Campus Life News Archives - Page 26 of 29

Top legal writers: Students are honored with award, publication

Students at Stetson law school have recently distinguished themselves in legal writing with an award and publication.

Stetson students Courtney Chaipel, Courtney Cox and Genesis Matute.

Courtney Chaipel, Courtney Cox and Genesis Matute have all written papers accepted for publication in scholarly and peer-reviewed journals.

Chaipel and Cox co-authored a paper about using film to teach criminal law that has been accepted for publication in the Texas Review of Entertainment and Sports Law.

“Courtney and I made the decision to write about using film to teach criminal law because we have both been involved in community outreach programs throughout law school and were exploring a way to make legal education a bit easier for the layperson,” said Chaipel. Using popular animated films seemed like a unique and effective way to teach criminal law.”

Cox also wrote a law review paper that won a writing competition on international trade, the Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition. The article is being published in the Loyola Consumer Law Review. Stetson Professor of Law Peter Fitzgerald served as the writing adviser on Cox’s paper.

Matute wrote a paper for her elder law seminar class that has been accepted for publication in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Journal. The paper “From the Fairway to the Roadway, Why Golf Cars and Low Speed Vehicles Should not be Given Free Range on Public Roads,” focuses on the implications of the street-legal use of golf cars and low-speed vehicles and the lack of guidance Florida Statutes provide to keep drivers safe.

“I chose this topic because I initially began researching licensing laws here in Florida and how the State of Florida is not as strict as other states when it comes to prohibiting or restricting elderly drivers who should no longer be on the road,” said Matute. “I am passionate about elder law because of my experience caring for my grandmother and my aunt who has special needs.”

Professors Rebecca Morgan and Brooke Bowman advised Matute’s work on the paper.

“Lawyers are, first and foremost, professional writers,” said Dr. Kirsten Davis, director of Stetson’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication. “These projects show a commitment to writing excellence that Stetson encourages its students to have.”

Recognizing excellence: Students, professor recognized by Judge John M. Scheb American Inns of Court

(L-R): Ryan Hedstrom, Juliann Welch, Professor Beane, Kristina Merritt and Daniel Nawara. — (L-R): Ryan Hedstrom, Juliann Welch, Professor Dorothea Beane, Kristina Merritt and Daniel Nawara.

Stetson student Ryan Hedstrom received the Judge John M. Scheb Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award and was recognized along with students Andrew Cerchio, Kristina Merritt, Daniel Nawara, Juliann Welch and Professor of Law Dorothea Beane at the 25th Anniversary Gala of the Judge John M. Scheb American Inns of Court on May 10 in Sarasota.

Hedstrom was presented with a plaque by Robert Scheb J.D.’83, the son of the Inn’s namesake Judge John M. Scheb.

Professor Beane is former academic master of the Inn and co-director of the Institute for Caribbean Law and Policy at Stetson.

Patricia Toups, assistant director of development at Stetson law school, represented Stetson at the gala.

Justice Roderick L. Ireland presents Stetson law school commencement May 14

» Visit Graduation Events for Photo Galleries

Roderick L. Ireland, the first African-American chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, delivered Stetson law school’s commencement address at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, in the Plaza Mayor courtyard on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

Watch the video of Stetson law school’s May 14 commencement:

Justice Roderick L. Ireland delivered Stetson University College of Law’s commencement address.

Justice Ireland described how he began his legal career as a public defender, representing clients who were impoverished and often ignored.

“Please remember: it is your duty to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Justice Ireland told the law students gathered for commencement.

Justice Ireland shared three life lessons with the crowd gathered to hear him talk: be humble, be prepared and make a difference.

When he was appointed an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1997, Ireland became the first African-American to sit on that bench in its over 300-year history. In 2010, Ireland became the Court’s first African-American chief justice. Ireland was one of the four justices who voted in favor of same-sex marriage in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2003), the nation’s very first case in which a state supreme court declared same-sex marriage constitutional.

More than 200 Stetson law school students celebrated commencement, among them:

Brandon Breslow, award-winning trial team and Honors Program member, teaching assistant and Stetson student ambassador who is graduating with a concentration in advocacy;

Hayley Brew, Environmental Law Society vice president, member of the Dispute Resolution Board, Stetson student ambassador and student editor with the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy;

Darnesha Carter, Honors Program and award-winning moot court member, Stetson Law Review editor, 2013-2014 Black Law Students Association member of the year;

Daniel J. Kavanaugh, former police officer, veteran of the U.S. Army, award-winning member of Stetson’s trial team and president of the Student Bar Association who delivered greetings during the ceremony;

Jounice Nealy-Brown, director of communications at the Tampa Bay Times and longtime journalist, Stetson Law Review senior associate and recipient of the Outstanding New Associate Award who is graduating from the part-time J.D. program;

P.J. Nowlan, president of the International Law Society, member of the Dispute Resolution Board and editor of the Journal of International Aging Law and Policy, who is graduating with a J.D. from Stetson in the international law concentration and a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.

Commencement Slideshow

Stetson’s FAWL again named outstanding student chapter

The Florida Association of Women Lawyers named Stetson University College of Law’s FAWL the Outstanding Student Chapter for the second year in a row. Stetson also named FAWL the Student Organization of the Year.

(L-R): Katie Salemi (2015-2016 President) Sadiya Hashem (2015-2016 Treasurer) Chloe Wells (2015-2016 Pro Bono Chair; 2016-2017 president) Courtney Cox (2015-2016 vice-president) Giselle Girones (2015-2016 secretary). — (L-R): Katie Salemi (2015-2016 president), Sadiya Hashem (2015-2016 treasurer), Chloe Wells (2015-2016 pro bono chair and 2016-2017 president), Courtney Cox (2015-2016 vice-president), and Giselle Girones (2015-2016 secretary).

“This year’s executive board has been absolutely outstanding to work with and the board members’ individual and collective commitment to FAWL’s mission is commendable,” said Joann Grages Burnett, associate director in the Office of Career Development and staff adviser for the group. “The board has ensured that our students receive excellent opportunities throughout the semester to partner with lawyers in our area and to give back to our community.”

Stetson’s FAWL recently hosted a panel on human trafficking that was widely attended by local advocates, students, lawyers, local and federal law enforcement officers.

The group has a mentoring program pairing first-year law students with second-year and third-year students. Stetson’s FAWL also partners with the Pinellas Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. Active members attend FAWL events and Pinellas and Hillsborough chapter events, participate in Stetson’s Diversity Week programming, and work with other organizations including the Hispanic Bar Association at Stetson.

Stetson’s FAWL will receive their award for Outstanding Student Chapter at the annual Florida Bar Meeting on June 16.

Student advocates take home multiple accolades this spring

Stetson University College of Law’s student advocacy teams took home multiple accolades during the spring semester.

Student Kasey Feltner tied as the best oralist at the Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship in January in Houston, Texas. This is the second year in a row that a Stetson student has won the best oralist award in this prestigious national championship.

(L-R): Nathan Bruemmer, Dan Kavanaugh, Silvia Amador and Kishantevia Carson.

Stetson’s moot court teams competed over the weekend of March 4-6 to win a regional tournament of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition and win the Best Oralist Award at the South Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. The team of Darnesha Carter, Evan Dix and Jessica Ford was named one of the four co-champions at the regional round of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, earning an invitation to the national finals in April (where the team members were semifinalists). At the South Regional of the Jessup competition, students Lauren Eliopoulos, Anna Kirkpatrick, Nicole Santamaria, Chloe Wells and Julius Matusewicz advanced to the semifinals. For the first time in Stetson history, a Stetson advocate—Eliopoulos—won the Best Oralist Award.

Two of Stetson’s trial teams brought home multiple awards March 17-20. The team of Silvia Amador, Nathan Bruemmer, Kishantevia Carson, and Dan Kavanaugh won the National Ethics Trial Competition at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. The team also won the Most Professional Team Award and Kavanaugh won the Best Advocate, Final Round Award.

Another Stetson trial team of Alexa Cline, Courtney Olivier, Chantay Perry, and Alexis Petrosino advanced to the semifinals and won three individual awards at the American Bar Association National Criminal Justice Trial Competition on March 17-19 in Chicago, Illinois. Petrosino won the Best Opening Statement Award and the Best Direct Examination Award and Olivier won the Best Closing Argument Award.

Stetson’s Vis International Arbitration Moot team, including Jonathan Diamond, Sadiya Hashem, Leon Innerkofler, Taylor Ryan, Brien Squires and Kaelyn Steinkraus won two awards at the 23rd Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria, March 18-24. Stetson won two Honorable Mention Awards—the team won one for the Respondent’s Memorandum and Ryan won one as a Best Oralist. Ryan was in the top 50 of close to 2,000 oralists. Only six of 49 U.S. teams advanced to the top 32 teams, which included Stetson. There were a total of 311 teams competing from 47 countries. The team placed first in the pre-moot in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 27.

Stetson's Vis team took home multiple awards in Vienna. — Stetson’s Vis team took home multiple awards in Vienna.

A Stetson moot court team won the 31st Annual Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Competition on April 2 at Brooklyn Law School in New York. The team of Brittany Cover, Kristina Hartman, and Jeremy Rill won rounds against teams from the University of Florida, Wayne State, Michigan State, Louisiana State, Georgetown and the University of Tennessee. Stetson’s team also won the award for the Best Brief, and Rill was named Best Oralist, Final Round. Thirty-six teams participated in the competition.

“Once again our students have proved that they have developed the practical skills they will need to be attorneys,” said Professor of Legal Skills and Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy Brooke Bowman, moot court advisor at Stetson. “We are proud of our students and Stetson’s continued dedication to preparing our students to be top-notch advocates.”

Stetson’s trial advocacy program is nationally ranked No.1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Since 1980, Stetson’s advocacy teams have won five international competitions, 66 national championships, and close to 200 awards for best briefs (52 awards), best advocate (138 awards), and most professional (five awards).

Stetson Law advocates working to end human trafficking: video honored

A video feature highlighting the work of Stetson University College of Law alumni, faculty and students was honored this spring by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals with an AVA Digital Gold Award in the educational institution category. The video, “Addressing Human Trafficking: Stetson Law Advocates,” features interviews with Stetson Professor of Law Luz Nagle, students Stan Abramenko and Karun Rivero, and alumnae Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi ’90 and Jenay Iurato ’00 working as advocates for the survivors of human trafficking.

Last October, Attorney General Bondi and Iurato presented at the 2015 Human Trafficking Summit at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. In March, Attorney General Bondi hosted the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center. Professor Nagle was a scheduled speaker addressing the international aspects of human trafficking and the impact on Florida’s anti-human trafficking policies.

In November of 2015, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons invited Nagle to join experts from around the world in Amman, Jordan, to assess the impact of armed conflict on making people vulnerable to human trafficking. Professor Nagle currently serves as vice-chair of the IBA President’s Task Force on Human Trafficking and is a member of the IBA Human Rights Institute Council.

Iurato continues to serve human trafficking victims and survivors on a pro bono basis through the West Florida Center for Trafficking Advocacy, Inc. and its executive director Brent A. Woody. Woody and Iurato petition courts for the expunction of criminal history records or vacaturs of convictions for offenses committed under the coercion of a trafficker or within the scheme of human trafficking. In 2016, Iurato further assisted human trafficking advocacy efforts before the Florida legislature and led trainings for law students, lawyers, judges and others regarding trafficking-related legal needs.

Stetson law school’s video production manager Stan Arthur worked with Frank Klim and Brandi Palmer in the communications office to produce and direct the video for Stetson University.

Jewish Law Student Association honored for historical exhibit

Students visited the Florida Holocaust Museum on April 15.

Stetson’s Jewish Law Student Association won program of the year for the “Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany Under the Third Reich” exhibit. The month-long historical exhibit in Stetson’s Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library and a well-attended discussion by professor Ann Piccard was honored at the annual student organization awards ceremony on April 18 on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

“Studying the Holocaust is so important because we all need to learn how an atrocity such as the Holocaust came about, and why it came about,” said Patrick Iyampillai, president of the Jewish Law Student Association. “We all need to learn to stand up and speak out against what is wrong, especially as future lawyers.”

At the suggestion of the Jewish Law Student Association, 17 Stetson law school students joined their faculty host professor Piccard for a private tour of the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg on April 15. The students heard personal recollections from Holocaust survivor Lisl Schick, a long-time member of the museum’s board of directors. After talking with Schick, the students were divided into two smaller groups to tour the museum with specially-selected docents who are also attorneys.

“I cannot thank Professor Ann Piccard enough for her time and generosity in organizing and sponsoring this student trip,” said Iyampillai. “I wanted to attend this group trip with my colleagues not only to visit the Florida Holocaust Museum again, but to help raise awareness that this amazing museum exists right around the corner from our school.”

(Photo caption: Back Row from left to right: Maryann Jaghab, Robert Glenn, Dale Tan, Mary Gantert, Christie Fekany, Ashley Justice, Jazzmine Jenkins, Colin Yoskowitz, Patrick Iyampillai. Front Row from left to right: Mary Heckler, Hannah Carpenter, Alexandra Robertson, Mitchell Levine, Danielle Breiter, Zachary Greenberg.)

Filling a need: Student to help Tampa Bay homeless veterans after graduation

When Cherilyn Hansen graduates from Stetson law school this spring, she will be one step closer to following her passion to serve people in need in the community.

Cherilyn Hansen graduates, starts her work with homeless veterans in the fall. — Cherilyn Hansen starts her work with homeless veterans in the fall.

Hansen shared that her goal in going to law school was always a career in public service and legal aid. Before law school, she worked with labor unions in New York and Washington D.C. and completed a master’s degree in international development. Her roots in the Tampa Bay area, where she attended Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg, drew her to Stetson law school.

At Stetson, Hansen applied for a competitive fellowship through Equal Justice Works. With the help of the EJW fellowship, law students can create a role that does not yet exist and serve a need that is not being met in the community.

Hansen, a student in Stetson’s social justice advocacy concentration, said that her work with Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox in Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic opened her eyes to the need for free legal services for veterans in the area.

“St. Petersburg has the highest number of homeless veterans in the state,” said Hansen. “There are crucially few sources in St. Petersburg providing the free legal services that homeless veterans need,” said Hansen.

She said she was happily surprised that she was selected for the two-year EJW fellowship.

Starting in September, with the help of the fellowship and sponsorship from the Greenberg Traurig, LLP law firm and the Florida Bar Foundation, Hansen will begin assisting homeless veterans with civil matters through Gulfcoast Legal Services back in her hometown of St. Petersburg.

“This is where the work needs to be done–locally,” said Hansen.

She points to the housing first approach that the Bay Pines Veterans Administration takes to put homeless veterans in a home. Hansen said she would ultimately like to set up a medical legal partnership at the Veterans Administration to help veterans obtain disability benefits.

Hansen said that she wants more people to understand the great value in doing legal aid work.

“I recently read a statistic–somewhere close to 70 percent of low income people’s legal needs are not being fulfilled in the community,” said Hansen. “We need to match lawyers who need jobs with people who need lawyers.”

Stetson hosts International Wildlife Law Conference

Stetson University College of Law is hosting the 16th International Wildlife Law Conference on April 13-14 in Gulfport, Florida.

Elizabeth Gitari spoke April 13 at Stetson. Photo by Karun Rivero.

Speakers, students, and attendees from around the world are participating in this year’s conference and will address topics such as hunting, fishing and other impacts on wildlife, as well as connections and collaborations across multilateral environmental agreements.

Download photos from the conference here:

This year’s conference is being held in conjunction with the international finals of the 20th Annual Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition, which brings international student teams to compete on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

Featured conference speakers include:

Marceil Yeater, former chief, legal affairs and trade policy, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Elizabeth Gitari, advocate of the High Court of Kenya and legal affairs manager, WildlifeDirect
Dr. Lawrence E. Killmar, zoo director and senior vice president of animal science and conservation and chief zoological officer, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo
Ryan Tate, co-founder and president of Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife

“One of the things that I would advise young lawyers to do is No. 1 to be passionate and committed because the duty to ensure that Africa and the world’s endangered species endure forever is the duty of every global citizen,” said Gitari. Gitari delivered the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture on April 13 to an audience of law students from around the world.

Elder Consumer Protection Program hosts train the trainer workshop for elder advocates

Tami Lucero of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office for Older Americans in Washington, D.C., spoke at Stetson.

by Brandon Robinson, Elder Consumer Protection Fellow.

Stetson University College of Law’s Elder Consumer Protection Program hosted a Money Smart Train-the-Trainer Workshop on March 29 for elder advocates.

Tami Lucero of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office for Older Americans in Washington, D.C., presented on how to implement the Money Smart Program in communities to raise awareness and prevent the financial exploitation of older adults.

Thirty-two representatives from more than 15 different agencies who serve on the front lines combating elderly fraud, abuse and exploitation attended the workshop. Attendees included representatives from the City of St. Petersburg; Pinellas County Consumer Protection, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office; Largo Police Department; Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas; Florida Seniors vs. Crime Program; Bay Area Legal Services; and Raymond James Financial.

The Money Smart for Older Adults program was developed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in conjunction with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and is designed to provide awareness among older adults and their caregivers on how to prevent elder financial exploitation and encourage advance planning and informed financial decision-making.

The workshop familiarized the attendees with the Money Smart Curriculum, with a particular focus on frauds, scams, and other forms of financial exploitation that frequently target the elderly.

Attendees received valuable training on effective presentation techniques, best practices for presenting the program to older adults and their caregivers, as well as program implementation strategies.

This workshop was offered free of charge as a community service by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Stetson University College of Law.

Illegal wildlife trade subject of Stetson’s April 13 biodiversity lecture

Elizabeth Gitari speaks April 13 at Stetson.

Elizabeth Gitari will speak in the Great Hall at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport on April 13 at 6 p.m. about “Innovations in the Prosecution of Illegal Wildlife Trade.” The event, part of the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Series at Stetson, is free and open to the public. RSVP to [email protected].

Gitari leads efforts to provide legal interventions in Africa in the area of illegal wildlife trade and the conservation of elephants through the HANDS OFF OUR ELEPHANTS campaign. She is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the legal affairs manager at WildlifeDirect.

WATCH the live webcast of the lecture starting at 6 p.m. on April 13 here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/stetson-law

WATCH a video below produced by WildlifeDirect from World Elephant Day 2015.

The Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series brings experts in environmental law and environmental science to Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

Learn more about the Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series and Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at https://www.stetson.edu/law/biodiversity.

Gitari’s lecture kicks off the 16th International Wildlife Law Conference hosted by Stetson April 13-14. Learn more and register at https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/wildlife/index.php.

Student steering bike share on the Gulfport campus

Students in professor Lance Long’s environmental advocacy class organized a bicycle rally with Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson and a two-mile challenge to raise awareness about alternative transportation in 2013. — Students in professor Lance Long’s Environmental Advocacy class organized a bicycle rally with Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson to raise awareness about alternative transportation in 2013. (L-R): Alumna Elise Pautler J.D. ’13 and Professor Long.

Student Miles Archabal is working with Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy and the Environmental Law Society to steer efforts to launch a bike share program for students on the Stetson law school campus in Gulfport.

Archabal began researching the idea of a bike share program as part of a class project for Professor Lance Long’s Environmental Advocacy course. A component of Professor Long’s class is community activism.

Archabal, a student in the environmental law concentration, envisions a bike share program in which bikes would be available for students to check out and ride on or near Stetson Law school’s Gulfport campus.

Stetson University’s historic DeLand campus currently has a Green Bikes bike-sharing program operated and funded by the Stetson Student Government Association.

Archabal is seeking donations of used bikes from the Stetson Law community for student use on the Gulfport campus.

He plans to collect donations during Stetson’s Earth Day celebration sponsored by the Environmental Law Society from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on April 19 in the Plaza Mayor Courtyard in Gulfport.

For more information on how to donate or get involved with the project, email [email protected].