News Archives - Page 104 of 138

Justice Thomas Visits Stetson Law

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas addresses students at Stetson Law on Feb. 2. Click for high-resolution image.

On Feb. 2., U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas visited to talk with a crowd of students gathered in the Great Hall at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.

Justice Thomas talked about the importance of the law and of the courts and then engaged in a lively topical discussion with students.

“It’s a humbling job,” Justice Thomas said of his role on the Supreme Court.

“Do not give up,” he urged the law students gathered to hear him talk on Tuesday morning. He said of his own experience as a law student, “One day, years later, everything clicked.”

(L-R): Justice Clarence Thomas with President Wendy Libby and Dean Darby Dickerson. Click for high-resolution image.

Born in the tiny impoverished town of Pin Point, Ga., Justice Thomas grew up in Savannah, Ga., and ultimately graduated with a law degree from Yale.

From 1981-1982, Justice Thomas served as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Dept. of Education and from 1982-1990, was chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

He served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals before being nominated to fill a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

“You have to be honest, conscientious and thorough,” Justice Thomas said of being a good lawyer.

	Watch Video – 1 min: 59 sec

In 2007, My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir, was published about Justice Thomas. The book spans Thomas’s life from early childhood through the present, focusing on his upbringing, struggles against racism, intellectual evolution, self-reliance and conviction, and ultimate confirmation to the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas succeeds Thurgood Marshall as only the second African-American to serve on the high court. His book was number one on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list.

»» View more pictures on Flickr

Chief Justices Share Wisdom, Elder Law Attorney Honored

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

State Supreme Court Justices Holder, Hunstein and Quince at Stetson Law's Inns of Court. Click for high-resolution image.

Three female state Supreme Court justices shared their wisdom with Stetson University College of Law students preparing to enter the field of law at the annual Inns of Court Banquet and Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture on Jan. 25 in St. Petersburg. Elder law attorney Edwin M. Boyer JD ’77 was presented with this year’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award.

Chief Justice Janice Holder of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Chief Justice Carol Hunstein JD ’76 of the Supreme Court of Georgia, and Chief Justice Peggy Quince of the Florida Supreme Court addressed a crowd of students and faculty at Stetson’s banquet and lecture. Justice Quince received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Stetson in 1999.

Wm. Reece Smith Jr. with Edwin M. Boyer. Click for high-resolution image.

Each of the justices offered students in the audience career advice. “Don’t let anyone define who you are or what you can or cannot do,” said Justice Holder.Justice Hunstein advised, “Be proud of who you are and what you do. Keep true to yourself.” Each of the justices spoke of the need to provide additional financial support to the judicial branch of the government to help keep pace with the country’s current economic condition.

Boyer, this year’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award winner, serves on the Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary’s Advisory Council on Adult Protective Services and is a fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Boyer helps educate guardians and caregivers who work with seniors, speaks frequently to community organizations about aging issues, and works to promote public policy protecting our state and nation’s vulnerable aging population.

L-R: Justice Holder, Justice Hunstein, Edwin Boyer, Wm. Reece Smith Jr. and Justice Quince. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson established the prestigious public service award in 1990 for Wm. Reece Smith Jr., past president of the International, American and Florida Bar Associations and the subject of a new book, A Consummate Lawyer, by Stetson Professor of Law Emeritus Michael I. Swygert. Smith’s relationship with Stetson began in the 1950s, and he has been a distinguished professorial lecturer at the law school since 1991, becoming a member of the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Annual Inns of Court is an adopted Stetson tradition that brings together prominent lawyers, experienced teachers and law students to exchange ideas, experiences and education. The original Inns of Court has its roots in England.

Wm. Reece Smith Jr.: A Consummate Lawyer

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Professor William Reece Smith Jr. is a distinguished professorial lecturer at Stetson University College of Law. Click for high-resolution image.

A Consummate Lawyer, a new biography by Stetson University College of Law Professor Emeritus Michael Swygert, chronicles the life of legendary Florida lawyer William Reece Smith Jr. from childhood to present-day, describing the character traits and talents needed to be a respected lawyer and community leader along the way.

The book details how Smith, now in his 60th year in the legal profession, continues to be a consummate lawyer, embodying the legal profession’s highest virtues and traditions of service. As former president of numerous organizations including Florida Legal Services Inc., the Hillsborough Bar, Florida Bar, American Bar and International Bar Associations, Smith has worked tirelessly to increase the legal services available to people who cannot afford them.

“By his conspicuous example, he has taught our profession that the practice of law is more than the billable hour, more than a means to wealth –it is a means of gaining great satisfaction is using the privilege we have to practice law to help those in need have access to the legal system,” said Sylvia Hardaway Walbolt, a colleague and attorney at Carlton Fields in Tampa, Fla.

Smith has engaged in both trial and appellate practice throughout his notable career, arguing cases at every level of the state and federal systems, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been city attorney of Tampa, chair and trustee of numerous colleges and universities, interim president of the University of South Florida, and board member of countless religious, charitable, civic and professional organizations throughout a lifetime of service to the community and to the legal profession. Smith remains a dedicated advocate and educator today, serving as a distinguished professorial lecturer at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, where he has taught courses for decades. His service to Stetson Law began in the 1950s.

To learn more about or to order A Consummate Lawyer, please visit Carolina Academic Press.

Dean Darby Dickerson Receives Multiple Honors

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Stetson University College of Law Dean Darby Dickerson. Click for high-resolution image.

On Jan. 13, Chief Judge Manuel Menendez, Jr. of Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit presented Dean Darby Dickerson of Stetson University College of Law with the prestigious 2009 Chief Judge’s Award. Dean Dickerson received the award for her outstanding efforts and commitment to the court and in recognition of Stetson Law’s contribution to the legal community.

“I was extremely honored to receive this award,” said Dean Dickerson. “We are proud to partner with the court on a variety of projects that serve the legal profession and improve our community.”

In addition, at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools in New Orleans, Dean Dickerson was elected by her peers to serve on the Executive Committees of both the Deans Section and the Section on Part-time Division Programs. The Deans Section includes law deans of ABA-approved law schools from across the country. The Section on Part-time Division Programs, of which Dean Dickerson was a founding member, focuses on issues unique to law schools with both full-time and part-time J.D. programs.

Stetson Law added a part-time J.D. program in 2002. This program, in which students take classes at the law school’s Tampa and Gulfport campuses in the evening, is now ranked 16th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

Bankruptcy Seminar, March 4-6

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Stetson University College of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute are partnering for the first time to present the 34th Annual Judge Alexander L. Paskay Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Practice March 4-6, in Tampa, Fla.

Register now to attend the continuing legal education seminar, offering plenary sessions and workshops on cutting-edge topics in bankruptcy law led by a national faculty of practitioners and a dozen U.S. bankruptcy judges.

“In the past 33 years, I conducted my bankruptcy seminar primarily geared towards practitioners in my court and the bankruptcy courts in the state of Florida,” said seminar chair and namesake Judge Alexander Paskay. “The partnership with the American Bankruptcy Institute substantially enhances the scope and quality of this already preeminent bankruptcy conference,” said Judge Paskay, a founding member of the board of directors of the ABI.

The ABI, which sponsors programs with top law schools, has become the most prominent educational institute devoted entirely to the practice of bankruptcy in the nation, with more than 12,000 members.

“The American Bankruptcy Institute is honored to be a part of the rich tradition of the Judge Paskay seminar,” said Samuel J. Gerdano, executive director of the ABI. “Partnering with Stetson University College of Law assures that we can deliver an excellent program on the timeliest developments in consumer and business bankruptcy.”

Accommodations for seminar attendees are available at the Hyatt Regency, a first-rate conference hotel in Tampa. The seminar includes optional events for networking and business development, including a golf outing and/or a New York Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays spring training game, and a break-out Nuts & Bolts Program on fundamentals for new professionals in the field.

To register, visit Stetson University College of Law’s Conferences and Events page online and click Register Online.

For more information, contact the American Bankruptcy Institute at 703-739-0800 or Stetson University College of Law’s Office of Conferences & Events at 727-562-7312.

Students Accumulate 7 Advocacy Wins

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

This fall, student advocates at Stetson University College of Law won seven major advocacy competitions.

“These students represent our continuing commitment to excellence in all phases of teaching the law, skill and art of persuasion,”said Professor Charles H. Rose III, who directs Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy.

Two Stetson teams returned home as champions of the ABA Law Student Division Regional Arbitration Competition at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 22.

Two Stetson teams also won coast-to-coast victories on the same day. One team won the eighth annual National Civil Trial Competition in California, while the other was named best team at the Navy JAG Corps National Moot Court Competition in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov.14.

Earlier in the semester, Stetson faced challengers from around the globe to win the John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law, in Chicago. Stetson’s Moot Court team also won the inaugural Veterans Law Appellate Advocacy Competition in Washington, D.C., and took both first and second place in the E. Earl Zehmer Workers’ Compensation Moot Court Competition in Orlando, Fla.

“These students are the living embodiment of Stetson’s commitment to creating ethical, competent and professional advocates,” said Professor Rose.

Stetson students also swept best advocate awards in the first, second, third and semifinal rounds of the 19th Annual Cathy Bennett National Criminal Trial Competition.

For more information about Stetson Law’s award-winning, top-ranked advocacy program, visit the Advocacy Center at http://www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stephanie A. Vaughan Promoted to Full Professor

During Stetson University College of Law’s fall Honors and Awards ceremony, Stephanie A. Vaughan was promoted to a full professor and was recognized for her numerous contributions during a robing presentation. Professor Vaughan has served at Stetson Law for the past 14 years.

Social Justice Roundtable

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Alan Crotzer joins Professors Judith Scully and Roberta Flowers at the Studio@620 in St. Petersburg for a Social Justice Roundtable Monday night. Click for high-resolution image.

On Monday evening, Dec. 14, Stetson’s Innocence Project co-coordinators Professor Roberta Flowers and Professor Judith Scully joined Alan Crotzer, a St. Petersburg man exonerated of crimes through the help of the Innocence Project of Florida, for a Social Justice Roundtable about Justice Delayed, But Not Denied. Part-time law student Alizza Punzalan-Hall introduced and moderated the program at The Studio@620 in downtown St. Petersburg.

“The Social Justice Roundtables offer Stetson Law faculty and students a unique and very important opportunity to be actively engaged in a community-wide interdisciplinary dialogue on social justice topics which involve the relationship between law, the role of community organizations, and direct social action initiatives in the greater St. Petersburg area,” said Professor Robert Bickel, who teaches a Civil Rights Seminar at Stetson.

A crowd gathers at the Studio@620 in St. Petersburg to hear panelists discuss "Justice Delayed But Not Denied." Click for high-resolution image.

This fall, under the guidance of professors Flowers and Scully, several Stetson University College of Law students began volunteering with attorneys in collaboration with the Innocence Project of Florida.

The Social Justice Roundtable series at The Studio@620 is co-sponsored by Eckerd College; Stetson University College of Law; and the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg.

Learn more about The Studio@620 by visiting http://www.studio620.org/620/. Learn more about the Innocence Project of Florida by visiting http://floridainnocence.org/index.php.

Stetson Law Student Advocates Win Six Fall Competitions

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Student advocates at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., won six competitions this semester, including an international moot court competition.

“This fall, our students have won major competitions in every field of advocacy,” said Professor Charles H. Rose III, the director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy.

Two Stetson teams recently won dual regional championships at the ABA Law Student Division Regional Arbitration Competition held at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 22.

Stetson teams also came home as champions from the eighth annual National Civil Trial Competition in California and the inaugural Navy JAG Corps National Moot Court Competition in Florida on Nov. 14.

Earlier this semester, Stetson won the John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law, the Inaugural Veterans Law Appellate Advocacy Competition, and both first and second place in the E. Earl Zehmer Workers’ Compensation Moot Court Competition.

“These students are the living embodiment of Stetson’s commitment to creating ethical, competent and professional advocates,” said Professor Rose. “They represent our continuing commitment to excellence in all phases of teaching the law, skill and art of persuasion.”

Stetson students also won best advocate awards in the first, second, third and semi-final rounds of the 19th Annual Cathy Bennett National Criminal Trial Competition in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 7.

For more information about Stetson Law’s award-winning, top-ranked advocacy program, visit the AdvocacyCenter at http://www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson Law Student Wins Civil Liberties Prize

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

(L-R): Students Katherine Lambrose, award-winning writer Stephen Farkas and Christa Queen-Sutherland. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson Law student Stephen Farkas won the inaugural Civil Liberties Prize for his paper, Bringing Marriage Equality to the United States from Abroad: An Analysis of How Judicial Decisions from Canada Have Helped Achieve Marriage for Some, and Given Hope to Others. The award was presented by The Lambda Legal Society at Stetson University College of Law and the American Civil Liberties Union Pinellas County Chapter on Dec. 3.

“It is wonderful to see the scholarship of Stetson students being recognized in the greater community, and especially important to know that their papers may assist in moving the discussion forward to achieve important civil liberties for all,” said Professor Ellen Podgor, who advises Lambda.

Farkas won $500 and the opportunity to submit his paper for publication in The Torch, the statewide ACLU magazine.

The runners-up for the prize are Stetson Law students Katherine Lambrose for her paper Civil Unions: The Persistence of ‘Separate But Equal’ Doctrine in Gay Politics, and Christa Queen-Sutherland for her paper Genital Mutilation in our own Backyard: The Legal and Medical Ramifications for being Born an Intersexual in a Dualistic (Heterosexual) Society.

Paper topics included gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender legal issues, and preference was given to a focus on civil liberties involving public authorities. Professors Linda Anderson, Bruce Carolan, Ann Piccard and Judith A.M. Scully selected the finalists in this school-wide competition.

Double Victory for Advocates

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Stetson champions L-R (front row): Olivene Harris, Megan Fossen, Nichole Hanscom, Jessica Crown; (back row): Patrick Griffin, Kelly Terwilliger, Anne Dryden and Nicole Rothstein. Click for high-resolution image.

Two teams of student competitors from Stetson University College of Law wrapped up the fall semester as winners, returning as champions from the ABA Law Student Division Regional Arbitration Competition held at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C.

In the final round of the regional competition on Nov. 22, the Stetson Law team of Jessica Crown, Anne Dryden, Megan Fossen and Nicole Rothstein defeated the University of Texas School of Law team. Not to be outdone by their peers, the Stetson Law team of Patrick Griffin, Nichole Hanscom, Olivene Harris and Kelly Terwilliger defeated the Seton Hall University School of Law team. Both Stetson Law teams will now advance to the ABA LSD National Arbitration Competition, which begins on Jan. 22 at Chapman University School of Law in Orange, Calif.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of the competition was the judges constantly telling our teams how professional, ethical and prepared they were,” said Professor Kelly Feeley, who coached Stetson’s winning arbitration teams along with Professor Roberta Flowers.

Ten teams competed from American University Washington College of Law, Charleston School of Law, Emory University School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Seton Hall University School of Law, Stetson Law, University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and William and Mary Law School.

Stetson Law’s arbitration teams combine students from all three competition teams, including representatives from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board, Trial Team and Moot Court Board. Students from Stetson Law won six advocacy competitions this semester, including two national competitions the previous week.

For more information about Stetson Law’s award-winning advocacy program, visit the Advocacy Center at http://www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy/.

Super Lawyers Rankings

Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381
[email protected]

Stetson University College of Law placed 69th out of 180 law schools in the Super Lawyers magazine’s first-ever rankings of the nation’s ABA-approved law schools.

The rankings are based on the number of law school graduates who were selected for the 2009 Super Lawyers list.Super Lawyers polls practicing attorneys and conducts research to determine the top lawyers in each state. This is the first ranking system that focuses on the success of law school graduates.

To learn more about the Super Lawyers law school rankings, visit http://www.superlawyers.com/toplists/lawschools/united-states/2010/.

During Stetson University College of Law’s fall Honors and Awards ceremony, Stephanie A. Vaughan was promoted to a full professor and was recognized for her numerous contributions during a robing presentation. Professor Vaughan has served at Stetson Law for the past 14 years.