Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson Law's award-winning Moot Court Team in Boca Raton. (L-R): Professor Stephanie Vaughan, students Megan Fossen, Sandra Harrell and Erik Hanson and alumna team coach Aleks Jagiella. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson University College of Law’s Moot Court Team won all three top awards at the Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition in Boca Raton, Fla., June 23-26. In addition to being named Overall Best Team, Stetson won the Best Brief and Best Oralist awards.
Stetson students Megan Fossen, Erik Hanson and Sandra Harrell defeated a team from St. Thomas University School of Law in the finals. Hanson, a part-time law student at Stetson who also works full-time, was named best oralist in the final round. All seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court judged the final round.
“This is the first time in our memory that Stetson has taken home all three top honors with best team, best brief and best oralist in this competition,” said Professor Stephanie Vaughan, Stetson’s moot court advisor. “We could not be more proud of our students’ skills as legal writers and advocates.”
The competition included teams from all 11 Florida law schools and was sponsored by the Florida Bar Young Lawyers’ Division. Stetson alumna Aleks Jagiella ’06 coached the award-winning team.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson University College of Law will offer two information sessions in August for potential part-time law students. The sessions are designed to provide prospective students with all the information they need to know before applying to law school. Attendees are encouraged to R.S.V.P. for one of the sessions in either Tampa or Gulfport.
• Aug. 5 in classrooms 135 and 136 at the Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.
• Aug. 26 in the Great Hall at the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S.
Both programs will start at 6:30 p.m. Registration begins at 6:15 p.m.
“The part time law program allows me to balance the study of law with the time I spend at my job or with my children,” said student John Kinsella.
“Our part-time law students bring a breadth of real-life experience to the class,” said Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Laura Zuppo. “We are excited about welcoming the next diverse group in the fall.”
Stetson Law enrolls new part-time evening students in the fall of every year. The information sessions will provide an overview of law school admission and financial aid, law school curriculum, legal careers, and insights from part-time law students.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
A total of 238 Stetson University College of Law alumni were recognized in this year’s Florida Super Lawyers ® list, and 134 alumni were listed in the 2010 Florida Rising Stars ® list. Super Lawyers is a list of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas and Rising Stars is a list of the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state —those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less.
Stetson alumnus Christian D. Searcy ’73 was listed on the Florida Super Lawyers top 10 list.
Stetson graduates Stephen D. Busey ’69, Robert S. Freedman ’90, Mark A. Hanley ’80, Luis Prats ’81, Robert J. Sniffen ’93 and Alton C. Ward ’82 joined Searcy on the top 100 list for Florida. The six Stetson alumni were also on the top 50 list for North Florida.
Stetson alumnae Caroline K. Black ’84, Lorena Hart Ludovici ’89, Marian P. McCulloch ’79 and Denise L. Wheeler ’94 were mentioned in the top 50 women list for Florida, and on the top 25 women list for North Florida.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Forrest Bass, 2010 Burton Award winner and 2009 Stetson Law graduate. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson University College of Law graduate Forrest Bass ’09 recently received a Burton Award for student legal writing. This national award, presented on June 14 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., was given to only 15 recent law graduates nationwide.
Bass was honored for his article “Calming the Storm: Public Access to Florida’s Beaches in the Wake of Hurricane-Related Sand Loss,” which was published in the Stetson Law Review‘s spring 2009 issue. Bass also received the St. Petersburg Times Award for his writing on the Stetson Law Review.
On June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case Mr. Bass analyzed. Bass now practices estate planning and tax law with the Punta Gorda law firm of Farr, Farr, Emerich, Hackett & Carr P.A.
The Burton awards, which were created by attorney and author William C. Burton of New York City, recognize achievements in legal writing, legal practice, and public service. Others honored at the 2010 ceremony included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, CNN senior legal correspondent Jeffrey Toobin, and Bryan Garner, editor in chief of Black’s Law Dictionary and the May 2010 commencement speaker at Stetson University College of Law.
Stetson, which has been honored with six Burton Awards over the past 10 years, is ranked third in the nation for legal writing by U.S. News & World Report.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law has been selected to receive the 2010 August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science Award in the category of Innovation in Forensic Technology.
The National Clearinghouse was selected for outstanding achievements on behalf of the law enforcement profession by the International Association of Chiefs of Police Forensic Committee. The award will be presented on Oct. 24 at the IACP’s 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Stetson’s National Clearinghouse provides a unique online resource that concentrates on the nexus of science, technology and the law, educating and sharing information with scientists, legal professionals, law enforcement, academics and the public. Its forensic research database provides more than 100,000 resources about forensic science and technology, the law of scientific evidence and expert witnesses.
To learn more about Stetson’s National Clearinghouse, visit http://www.ncstl.org or call 727-562-7316.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Professor Luz Nagle. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson University College of Law Professor Luz Nagle has been appointed to the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division Council for a four-year term starting in January 2011.
“I feel honored to have been selected for this important appointment,” Nagle said. “As a member of council, I am thrilled to have an opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading legal organizations.”
Nagle, an expert in international law and international criminal law who has been published in English and Spanish on four continents, began her legal career in Colombia, where she was a judge in MedellÃn fighting drug lords. At Stetson, she teaches International Law, International Criminal Law, Transborder Criminal Law, National Security, and an Advanced Seminar on Terrorism and Global Security. Deeply involved in the global fight against human trafficking and modern day slavery, Nagle was honored with the 2009 Freedom Award given by the Florida Coalition against Human Trafficking.
The IBA, with a membership of more than 40,000 lawyers and 197 bar associations and law societies, spans every continent. It influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
Nagle will attend her first meeting as an entering council member in the fall.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
L-R): Stetson Law Vice President and Dean Darby Dickerson, University of New Mexico School of Law Professor and Associate Dean Barbara Bergman, and Stetson Law Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles Rose III. Click for high-resolution image.
On May 26, Stetson University College of Law presented its Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Advocacy to Barbara Bergman, professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico School of Law. The award was presented during Stetson’s third annual teaching advocacy skills program in Gulfport.
“Dean Bergman personifies excellence in teaching advocacy,” said Stetson advocacy center director Professor Charles H. Rose III. “Her accomplishments as a trial lawyer, as a champion of others, and as both a lifelong student and teacher of advocacy place her in the forefront of all that is noble about our profession. She honored us by accepting the lifetime achievement award.”
A past-president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Bergman has been a member of the University of New Mexico law faculty since 1987. Her expansive legal career includes working as a criminal defense lawyer, employment law attorney, and as associate counsel to former President Jimmy Carter. Bergman also worked on the defense team in the State of Oklahoma v. Terry Nichols, a state death penalty case in which Nichols was prosecuted for conspiracy and murder in connection with the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.
Bergman is the co-author of Wharton’s Criminal Evidence, 15th edition, and The Every Trial Criminal Defense Resource Book and is the editor of the fourth edition of the Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia.
For the past three years, Stetson’s Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills program has provided attendees with opportunities to hone their skills in the fine art of persuasion and communication while learning the Stetson method of teaching and practicing advocacy.
Stetson is again ranked #1 in trial advocacy this year by the U.S. News & World Report, and enjoys a winning legacy in mock trial, alternative dispute resolution and moot court competitions.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Edwin Boyer, 1977 Stetson Law J.D. Click for high-resolution image.
Three Stetson University College of Law graduates were elected to leadership positions at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys during its annual meeting in May.
Edwin Boyer became NAELA’s president-elect on June 1. He becomes president of the organization on June 1, 2011. Boyer is a 1977 graduate of Stetson Law, where he serves as an adjunct professor. He is a partner in the firm of Boyer and Jackson, which specializes in elder law with an emphasis on guardianship, estate planning and administration, advance directives, end of life issues, nursing home resident’s rights, and elder exploitation.
Catherine Seal and Amos Goodall were sworn in as members of the NAELA board of directors. In 2008, Seal earned Stetson’s first LL.M. degree in elder law. She is a senior partner in the Colorado firm of Kirtland & Seal, specializing in elder law, estate planning, and probate and real estate law. Seal authored “Colorado Elder Law” in the Thomson-West Colorado Practice Series. The National Elder Law Foundation certified her as an elder law attorney in 2003, and she received a graduate certificate in gerontology in 2004.
Catherine Seal, 2008 Stetson LL.M. in Elder Law. Click for high-resolution image.
Amos Goodall is president and partner of the law firm of Goodall & Yurchak PC in State College, Penn. His practice emphasizes elder law matters, business organization, litigation and planning as well as real estate litigation. He was certified as an elder law attorney in 2000 and earned his LL.M. degree in elder law from Stetson in 2009. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. His community service awards include the Pennsylvania Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award, Centre County Youth Service Bureau R. Paul Campbell Award, IOLTA Board Recognition Award, and the Clearwater Conservancy Award for Thompson Wood Project.
Amos Goodall, 2009 Stetson LL.M. in Elder Law. Click for high-resolution image.
Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
727-562-7889 [email protected]
Professor Charles H. Rose III. Click for high-resolution image.
Professor Charles H. Rose III has been named Stetson University College of Law’s first Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy.
Stetson alumni S. Sammy Cacciatore, Jr., B.A., J.D. ’66 and Michael C. Maher, J.D. ’65funded the endowed position to honor retired Professor William McKinley Smiley, Jr., who taught for 38 years at Stetson Law, founded the Society of Trial Advocacy and coached many of Stetson’s trial advocacy teams to victory.
Rose, who received tenure in 2009, directs Stetson Law’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy. He joined Stetson’s faculty after retiring from the U.S. Army in December of 2004.
Since joining Stetson, Rose has written Fundamental Trial Advocacy and co-authored the well-received Military Crimes & Defenses and Fundamental Pretrial Advocacy. He recently worked with professors Christopher B. Mueller and Laird C. Kirkpatrick on one of the premier evidentiary hornbooks, Evidence: Practice Under the Rules, Third Edition. A 2008 co-recipient of the Florida Bar’s Professionalism Award given to law school faculty, Rose has also been recognized by Stetson with university awards for both teaching and scholarship.
Rose primarily researches in the areas of advocacy, evidence, professional responsibility and criminal procedure. He is a noted commentator who has appeared in national print and broadcast news discussing a variety of legal issues. Rose is a graduate of Indiana University at South Bend and the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Lieutenant Commander Brendan Burke '05. Photo courtesy of Burke. Click for high-resolution image.
Two Stetson graduates are serving as command judge advocates on the U.S. Navy’s largest ships.
When Lieutenant Commander Brendan Burke ’05 was selected for the Navy’s Law Education Program, he knew the privilege came with a six-year commitment to continue his military service. Then a Navy Lieutenant, Burke had already spent four years flying Seahawk helicopters when he was selected for the program that brought him to Stetson University College of Law. Five years after graduating, Burke is now a command judge advocate stationed on one of the most powerful warships in the world, the USS George H.W. Bush. The ship, a 1,092-foot Navy aircraft carrier, is stationed on the east coast of the U.S.
Lieutenant Commander Davin Rieke '99. Photo courtesy of Rieke. Click for high-resolution image.
At Stetson, Burke concentrated in advocacy and served as editor in chief of the Stetson Law Review. He met his wife Karin, also a graduate, while at Stetson. After graduating in 2005, Burke completed Naval Justice School and progressed through a variety of positions: heading the legal assistance department in Jacksonville, Fla., supervising 10 lawyers in three states and the Caribbean as senior defense counsel, and serving as command judge advocate to the U.S. Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
“Within my first days as a Navy judge advocate, I was counseling individual clients with complicated family law and consumer law issues, and drafting estate plans for million-dollar-plus estates,” Burke explained. “Within my first year, I was lead defense counsel for felony-level criminal cases. The practical training at Stetson gave me not just the competence, but more importantly the confidence to effectively represent my client’s interests as a brand-new lawyer.”
In August 2009, Burke joined the USS George H.W. Bush. On board the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Burke is the primary legal adviser to the commanding officer, practicing many different types of law, from military law and admiralty to environmental law and the law of the sea.
Lieutenant Commander Davin Rieke JD ’99 MBA ’99 is stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln on the west coast of the U.S. “The best thing about this job, aside from not having to figure out what to wear every day, is the variety of issues that come up,” Rieke shared. “On any given day, I will need to advise on military criminal law and procedure, civilian criminal law and procedure, environmental law, use of force rules, ethics and administrative regulations, and/or admiralty law.”
Rieke said his average day on board the ship lasts from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and is filled with Navy exercises, meetings, battle drills, flight operations and briefings in addition to legal work. Rieke advises the ship’s commanding officer and executive officer, manages a staff of seven, and handles investigations into misconduct, claims for and against the Navy, and congressional inquiries. He also manages the trial and nonjudicial punishment dockets, administrative separation procedures, and works with NCIS on criminal investigations.
Rieke said that taking trial advocacy at Stetson and interning for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, under the direction of a retired Army JAG, fostered a love for practicing law. Rieke also did an internship with a federal judge and took a wide range of classes at Stetson. He said the breadth of the education and experience helped him thrive as a Navy JAG, a role he said he relishes.
Rieke shared his appreciation for military leadership. “If there is one unique thing about the military, it is the accountability of its leaders. No matter what happens, no matter where, there is always one man or woman who bears responsibility,” Rieke said. “This is one of the reasons why being an officer is such a great profession. A clear line of responsibility and accountability not only inspires, but requires and demands good leadership.”
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Front row (L-R): Nicholas Popp and Monique Hannah Baros, back row (L-R): Joseph Rugg, Vitauts Gulbis, David Doney '91, Dean Darby Dickerson, Associate Dean Clark Furlow. Click for high-resolution image.
The Akerman Senterfitt law firm has honored two Stetson University College of Law students with the new Corporate Law Award.
Students Monique Hannah Baros and Nicholas G. Popp received their awards on April 26 in Tampa for having the highest grades in Stetson’s Delaware Influence on Corporate Law course, taught by associate dean and professor Clark Furlow and the Honorable Andrew G.T. Moore, a retired justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Akerman Senterfitt created the award to recognize students who have excelled in an advanced corporate law course.
While on the bench, Justice Moore, who serves as a Distinguished Professorial Lecturer at Stetson, authored many notable corporate-law opinions, including Unocal Corp. v. Mesa Petroleum Co. and Revlon, Inc. v. MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., which are considered to be among the 10 most important cases in the last 100 years. He has been described as one of the most influential persons in corporate law during the 20th century.
Before joining Stetson’s faculty, Furlow practiced corporate law and argued many cases in the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery.
With more than 500 attorneys and government affairs professionals, Akerman Senterfitt is one of the largest firms in Florida and is ranked among the top 100 firms in the U.S. by The National Law Journal in 2009. The firm practices in the areas of antitrust, banking and finance, bankruptcy, construction, corporate, labor and employment, healthcare, immigration, insurance, commercial litigation, real estate, tax and transportation. It is ranked number one by Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A in Florida and recognized by The Legal 500 within the National-Middle Market category.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Two Stetson University College of Law professors are surveying thousands of people in an attempt to help pinpoint the leading causes of bankruptcy among older Americans.
Approximately 3,000 people aged 60 or older who filed for bankruptcy in Florida recently received a two-page voluntary survey and letter requesting their participation. The surveys are due next week, and results are expected in late May.
Professors Theresa Pulley Radwan and Boston Asset Management Chair Rebecca Morgan, who directs the Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson, are conducting the study, which could help determine if bankruptcy laws should be changed to protect older Americans.
“Ultimately, we may want to propose changes to the laws regarding bankruptcy for older Americans, and provide their attorneys with additional information to help their older clients avoid bankruptcy,” said Radwan, who is a bankruptcy-law expert.
Credit-card debt, home-insurance costs, medical bills, job loss and mortgage payments are among the reasons surveyed for filing bankruptcy.
“Learning more about the financial situation of this age group and the role that medical debt plays in their financial situation will help when planning for the long term,” said Morgan.
The results of the survey will also be published in an academic article. Information shared by participants will remain anonymous.
For more information, contact Professor Radwan at (727) 562-7361 or [email protected].
