Barry Law Alumnus Continues His Passion for Helping Others and Giving Back to the School
Collins DelPercio has a long history of professional service in the community and loyalty to Barry University. He specializes in personal injury cases with the Leeder Law firm in South Florida, which was founded by Thomas Leeder, another Barry Law alumnus. In addition to maintaining a successful private practice, DelPercio serves as the current Barry University School of Law Alumni Chapter President.
DelPercio, a 2017 graduate of the School of Law, began his community-oriented career working as a teacher. Trained as an assistant principal, he was frequently involved with educational law, policies and procedures. Title mandates in the public education system ensure that schools are governed by rules following the letter of the law, and this sparked and encouraged DelPercio’s interest in attending law school. He described his experience as “hands on with the law,” leading him eventually to pursue a fulltime career as an attorney.
DelPercio says, “I decided to attend Barry Law after I went for an orientation and I felt like it was a home for me. I loved the location in Central Florida, and I felt a real connection to the students when I met with Dean Diaz, Professor Ngov and Professor O’Gorman at that very first orientation. They really cared about my trajectory. It felt like home, like family.”
While in law school, DelPercio participated in many extracurricular activities, serving as a member of the Barry Criminal Law Society and the Trial Team and as Vice President of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Now, as a practicing attorney, he continues that enthusiasm as the Barry Law Alumni Chapter President.
DelPercio encourages his fellow alumni to join in, connect and reach out. “There are many of us and so many different paths we have taken,” he says. “Joining together, looking out for one another, voting for each other when we run for elected office, and most importantly, staying in contact with each other are the best ways to support each other.” He hopes to further enhance the reputation of Barry Law by making others aware of the excellence and depth of talent of its alumni. In fact, DelPercio believes it’s important to “reach out beyond the law school and come together as a team to represent all of Barry University moving forward, even in these difficult times.”