Name: Milagros S. Kanyar (Millie)
Age: 56
Family: Married for 31 years to Stephen Kanyar, mother of two, Diana Galavis and Stephen Kanyar II, and proud grandmother of Stephen Kanyar III.
Pets: Living with two cats, “Vickie and Skipper,” that belong to my mother, and my son’s dog, “Petee.”
Education: Graduated from Little Flower Catholic High in Philadelphia, Pa.; B.A. from Penn State University, State College, Pa.; J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law.
Admitted to the Bar: Sept. 22, 2000, the day after my birthday.
Employed by: Partner at Affinity Law Firm and a broker with Watson Realty Corp.
Field of practice: Real Property is my focus area but our firm is very business-centric and we strive to cover most areas of the law and while we handle civil litigation, we strive to use alternative resolutions to issues.
Professional Organizations: Board of directors for Florida Coastal School of Law Alumni Association, The Jacksonville Bar Association, Hispanic Bar Association, vice president of technology for the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, board of directors for both the National Association of Realtors and the Florida Association of Realtors, FAR Realtor/Attorney Joint Committee, the FAR Public Policy Committee, and vice chair of the FAR Legislative and Regulatory Research Subcommittee and serving as a FAR Disaster Relief Fund Trustee.
Community Involvement: Member of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Council of the chamber. This year I joined a team of attorneys at the Florida Coastal School of Law during Citizenship Day on Saturday.
How did you get involved?
I’m a firm believer in giving back to not only the profession but to our community. I’ve volunteered over the years at many levels and too many to list, but they range from being a member of PTA and SAC committees to Little League mom, coach, league director and even umpire. Our firm hosted a charitable fundraising event for the Children Shrine’s Fund at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium. I joined other fellow alumni and attorneys volunteering at the Citizenship Day 2011 at Florida Coastal School of Law celebrating the 4th Annual Citizenship Day with the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
How can someone else get involved?
Contact Florida Coastal School of Law for information on times and details for future involvement. We were expecting more than 100 immigrants seeking information and direction on Saturday.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
Over the years I’ve learned that in giving back you end up getting more than you realize. It is only when you take a moment to reflect or hear someone else describe the event that you get a glimpse of just what impact our small efforts have on people. It’s fun to see the joy in kids’ faces when you help build a playground they never realized was possible or help build a wheelchair ramp for someone who was basically shut-in without it, or help a family to make their American dream of home ownership come true with your help to build a home. Teamwork and caring make a community grow and a better place. My hat goes off to those who took the time to make a difference in more ways than they probably realized. Keep up the good work!
What was the last book you read or are reading?
Sadly enough, my time is spent with too many trade journals and periodicals these days. However, in an effort to keep up with the social media craze I actually read a book called “Crush It!” by Gary Vaynerchuk. It was short and easy to read and outlined the author’s rise to success as a result of implementing a social-media tool.