Spring ’24 Alumna Among Highest July FL Bar Scorers
For spring 2024 alumna Emily Van Den Langenberg, pursuing a J.D. – one from Stetson Law, in particular – was a no-brainer. Her father, Paul Cavonis, and brother, Michael Cavonis, are 1994 and 2022 alumni, respectively.
“Our family feels Stetson Law is an excellent program, and none of us applied to or even considered applying anywhere else,” she said.
Not as much of a no-brainer? Passing the Florida bar exam, despite her extensive bar preparation work, studying previously released exam questions, and booking a hotel room near the test venue to avoid morning-of traffic.
“I was scared,” she said. “I understood that no J.D. is owed a law license and that all my carefully laid life plans were contingent upon my performance over the next two days.”
The study and preparation, paired with a quality relaxation session just before the exam, paid off. Van Den Langenberg did not just pass the exam; she did so with one of the highest July Florida bar exam scores in the state. As part of this honor, she was invited to speak at the Second District Court of Appeals Induction Ceremony at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center and was recognized at the Florida Supreme Court during their October 16 induction ceremony.
Aquatic scenes to ease the tension
The day before Van Den Langenberg was to sit for the exam, her husband Mark – who had received his Doctor of Nursing Practice in Anesthesia from the University of South Florida days before she graduated from Stetson Law – came up with a great way to help her relax. After checking into the testing venue, the Tampa Convention Center, they spent the morning at the nearby Florida Aquarium observing its resident sea creatures in their mesmerizing habitats.
An animal lover (the couple has two rescue dogs, Boston and Pete) with a passion for exploring natural landscapes, Van Den Langenberg found it to be the perfect setting for destressing ahead of one of the biggest career challenges yet. “We got there when it opened and took our time relaxing in front of the big aquarium tanks,” she said. “It was cathartic, and I recommend anyone take the day before the test to do whatever they find serene.”
A shared triumph
Van Den Langenberg has been working in a support role at her father’s practice, DeLoach, Hofstra and Cavonis P.A., since she was a teenager. On the day the bar exam results were released on the Florida Supreme Court website, she sat in her office refreshing the page for an hour until she could see if she passed.
“When I saw ‘pass, pass, pass, yes,’ I ran into my dad’s office, and we both cried happy tears,” she said. “Later that day, I took the Oath of Attorney in front of the coworkers I have known since childhood. It was very special.”
She is now a civil litigation attorney at DeLoach, Hofstra and Cavonis P.A. Her areas of practice are construction litigation, will contests, and personal injury. She said she hopes to help the firm develop a new area in which she can help fellow residents of her native Pinellas County.
“My ultimate goal is to open the family law practice at DeLoach, Hofstra and Cavonis P.A. and to have a few kids along the way!” she said.
Post date: Oct. 18, 2024
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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