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Stetson University College of Law offers two bankruptcy law conferences

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law will offer a conference on bankruptcy law and practice in December.

The College of Law will present:

  • The 31st annual Alexander L. Paskay Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Dec. 8-9, Sheraton Sand Key Resort, 1160 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater Beach.

Faculty from around the country will teach this two-day seminar chaired by the Honorable Alexander L. Paskay. The faculty includes the Honorable Bruce A. Markell, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge, Las Vegas, NV; the Honorable Cecilia G. Morris, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Poughkeepsie, NY; Susan M. Freeman, vice president of the American College of Bankruptcy; Professor Richard Lieb, director of St. John’s University School of Law’s Institute for Bankruptcy Policy; Louis M. Phillips, former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana; Mark A. Redmiles, Chief of the Civil Enforcement Unit for the U.S. Trustee Program; and John Rao, contributing author and editor of numerous books on bankruptcy and consumer law.

The seminar addresses important bankruptcy issues including the impact of the Bankruptcy Reform Act.

To register for this program, please call the Office of Conferences and Events at the College of Law at 813-228-0226, visit the web site at
http://www.law.stetson.edu/cle.

Stetson Law participates in National Guantánamo Teach-In Oct. 5

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. –

 

  • WHERE: Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport, Fla., Mann Lounge
  • WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • WHO: Journalists are invited to attend

Stetson College of Law, together with colleges and universities around the country, will participate in a virtual teach-in on Oct. 5 addressing Guantánamo and the American detention policy. The teach-in will be aired in Stetson Law’s Mann Lounge via simulcast from Seton Hall Law School.

Seven sessions simulcast throughout the day address the unique issues that members of the press, medical field, religious community and military face as a result of the Guantánamo detention.

Scholars, journalists, lawyers and leaders from around the country will provide the panels for each aired session. The Stetson Law faculty will be fielding questions about the sessions intermittently throughout the day.

To learn more about the teach-in, schedule and session topics, please visit:
http://law.shu.edu/guantanamoteachin/page3.htm.

Stetson student organizations invite community to annual art show Oct. 14

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – The Intellectual Property Law Society and the Entertainment and Sports Law Society at Stetson University College of Law invite the community to their annual art show on Saturday, Oct. 14. The annual IPLS/EASL Art Show and Fundraiser will showcase local artists from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Great Hall at Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus at 1401 61st St. S.

“The goal of this show is to raise awareness of local talent and raise funds for future events that benefit both the Stetson community and the local public,” said IPLS Vice President of Events and Speakers Robert Varkonyi.
Well-known artists and talented students from the community will show their work. Showcased artwork will be available for display and purchase, and participating artists will donate art for an auction to support the fundraiser.

“Following its successful debut last year, the show this year will highlight an even greater variety of artwork,” said Alla Zagrebelsky, president of IPLS. “We have invited artists working in a variety of media, including painting, photography, glass and jewelry.”

Admission to this event is free and open to the public. Live music and refreshments will be available. For more information about the event, please contact IPLS President Alla Zagrebelsky at [email protected].

Stetson University College of Law inducts six members into Hall of Fame

Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
727-562-7889

Tampa Bay, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law inducted six new members into its Hall of Fame during a gala ceremony on Sept. 23 at its Gulfport campus. The Hall of Fame now includes 32 members.

“All of these individuals have reached the pinnacle of their professions and have affected a profound, positive influence on Stetson University College of Law,” said Dean Darby Dickerson.

This year’s inductees include:

  • Dorothy “Dotti” Bressi

Dr. Dorothy Bressi worked almost six years at Stetson University College of Law as Associate Vice President of College Relations before she died on July 2, 2006, following complications from leukemia. During her time at Stetson, she led the successful Cornerstone Campaign, which raised more than $30 million in five years. She was instrumental in increasing student scholarships, awards, new faculty chairs, professorships and research programs.

  • Justice Carol W. Hunstein ’76

The Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and 1976 graduate of Stetson Law, Carol Hunstein is a compelling role model for those attempting to overcome adversity. By the age of eleven, she had battled cancer and polio and then saw her mother die. At age 23, she was a divorced, single mother who had just lost a leg from returning cancer. In 1984, she was elected the first female Superior Court Judge in DeKalb County, Ga. In 1992, Georgia’s governor nominated her as only the second female Supreme Court Justice in the state. During her years on the bench, she has been a tireless champion of racial, ethnic and gender equality. Her work created Georgia’s state and local domestic violence task forces and countless training programs for judges, lawyers and court personnel.

  • Congressman E. Clay Shaw Jr. ’66

Congressman E. Clay Shaw Jr. has represented South Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. After 25 years in Congress, Shaw is the second-most senior Republican on the Committee on Ways and Means, and the next in line to become chair of the full committee. Stetson University awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1984 and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in 2002.

  • J. Ben Watkins ’49

Attorney J. Ben Watkins has actively practiced law since graduating from Stetson University College of Law in 1949. Watkins has been a lifelong supporter of Stetson, graciously donating his resources, expertise and time. He served on the law school’s board of overseers for more than two decades during times of tremendous expansion and academic growth at the Gulfport campus.

  • John R. Wood ’51

A Sarasota lawyer and municipal judge, John Wood practiced law for 55 years before retiring in 2006. He specialized in legal work for financial institutions and volunteered thousands of hours of pro bono service. While serving in World War II he was in the Bataan Death March and was a prisoner of war for 42 months. After the war, Wood attended Stetson University College of Law. A fellow POW, General Jonathon Wainwright, presented Wood with his law degree upon graduating from Stetson in 1951.

  • J. Lamar Woodard

J. Lamar Woodard, professor and law librarian emeritus, joined Stetson University College of Law in 1971. Under his guidance, the library grew from a collection of 61,000 volumes and a small staff to a new facility with over 366,000 volumes, seven full-time librarians and 10 staff members.

To learn more about Stetson’s Hall of Fame, please visit:

http://justice.law.stetson.edu/HallofFame/2006_inductees.asp.

Stetson University College of Law releases Florida’s First Law School: A History of Stetson University College of Law

Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
727-562-7889

Tampa Bay, Fla. – Carolina Academic Press has just published Florida’s First Law School: A History of Stetson University College of Law. The book is authored by Stetson Professor of Law Emeritus Michael Swygert and Gary Vause, former dean of the law school who died in 2003 before completion of the book.

A supremely researched book, Florida’s First Law School describes and analyzes the rise in prominence of Stetson University College of Law from its strong beginnings in 1900 through its mid-life crises during the Great Depression and World War II, and its upward march after its 1954 relocation to the Tampa Bay area. It is a history about the people whose personalities and visions meshed to propel a small, poor law school into the dynamic, secure law center it is today. It is a story unlike any other in the chronicles of American legal education.

The nation’s pre-eminent legal scholars have praised Florida’s First Law School:

“This history is truly a monumental work —a monument to the progress of Florida’s oldest law school, a monument to those who labored to insure that progress, and a monument to its authors, two of Stetson’s most distinguished faculty members.”
—Wm. Reece Smith Jr., former president of the International, American and Florida Bar associations, Rhodes Scholar, and Distinguished Professorial Lecturer at Stetson University College of Law

“This readable book is an important contribution to the growing literature on the history of legal education, and is must-reading for anyone interested in the evolution of American law schools.”
—James W. Ely, Jr., Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law and Professor of History at Vanderbilt University

“This is a vivid, detailed chronicle of the hundred-year-long history of Stetson University College of Law —step-by-step, year-by-year. Stetson law graduates will relish every word of it. Others, too, will learn from it what it takes to make an outstanding educational institution.”
—Harold J. Berman, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory University and James Barr Ames Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard University

“Filled with people and personalities, this book nicely situates the College’s history within the broader contexts of the history of the state of Florida and the development of American legal education.”
—Walter F. Pratt, Jr., Dean and Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor of Law at The University of South Carolina School of Law.

“This book may be the most comprehensive history of a law school ever written. It tells a rich story of the ups and downs of Florida’s oldest law school, and in the process nicely chronicles not only one hundred years of law teaching in Florida, but also the transformation in the character of law students.”
—Stephen B. Presser, Director of American Society of Legal History and Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History and Professor of Business Law at Northwestern University

The book is available at the Stetson University College of Law bookstore by calling 727-562-7806, on the Stetson Law web site at
https://justice.law.stetson.edu/bookstore/history/.
or through Carolina Academic Press at
http://www.cap-press.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Swygert, please call the Communications Office at Stetson University College of Law at 727-562-7889.

Student Moot Court Teams win best brief at Orlando competition

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Students from Stetson University College of Law moot court teams won best brief awards at the Workers’ Compensation Moot Court Competition in Orlando on Aug. 13 and 14.

The Stetson student team of Sam Cooley and Todd Parrish authored the winning brief. Cooley was also a member of the team that took home an award for best memorial at the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in March. This was Parrish’s first competition. Moot court alumnus Dan Green coached the team.

The second student team of Andrew Hill, Emily Morgan and Jason Stearns wrote the brief that placed as runner up in the competition. Stetson Law moot court alumni Jennifer Card and Nancy Slack Meyer, of Abbey, Adams, Byelick, Kiernan, Mueller & Lancaster, L.L.P., coached the team which advanced to the final round of competition.

“Being honored with awards for the top two briefs in this competition speaks volumes about the strength of Stetson’s legal writing program,” said Professor Stephanie Vaughan, moot court advisor and co-director of the legal research and writing program.

Florida State University won the competition overall.

Carlton Fields selects Stetson Law students for diversity fellowship

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Carlton Fields, P.A. has chosen Stetson University College of Law students Emy Mondesir and Patice Holland to receive this year’s Carlton Fields Diversity Fellowship.

Mondesir and Holland will serve as fellows in the fall and spring semesters, respectively, and both will work approximately 200 hours each at Carlton Fields, providing pro bono counseling and assistance on various legal projects within the renowned law firm.

“We are delighted that Emy and Patice will be joining Carlton Fields as the next fellows,” said Carlton Fields partner Robert Biasotti. “By providing an opportunity to experience large firm practice, this fellowship is good for the student, the school, our firm, and equally as important, our community.”

The fellowship is designed to provide students who have faced socioeconomic or cultural barriers to legal education with access to a successful, large-firm practice. Carlton Fields shareholder and 1996 Stetson Law alum Robert Biasotti helped to create the fellowship for students.

“The Carlton Fields Diversity Fellowship Program is providing opportunities for law students who have faced social and economic obstacles in pursuit of their legal education,” said Stetson Law Dean Darby Dickerson.

The program is designed for any students interested in serving as fellows within the firm who have faced socio-economic challenges, regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or veteran status. As part of a competitive selection process, students were asked to demonstrate their unique struggle in an essay.

Established in Tampa, Fla., in 1901, Carlton Fields offers a full range of legal services in more than 30 areas of law, maintaining offices in Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach. For more information, please visit the law firm on the web at
http://www.www.carltonfields.com/.

Stetson’s Faculty Chair in Elder Law to receive national award for elder abuse prevention

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Law Professor Rebecca Morgan has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2006 Rosalie Wolf Memorial Elder Abuse Prevention Award by the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Professor Morgan will accept the award at the 11th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego, CA on Sept. 19.

“Professor Morgan is a leader in the development of innovative programs addressing the area of elder financial exploitation. Her programs meet a critical need in today’s society,” said President of NCPEA Randy Thomas.

A 1980 graduate of Stetson College of Law, Professor Morgan launched the successful Elder Consumer Protection Program in 2004, which offered programs throughout Florida to educate consumers and law enforcement about scams targeting seniors.

Morgan was also instrumental in building the nation’s first model elder-friendly courtroom on the Stetson College of Law Gulfport campus. The Eleazer Courtroom, dedicated in September 2005, was designed to provide unrestricted physical access to the court to all participants, regardless of ability, through the use of technology including non-glare and non-buzz lighting, and high-tech amplification devices that make hearing and seeing legal proceedings easier.

The Jessie Ball duPont Fund has recently pledged $100,000 over the next three years to support the activities of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law, which will utilize the courtroom for a series of research and educational activities.

The award was established in 2002 in honor of Dr. Rosalie Wolf, a pioneering figure in the field of elder abuse prevention, to recognize an individual or organization who has demonstrated a commitment to elder abuse awareness through research, education, policy or practice.

To learn more about the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, please visit their web site at: http://www.preventelderabuse.org/.

Memorial service for Associate V.P. of College Relations Dotti Bressi will be held at Gulfport campus

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – A memorial service for Stetson University College of Law Associate Vice President of College Relations Dorothy “Dotti” Bressi will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 8 in Stetson’s Great Hall at 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport. A reception will follow.

Dr. Bressi died on July 2, following a battle with leukemia.

“This memorial service is for the Stetson community of faculty, staff, alumni and friends who want to share their appreciation and express their loss for a dynamic person who touched so many. Dotti was an incredibly positive person whose energy, drive, and vision literally changed the College of Law,” said Vice President and Dean of the College of Law Darby Dickerson.

After joining Stetson in August 2000, Dr. Bressi was instrumental in increasing scholarships and awards for students, creating new professorships and faculty chairs for professors, and raising more than $30 million for the college during the successful five-year Cornerstone Campaign.

Bressi was honored with the prestigious Dean’s Award for her commitment to the College of Law in 2005.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be sent to the Dorothy Bressi Memorial Fund at Stetson University College of Law, care of the College Relations Office, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport, FL 33707.

Stetson Law honors alumni and friends at the Florida Bar Annual Meeting

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law honored several alumni and friends at its annual Stetson Lawyers Association meeting on June 21 in Boca Raton, Fla.

Katherine Ezell ’69 and Judge Thomas E. Penick Jr. ’72 received the Ben C. Willard Award for distinguished humanitarian achievements that have benefited Florida citizens and people throughout the world.

  • Ezell, a 2006 winner of the Tobias Simon Award for outstanding pro bono service, is highly regarded for her outstanding community service and work with public interest law and children in the foster care system.
  • Penick, a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who retired after 26 years on the bench in Pinellas County, has been honored with several awards for outstanding justice.

Howard Ross ’64 received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Ross, who practices business law and litigation at Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & Wein, has taught at Stetson Law, worked with the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Academy, and served as president of St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Inc.

Joshua Magidson ’80 and Luis Prats ’81 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for continued support of the College of Law.

  • Magidson, a former Stetson Lawyers Association board member and Stetson College of Law overseer, is a civil litigation expert who chairs the board of Ruth Eckerd Hall and supports the Florida Orchestra and the City of Clearwater Task Force for downtown development.
  • Prats, a Stetson University trustee and graduate of both Stetson University and Stetson College of Law, is rated as one of the best construction lawyers in the U.S. and serves on the board of directors for the Tampa Habitat for Humanity and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Melvyn Trute ’66 and Anne L. Weintraub ’03 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award.

  • Trute, who practices in the areas of real estate and probate law at Trute & Robbins, was instrumental in amending probate laws in Florida.
  • Weintraub serves on the Stetson Lawyers Association Advisory Council, the corporate board for the Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota County and the All Faiths Bank campaign against hunger.

Tom Elligett, Bonnie Foreman, Judge James Whatley and Congressman Bill Young received Distinguished Service Awards for significant, meritorious and continuing contributions that have benefited Stetson Law.

  • Elligett is past chair of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice and Advocacy Section, past president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and past president and current master of the J. Clifford Cheatwood American Inn of Court.
  • Foreman established a memorial award for Stetson Law students honoring her husband Edward D. Foreman ’71, who dedicated his life to the legal profession and to the community.
  • Judge Whatley was appointed to the 12th Judicial Circuit in January 1989 and to Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal in 1995.
  • Congressman Young, who is an advocate for the needs of Pinellas County and Stetson Law, is serving his 18th term and is the senior Republican in the House of Representatives, is a past member of the appropriations committee, House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Shirin M. Vesely ’94 received the President’s Award, a gift of recognition for serving as president of the Stetson Lawyer’s Association Advisory Council and as a member of the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers.

The awards were presented June 21 at the 2006 annual meeting of the Florida Bar.

Jessie Ball duPont Fund awards grant to Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson Law

Contact Brandi Palmer
Communications Specialist
727-562-7381

Gulfport, Fla. – The Jessie Ball duPont Fund has pledged $100,000 over the next three years to support the activities of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law at Stetson University College of Law in Tampa Bay, Fla.

“The generosity of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund will help Stetson significantly expand its community education programs for seniors,” said Vice-President and Dean Darby Dickerson. “This will let us take the next step in a series of successful outreach programs.”

Combined with other gifts and resources, the $100,000 pledge will help fund various activities and programs educating seniors about consumer scams in the high-tech, elder-friendly Eleazer Courtroom on Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus.

“Through education, we hope to help our elders to learn more about the court system, dispute resolution and how to avoid becoming victimized by scams and frauds,” said Rebecca Morgan, who directs Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law.

To learn more about the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, please visit the web at
http://www.dupontfund.org/.