Graduating law student John Pilz: Making opportunities for change
John Pilz.
By Brandi Palmer
Third-year Stetson Law student John Pilz is serious about change.
“True change occurs when we utilize every experience as an opportunity to move forward,” said Pilz.
He won an award from the City, County and Local Government Law Section of the Florida Bar on May 11 for his work on local issues. Pilz was honored as the Outstanding Local Government Law School Student by the Florida Bar.
Pilz came to Stetson through the accelerated program with the University of South Florida Honors College. He proposed novel projects as project leader to the Student Green Energy Fund at USF in Tampa, resulting in approximately $3 million in Green Energy Projects, including installation of the largest rooftop solar panel project on campus. He also petitioned student government for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, LED lights for parking garages, and trees to be installed at different locations across USF’s campus.
“The most rewarding project I took part in was in getting funding for the planting of trees at USF Tampa,” said Pilz. “Of all the things I could contribute, trees will last the longest.”
At Stetson Law, Pilz is an officer of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Society and has been active in participating with several green projects for the local community. He was instrumental in promoting the idea of an EV charging station on Stetson’s Gulfport campus to Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.
After law school, Pilz plans to work for Sepideh Eskandari.
“Attorney Eskandari is a very accomplished immigration attorney, my aunt, and the first person to graduate from Stetson Law from my entire family,” said Pilz.
“Besides immigration, I’m also passionate about property law, estate planning and environmental law,” said Pilz. “I love environmental advocacy, and the professors at Stetson really helped my passion grow. Professor Boudreaux is one professor who has made a lasting impact on me, since my first real property law class, and I am very lucky to say I took all the classes I knew he was teaching.”
Pilz is working on a paper for Professor Boudreaux’s class that creates a blueprint for expanding solar installation and EV charging, through bailments and public-private partnerships respectively .
“I can only hope to make a positive difference in the future,” said Pilz, who joins Stetson’s commencement exercises on May 19 in Gulfport.
Post date: May 18, 2018
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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