Stetson Law professor honors alumni, law firm for contributing to unique civil rights course at Stetson
Alumni Wil H. Florin JD ’80 and Thomas D. Roebig Jr. JD ’86 have long been supporters of civil rights education and their mentor, Stetson University College of Law Professor Robert Bickel. Since 2006, the Tampa Bay-based Florin Roebig law firm has helped fund a unique course on Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement at Stetson Law. The experiential course provides students with an opportunity to learn about social justice firsthand, traveling each summer to six cities in the south to visit historic sites, museums, institutes and veterans of the Civil Rights Movement.
On July 25, Stetson Law Professor Bickel presented Florin Roebig with a plaque for continuing to support the course at Stetson.
Stetson Law alumni Wil H. Florin JD ’80 and Thomas D. Roebig Jr. JD ’86 accepted the honor from Professor Robert Bickel, a framed article about the course the firm helps fund.
“Social justice is part of employment law,” Florin said in accepting the award. “We deal with clients with discrimination complaints at the law firm on a daily basis.”
He added that supporting social justice is a large part of their firm’s daily work in advocating for employee rights.
“All of the law students we’ve worked with who have taken this course return and say they’ve been personally affected,” Roebig said. He shared that Professor Bickel provided the inspiration he needed to focus on social justice in his legal career.
“All of us deserve common decency, dignity and fair pay,” said Roebig.
“Poverty is one of America’s great challenges,” Professor Bickel said. “When workers are treated unfairly or paid less than a living wage, it cuts to the heart of dignity. The Memphis Sanitation Worker’s Movement and Dr. King’s Poor People’s campaign remind us that our dignity as workers is a part of our dignity as people.”
Stetson Law will be offering a new concentration for law students interested in social justice advocacy starting in the fall. Stetson Law professors Bickel and Judith Scully will oversee the Social Justice Advocacy Certificate of Concentration program for J.D. students.
Post date: Aug. 10, 2012
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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