. For more information, visit www.wsh-law.com.

Robert Friedman