Tenikka L. Jones
Education:
- J.D., cum laude, University of Miami School of Law, 2004
- B.S., cum laude, Florida State University, 2001
Professor Tenikka L. Jones joined the Nova Southeastern University College of Law faculty in 2024. Professor Jones teaches Legal Research and Writing I and II. Professor Jones is also a member of the Legal Writing Institute and the Association of American Law Schools. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and strongly believes in the importance of giving back to her community. Since 2017, she has volunteered as a mentor with Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program. In addition, she is particularly passionate about helping young people who face challenging circumstances, and she served for several years as an attorney ad litem in juvenile dependency court through Dade County Legal Aid Society's Put Something Back Pro Bono Project.
Prior to joining NSU, Professor Jones worked as a Shareholder at Carlton Fields, P.A., where she offered clients a rare combination of skills by practicing in both the firm's business litigation practice group, and in its commercial real estate finance transactional practice group. As a litigator, she represented clients as lead counsel in state and federal court at all phases of the litigation, from inception through trial, and in post-trial proceedings. Her clients typically included companies, financial institutions, lenders, and servicers. Although her litigation practice focused on prosecuting claims on behalf of her clients and defending claims brought against her clients in litigation cases, she was a problem solver who prioritized her clients business objectives, and amicably resolved disputes utilizing alternative dispute resolution procedures and negotiations when these options made strategic sense. She handled a variety of litigation matters, including contract disputes, fraud, tort, breach of fiduciary duty, legal malpractice, and contested commercial and residential foreclosure proceedings. She also defended clients against lender liability and consumer finance claims brought under various federal and state statutes, including the Truth in Lending Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act. In addition, she counseled clients regarding the regulatory obligations implemented by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and she represented clients in bankruptcy and creditors rights litigation.
In her role as a commercial real estate transactional attorney, she managed commercial real estate transactional matters, and provided strategic guidance and advice to her clients. She ensured that the commercial loan was properly negotiated and documented, and analyzed any title, zoning, and environmental issues involved in the commercial real estate deal. She worked collaboratively with her lender clients to deliver exceptional customer service and to achieve a positive borrower experience from inception of the deal to loan closing and beyond. Her transactional practice involved various asset classes, including office, retail, residential and commercial condominiums, multifamily apartments, hotels, ground leased parcels, and other projects. She also handled leasing and other commercial real estate matters on behalf of her clients. Additionally, during her time at the firm, she co- chaired its Associate Relations Committee.
Professor Jones began her legal career as a staff attorney for Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Pariente (Ret.) during her term as Chief Justice of the Court. In addition, she interned for the late Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander J. Shaw Jr. Both were invaluable opportunities, and she credits these early experiences with helping her develop the skills essential to her decades of successful law practice, most notably her critical reading of case law and statutory law, and her in-depth analysis and resolution of complex legal issues.
Professor Jones is a proud first generation law student and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law (UM Law), where she was a Dean's Honor Scholar. While in law school, she served as an Articles and Comments Editor on UM Law's Inter-American Law Review, and she was the recipient of the Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A. Litigation Skills Academic Achievement Scholarship. Professor Jones earned her B.S. in Criminology with a minor in English, cum laude, from Florida State University, where she made the Dean's List each semester and was a Florida Merit Scholar.
Areas of Interest
- Legal Research and Writing
- Appellate Advocacy
- Real Property Litigation
- Civil Procedure
- Evidence
- Women and the Law