Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Bulgarian delegates visit with Professor Luz Nagle. Click for high-resolution image.
Delegations from Bulgaria, the Middle East, and Mexico visited Stetson’s Gulfport campus over the past month.
International criminal law professor Luz Nagle met with three visitors from Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior on Sept. 29 to discuss combating transborder crime as a threat to national security and the global pandemic of human trafficking. She discussed national security policy and organized crime issues with delegates from the Iraqi military high command and Lebanese defense ministers on Oct. 1. The distinguished visitors met with Nagle as part of a program coordinated by the International Council of the Tampa Bay Region and the United States Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program.
Dean John Cooper and Assistant Director of International Programs Maria Herrera Mellado meet with a delegation from Nueva Leon University Law School in Mexico. Click for high-resolution image.
A group from Nueva Leon University Law School in Mexico visited Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus on Oct. 12. They met with Dean Darby Dickerson and Associate Dean John Cooper and spoke with Stetson Law professors, including Royal Gardner, Nagle, Jeffrey Minneti and Charles Rose. The delegation discussed proposed collaborative ventures with Stetson’s Advocacy Center and International Programs, incorporating trial advocacy into the Nueva Leon curriculum, and establishing a Legal English Diplomate using the Overview of U.S. Law Project materials developed by Stetson professors Ellen S. Podgor and Cooper. The Mexican delegation also toured Stetson’s Tampa Law Center, discussed legal research with Ricardo Camacho in the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law, and met with Stetson students.
Stetson students learn about the Innocence Project Oct. 2. Click for high-resolution image.
Several Stetson University College of Law students are now volunteering with attorneys in collaboration with the Innocence Project of Florida.
“Stetson’s Innocence Project is our attempt to address one of the greatest harms caused by injustice —the harm that is experienced when an individual is not only wrongfully accused, but wrongfully convicted and incarcerated. When innocent individuals are convicted, not only does that one individual suffer, his or her family suffers. The community suffers. In fact, the entire criminal justice system suffers,” said Professor Judith A.M. Scully, who along with Professor Roberta Flowers is helping coordinate the program at Stetson with the Innocence Project of Florida in Tallahassee.
The Innocence Project of Florida has received more than 3,000 requests for assistance since opening its doors in 2003 and has succeeded in seven of the 10 DNA exonerations in the state.
Seth Miller, Innocence Project of Florida, talks with Stetson students about a collaborative effort. Click for high-resolution image.
“We’re working with Stetson to expand the reach of our services,” said Seth Miller, director of Florida’s Innocence Project and former attorney with the American Bar Association Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project. “DNA cases are only about 10% of the cases. Through collaboration, we hope to expand our reach to the other 90% of people out there with viable claims of innocence.”
“Through the Innocence Project, our students will be provided with the opportunity to learn that they are capable of not only making a positive impact on the lives of other human beings, but also taking leadership in assuring that justice is the primary goal ofour criminal legal system,” Professor Scully said. “By helping to identify and free the wrongfully convicted, we become a part of the shining light that says our criminal justice system is not perfect but we can — and will — do better.”
There are more than 70 Innocence Projects around the world. The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. More than 240 people have been exonerated by DNA testing in the United States, including 17 who served time on death row. These people served an average of 12 years in prison before exoneration and release.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Professor Rebecca C. Morgan. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson University College of Law elder law scholar Professor Rebecca C. Morgan has been awarded this year’s prestigious Treat Award for Excellence by the National College of Probate Judges. The award was presented Oct. 2 at the annual National College of Probate Judges meeting in Maine. Previous recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Professor James Casner of Harvard Law School, and other prominent legal scholars.
Professor Morgan directs Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law and is the Boston Asset Management Faculty Chair in Elder Law, the first faculty chair in elder law in the country. The Center is nationally recognized as a leader in elder law and presents numerous programs for attorneys, trustees, estate planners, financial advisers, CPAs and other elder care professionals.
A committee reviewed nominations from across the country. Professor Morgan is only the second Floridian to receive this award.
“Professor Morgan continuously and unselfishly shares her vast knowledge in the field of elder law with her characteristic enthusiasm,” said Judge John N. Kirkendall, who nominated Professor Morgan for the award. “She brings honor to all of us in the legal and judicial community.”
Morgan is a past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, past president of the board of directors of the National Senior Citizens Law Center, past chair of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Aging and the Law and of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section, and was on the faculty of the National Judicial College.
The Treat Award was established in 1978 to recognize an individual for significant contributions to the improvement of the law or judicial administration in probate or related fields. The award is named in honor of Judge William W. Treat, founder and President Emeritus of the National College of Probate Judges.
Regent University School of Law students won the second annual National Pretrial Competition on the Stetson Law campus. Click for high-resolution image.
Regent University School of Law students won the second annual National Pretrial Competition held Oct. 1-3 on Stetson University College of Law’s Gulfport campus. Regent University School of Law student Jerry Harris was named Best Advocate in the final round of competition.
A full field of eight teams of law students competed this year for a chance to win the championship. Teams from Baylor Law School, Chapman University School of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, John Marshall School of Law, Mississippi College School of Law, Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, Regent University School of Law and Stetson Law participated.
Best Advocate Regent Law student Jerry Harris with Professor Charles H. Rose III, Stetson's advocacy center director. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson Law Vice President and Dean Darby Dickerson created the pretrial competition to prepare students to be ethical and professional advocates and to advance skills tested in both trial and moot court competitions. The competition focuses on the components found in pretrial hearings. Competitors must write briefs, present evidence and make oral arguments before a judge.
The Young Lawyer’s Division of the Florida Bar Association and Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy co-sponsored this event for law students competing from across the country.
U.S. News & World Report rankings consistently place Stetson among the top trial advocacy programs in the nation. Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy, directed by Professor Charles H. Rose III, promotes the continuing development of unparalleled advocacy skills through teaching, scholarship and research. Stetson Law’s Advocacy Resource Center offers instruction to a worldwide audience through online video presentations by experts in the field of advocacy.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Photo of Stetson's winning team of Aisha Sanchez, J'Aimee Crockett and Ryan Schmidt courtesy John Marshall Law School Center for Information Technology & Privacy Law. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson University College of Law students won the 28th Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law in Chicago Oct. 1-3. Thirty-two teams competed, including five from overseas.
The Stetson Law team of J’Aimee Crockett, Aisha Sanchez, and Ryan Schmidt beat a team from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in the final round.
“Our students accomplished an incredible feat in oral advocacy,” said Moot Court Advisor and Professor Stephanie Vaughan. “They prepared extremely hard and were honored to compete against such talented students from around the globe.”Professor Brooke Bowman, who dedicates many hours to helping prepare Stetson Law students for competitions, coached the winning team to victory.
Established in 1981, the Moot Court Competition in Information Technology & Privacy Law has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious international moot courts, bringing together law school students from across the country and around the world to brief and argue unresolved issues of technology law. The competition is hosted by the Center for Information Technology & Privacy Law at John Marshall Law School.
Stetson’s Moot Court Boardis composed of a select group of students who compete in interscholastic moot court competitions throughout the United States and around the world.
Stetson Law student Leah Ellington and Professor Lance Long discuss campus efforts to curb pollution from plastic bottles. Click for high-resolution image.
Five Tampa Bay area campuses addressed questions of sustainability in a free public forum Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Academic community leaders from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, Stetson University College of Law, the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg and USF in Tampa gathered to discuss how higher education institutions can model ways to combat global warming and educate students and others about the environment.
The expert panel included Joseph Dorsey, assistant professor of Environmental Policy at USF St. Petersburg; Leah Ellington, member of the Student Bar Association “Go Green” Committee at Stetson Law; Jason E. Green, sustainability coordinator at St. Petersburg College; moderator David Hastings, associate professor of marine science and chemistry at Eckerd College; Lance Long, assistant professor of legal skills at Stetson Law; Alison Ormsby, associate professor of environmental studies at Eckerd College; E. Christian Wells, director of the Office of Sustainability and associate professor of anthropology at USF Tampa; and Diana Wright, energy coordinator for St. Petersburg College.
Student Leah Ellington gave an overview of the educational experiences at Stetson with a focus on the environment. Ellington highlighted the International Wildlife Law Conference, International Environmental Moot Court Competition, ecosystem banking workshop, collaborations with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority and the Scientific and Technical Review Panel of the Ramsar Convention, and the Alliance for International Reforestation.
“All of these educational experiences emphasize to Stetson students our role in environmental stewardship and sustainability,” Ellington explained.
Professor Lance Long, faculty liaison to Stetson’s “Go Green” Committee, discussed some student environmental initiatives, including a recycling program, annual transportation fair, electronics recycling, beach cleanups, and a new initiative discouraging the sale and use of polluting plastic bottles on campus.
“There is a groundswell amongst Stetson students of interest and commitment to environmentally progressive activity,” Professor Long told the panel and audience gathered in St. Petersburg on Wednesday night.
A roundtable discussion with members of the audience followed panelist presentations on current and future campus sustainability efforts.
Stetson University College of Law hosted the 2009 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference on Sept. 11-12 and the ALWD Scholars’ Forum/Workshop on Sept. 13. The workshop and conference allowed participants opportunities to present their scholarship ideas, works-in-progress, or well-developed drafts of legal writing articles to other legal writing faculty.
The conference theme, “Remixing the Classics,” honored classical legal writing concepts of the last 25 years and recognized the need to “remix” those traditional ideas to meet the needs of new students, to adapt to new faculty expectations, and to move the discipline forward. The plenary speaker for the conference was Mary Beth Beazley, associate professor of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in Columbus, Ohio.
Professor Beazley has been teaching legal research and writing for more than 20 years and is the author of the highly regarded book, A Practical Guide to Appellate Advocacy, now it its second edition. She is president-elect of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, chair of the ABA Communication Skills Committee, former president of the Legal Writing Institute, 2005 recipient of the Thomas F. Blackwell Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Legal Writing, and 2008 recipient of the Burton Award for Outstanding Contributions in Legal Writing Education.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson Law student Onyema Anene graduates in December. Click for high-resolution image.
This month, Stetson University College of Law student Onyema M. Anene was named a 2009 Carlton Fields Diversity Fellow. Anene will spend an average of 200 hours this semester working on a variety of legal projects at Carlton Fields under the guidance of attorneys from all seven of the law firm’s locations.
“I am so grateful and honored to have been selected,” Anene said. “I look forward to the learning experiences, legal training, and great opportunities that this fellowship has to offer.”
Anene will graduate from Stetson in December 2009 with a dual J.D./M.B.A. degree. She plans to practice as a civil litigation attorney in her hometown of Atlanta, Ga. At Stetson, Anene has been student editor of the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, a member of the trial team, a teaching fellow for the legal writing department, a teaching assistant in the Center for Excellence in Trial Advocacy, and a member of the Student Leadership Development Committee. She was an Equal Justice Works fellow in 2008-2009 and a recipient of the Judge Susan F. Schaeffer Scholarship for Leadership in 2009.
Carlton Fields created the Diversity Fellowship Program at Stetson Law in 2004 to help improve access to the practice of law in a large firm for students interested in the fellowship who experienced socioeconomic or cultural barriers to their legal education.
Carlton Fields also selected Stetson Law student Vilma Martinez, who graduated in May, as a fellow earlier this year.
A group of distinguished print and broadcast journalists from India visited Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus on Friday, Sept. 11, to meet with international law scholar Professor Luz Nagle.
The group of five editors and top correspondents were traveling as part of a “National Security and Defense Reporting” program sponsored by the International Council of the Tampa Bay Region and the United States Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program. The group talked with Professor Nagle about global peacekeeping strategies and learned more about the class she teaches at Stetson on international law.
Professor Nagle frequently travels around the world to speak and teach on topics including human trafficking and the rule of law. She was recently honored with the 2009 Freedom Award by the Florida Coalition against Human Trafficking. She has published in English and Spanish on four continents on topics related to international humanitarian law and internal armed conflict, transnational crime, corruption, national security, and the rule of law/judicial reform movements.
During their visit to Tampa Bay, the delegation of journalists also met with local military outreach, journalists and media scholars.
For more information, contact Brandi Palmer, manager of media relations, at [email protected] or (727) 562-7381.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Please Note: This event has been postponed. New date to be determined.
Stetson University College of Law, the Business Law Section of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce invite local business owners to learn more about “Surviving the Slump: How to Protect Your Business Legally in a Down Economy,” on Sept. 23 on Stetson’s Gulfport campus at 1401 61st St. S. Registration and a networking breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and the program starts at 9 a.m. in the Great Hall.
Speakers include risk management expert and professor Deborah Brown of Stetson Law speaking on legal and practical employment law considerations and consumer debt expert Guy P. Coburn of the Ruden McClosky law firm speaking on collection law and strategies. The St. Petersburg Times Fund, Inc. is sponsoring this event.
“Now, perhaps more than ever before, it is crucial for Pinellas County business owners to learn more about how to protect themselves from legal troubles in an uncertain economic climate,” said Brown, who serves as associate vice president of legal affairs and human resources at Stetson Law.
To pre-register for this event for a fee of $25, please contact the Office of Conferences and Events at Stetson at 727-562-7312 or e-mail [email protected]. Registration details are available at www.law.stetson.edu/conferences.
For information on sponsorship opportunities, please call Chip Collins at the St. Petersburg Bar at 727-823-7474 or e-mail [email protected].
Founded in 1925, the St. Petersburg Bar Association serves the legal community, to strengthen the noble calling of the practice of law, and to foster excellence in the legal profession.
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, with 2,800 members, is the largest business organization in the region and is celebrating its 109th year. For more information on the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce visit www.stpete.com.
Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
(727) 562-7889 [email protected]
Dr. H. Douglas Lee. Click for high-resolution image.
Dr. H. Douglas Lee, DeLand, who recently retired after 22 years as president of Stetson University, died early Tuesday morning, Aug. 25, at Florida Hospital-DeLand of complications following surgery. He was 66.
A native of Danville, Va., Dr. Lee served as president of Stetson from June 1987 to May 31, 2009. He became chancellor – a position equivalent to president emeritus – upon his retirement. Before serving as president of Stetson, he served as the university’s executive vice president from 1983 to 1987, as vice president for Planning and Development from 1980 to 1983, and as vice president for Development from 1978 to 1980.
His visionary leadership strengthened academic quality and transformed Stetson into a more diverse and socially responsible institution. He led Stetson through her separation from the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1990s, moving Stetson forward into the 21st century as an internationally respected university.
“This is a huge loss to Stetson and the larger community, and our hearts go out to Margaret and the rest of his family,” said Nestor de Armas, chair of the Stetson Board of Trustees and a university alumnus. “Doug was a man of integrity who dedicated the last 30 years of his life to Stetson. Under his leadership, we distinguished ourselves by rolling up our sleeves and doing the work of faith without letting theology get in the way.”
“His legacy is our deep commitment to social justice and to inclusivity,” de Armas said. “We are sad, but we are comforted by knowing we were able to share in his life and work, and by seeing his legacy thriving in our Stetson family.”
“I will miss Doug’s wisdom and his enlightened world view, his passion for servant leadership and his fierce commitment to social justice,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby. “Stetson University has been greatly blessed by having this giant at her helm for so many years. Together, with Margaret at his side, Doug transformed every person and institution he touched. I am humbled to follow in his path.”
Dr. Lee’s presidency focused on a commitment to academic excellence, the integration of values into the teaching-learning process and active forms of social responsibility. Under his exceptional leadership, Stetson remained true to her 125-year heritage.
During his 22 years at the helm, Stetson hired more faculty and lowered the student-faculty ratio to 11 to 1, significantly increased the university’s overall endowment, completed numerous major capital projects, added satellite centers in Tampa Bay and Celebration, and boosted enrollment. The university underwent a cultural renewal built on an institution-wide commitment to seven core values: religious and spiritual life, ethical decision-making, diversity, gender equity, environmental responsibility, community engagement, and health and wellness.
In December 2008, the university named historic Elizabeth Hall chapel the Lee Chapel in his honor. During Homecoming 2009, Doug and his wife, Margaret Easley Lee, received Stetson’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition of their many contributions to the university. They also were recipients of the first George and Mary Hood Award, which honors those who personify the university’s core values.
Dr. Lee was well-known and respected as a leader in higher education and, with his wife, as an active member of First Baptist Church of DeLand and as a supporter of the arts and charitable causes in DeLand, Volusia County, Florida, the Southeast and beyond. Among their favorite causes were the Cultural Arts Center of DeLand, the Spring Hill community, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Florida Museum for Women Artists.
Recognized for his passionate commitment to the community and social justice, Dr. Lee was presented the NAACP West Volusia Branch Humanitarian of the Year Award and the B’nai B’rith Citizen of the Year Award, both in 1998. Under his leadership in environmental responsibility, Stetson earned the Year 2000 Sustainable Florida Award for Initiative presented by the Governor’s Council for Sustainable Florida. In 2008, Stetson University and Dr. Lee, specifically, were awarded the first Historic Preservationist of the Year Award by the West Volusia Historical Society. He also was a leader in the evolution of the Volusia County ECHO Initiative.
Along with the many awards each has received as individuals, the Lees together were named Volusia County Citizens of the Year in 2006 and received the 2008 Spring Hill Neighborhood Association Exceptional Community Partner Award. In 2008, the Lees were recipients of the Volusia County Cultural Alliance (VCCA) Second Annual Tippen Davidson Award, presented to those who have made significant contributions to the arts.
Dr. Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Richmond, along with Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Southeastern Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. He earned a doctorate in Religion from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
In addition to Margaret, his wife of 44 years, Dr. Lee is survived by a son, Gregory Lee and wife Lara, Orlando; a daughter, Elizabeth Lee Williamson and husband Heath, Cary, N.C.; grandsons, Parker Lee, Grayson Lee and Ayers Williamson; granddaughters, Maggie Williamson and Piper Williamson; father, Dr. Howard Lee, Danville, Va.; brother, David Lee and wife Ethel and their children and grandchildren, Richmond, Va.; sister-in-law, Sarah Easley Drummond and her children and grandchildren, Richmond, Va.; and brother-in-law, Charles Easley III and wife Claudia and their children, Danville, Va.
In lieu flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Margaret and Doug Lee Endowed Scholarship Fund at either the DeLand Campus, Stetson University Office of Development, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8286, DeLand, FL 32723; or the College of Law, Stetson University College of Law Office of College Relations, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport, FL 33707.
Details regarding a memorial service will be forthcoming. Allen Summerhill Funeral Home, DeLand, is in charge of arrangements.
Contact Brandi Palmer Manager of Media Relations 727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson University College of Law professors Mark Bauer, Joan Katherine Bohl, Clark Furlow, Charles Rose and Stephanie Vaughan have all recently received tenure.
Bauer is the associate dean of academics at Stetson Law. Dean Bauer graduated from the University of Chicago and EmoryUniversity, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. Dean Bauer is currently chair of the American Association of Law Schools section on education law.
Bohl joined the Stetson Law faculty in 2004. She is a graduate of BostonUniversity and SuffolkUniversity and the author of more than 18 articles and book chapters. Four state supreme courts, four state appellate courts and more than 40 law review articles have cited Bohl’s law review articles in evaluating the constitutionality of grandparent visitation statutes.
Furlow graduated from BostonUniversity and Emory University School of Law where he served on the editorial board of the Emory Law Journal and as a director of the Moot Court Honor Society. Prior to joining the faculty, Furlow practiced corporate law in Wilmington, Del. He is a national member of the Order of Barristers.
Rose joined Stetson Law’s faculty after retiring from the United States Army in December of 2004. He is a graduate of IndianaUniversity at South Bend and Notre DameLawSchool. Since joining Stetson, Rose has written Fundamental Trial Advocacy and co-authored the well-received Military Crimes & Defenses and Fundamental Pretrial Advocacy. A 2008 co-recipient of the Florida Bar’s Professionalism Award given to law school faculty, Rose currently serves as the director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson. .
Vaughan has been promoted to Professor of Legal Skills in addition to receiving programmatic tenure. Vaughan has been teaching legal research and writing at Stetson Law since 1996. She has advised Stetson Law’s world-renowned Moot Court Board since 2000. In addition to being a tenured professor, Vaughan continues in her administrative roles as both moot court advisor and associate director of international programs at Stetson Law.
A group of distinguished print and broadcast journalists from India visited Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus on Friday, Sept. 11, to meet with international law scholar Professor Luz Nagle.