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November 11- Stetson Law to present free program on identity theft

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law will present a free seminar on prevention and protection against identity theft at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Mann Lounge at Stetson’s Gulfport campus. This program is part of a continuing series by Stetson to raise awareness about consumer protection issues for seniors.

The program will feature Bronwyn Stanford, an elder consumer protection fellow at Stetson Law. She will speak about identity theft, how it occurs and prevention tips.

“Identity theft has a devastating impact on its victims,” said Rebecca Morgan, elder law faculty chair and director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law. “Too often seniors are targeted as victims of identity theft. It is critical for everyone to learn more about identity theft and how to protect their identities.”

This free program is one of a number of outreach efforts by Stetson Law’s Consumer Law Protection Program. The program has partnered with the Attorney General’s Office, AARP and the legal community to increase public awareness of consumer fraud against senior citizens.

November 8- Three administrators promoted at Stetson University College of Law

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law is pleased to announce the promotion of three administrators.

Scarlett Guy has been promoted to assistant dean for student life. This also reflects a change in the name of the Office of Student Services to the Office for Student Life. Guy had previously served as acting director of student services and assistant director of student services.

Rick Brewer has been promoted to executive director of business operations. In this role, Brewer will oversee many departments, including accounting, bookstore, Business Office, facilities, housing, insurance and purchasing.

Davina Gould has been promoted to associate director of communications; she will continue with her current duties centered on publication management and media relations. She was promoted from assistant director of communications.

November 2- Stetson Law team wins nation’s premiere trial competition

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

Gulfport, Fla. – A team of Stetson University College of Law students went undefeated and won the 2004 Tournament of Champions in Los Angeles. The competition, sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, invites 16 teams from the nation’s elite trial advocacy programs to compete against each other. Since the competition’s creation in 1989, Stetson has won five titles, more than any other school.

The Stetson team consisted of third-year students Richard Barbara and Julia Metts with witnesses Cindy Demestre, also a third-year student, and Michael Kest, a second-year student. Stetson’s Trial Advocacy Fellow Pam Bell coached the team. Barbara was named the Best Oral Advocate for the final round.

“Winning was obviously a big thrill, but even more of a thrill was how we did it,” said Bell, trial team adviser. “Coach after coach came up to me and told me how glad they were that Stetson won because we are professional, polished and classy.”

In the final round, Stetson defeated a team from the University of Akron School of Law, last year’s champion. In earlier rounds, Stetson prevailed over Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law, and the University of Maryland School of Law.

“It’s incredible for the school,” Metts said. “Wins like this let people know why we are ranked among the best in the country.”

The National Institute for Trial Advocacy is the nation’s best trial lawyer-training program. Pepperdine and Loyola Law School served as the program’s hosts in Los Angeles. With the victory, the competition will come to Stetson’s campus in two years.

November 1- Australian team wins international environmental competition at Stetson Law

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

Gulfport, Fla. – A team from the University of Technology, Sydney, won Stetson University College of Law’s Ninth Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition Saturday, Oct. 30. Teams from around the world fought for the chance to participate in the two-day competition, Oct. 29-30. It is the only moot court competition that focuses exclusively on international environmental issues; this year’s problem focuses on legal liability related to alien invasive species affecting a wetland of international importance.

UTS defeated Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in the finals. The other semi-finalist teams were West Bengal National University of Juridical Science (India) and Queensland University of Technology School of Law (Australia).

Matthew Day from UTS was named the Best Oralist for the competition. Stetson Law student Jennifer Gonzalez was named Best Oralist – Preliminaries, and Stetson’s James McTyier received Third Place Oralist – Preliminaries. Patricia Bugg from Loyola was the runner-up in this category.

The Best Memorial was awarded to the University of Hawaii School of Law, and the runner-up was Rutgers School of Law – Camden. The Best Foreign Memorial went to Queensland’s team.

Peter Bridgewater, secretary general of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, was one of three judges for the final round. The Ramsar Convention, concluded in 1971, is one of the oldest international environmental treaties, and it promotes the sustainable use and management of wetlands and water resources worldwide. The other two judges were Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington, U.S. District Court; and William Thomas, a Washington, D.C., environment and natural resource lawyer and former chair of the American Bar Association’s International Environmental Law Committee.

Vice Dean Gardner and Dean Darby Dickerson created this competition in 1996 to increase awareness about international environmental challenges. Since its inception, the event has grown to include Indian and Australasian rounds. Teams from six countries including Australia, Costa Rica, India, Ireland, and Spain participated in this year’s competition.

October 28- Stetson Law group seeking to help with holiday cheer for indigent adults

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Instead of making a list and checking it twice for gifts for family and friends, a group of Stetson University College of Law students is looking to play Santa for a typically neglected group – indigent, incapacitated seniors who are under guardianship in Pinellas County.

Stetson’s Elder Law Society is sponsoring Elves for Elders, a gift drive to provide basic items for this forgotten group. Beginning Monday, Nov. 1, holiday trees with elf tag ornaments will be located at Stetson’s Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S., and at the St. Petersburg Judicial Building lobby, 545 1st Ave. N. The back of each tag will include labels completed by guardians with the needs of their wards. Donors can pull the tags, purchase gifts, and place them under the tree to be delivered.

“By giving just a little bit extra this season, we hope to make the holidays bright for disadvantaged seniors,” said Lee Carr, Stetson Law student and vice president of the Elder Law Society. “Many people will be surprised at the basic needs of these seniors.”

Some desired items include necessities such as bed linens, toiletries, clothing, and reading and writing materials.

“There are others in our community with no family and without a donation would go without gifts this season,” Carr said. “To make certain they have gifts to open, people give to needy children during the holidays, but the elderly are often neglected. It is these people, many with no money and no family, who go without the basics many of us take for granted.”

October 25- Wills and estate planning to be covered in free Stetson Law program

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law will present practical information on “Basic Wills and Estate Planning” at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 18. The program will be the third session of the People’s Law School series at the new Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St. The program is free and open to the public.

The session will cover a brief survey of the various ways in which a person can pass property to others at or after death through the use of wills, trusts and joint ownership of property. Stetson Law Professor Thomas E. Allison will lead the program. Professor Allison is widely published on these topics, and he has taught at Stetson since 1981 in the areas of trusts and estates, estate and gift taxation, and property law.

“This topic has been one of our most popular sessions of The People’s Law school, and we’ve decided to offer it again after many requests,” said Dean Darby Dickerson. “It is a subject that affects us all.”

The People’s Law School is a continuing series of free programs designed to provide information about legal issues of general interest. The series is not intended to offer legal advice to individuals or groups, or to substitute for legal counsel provided by a personal attorney.

For more information, call Stetson at (813) 228-6625.

October 1- Stetson Law part-time student awarded largest individual scholarship in school history

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law part-time student Darin Richter no longer has to worry about tuition, the cost of books or where how he will support his family after receiving the first Emmitt Wilkes Scholarship, the largest award given to an individual student in the school’s history. Established with a gift from James L. Wilkes II, for the next four years, the award will cover all tuition, fees and books, and will provide an additional $38,000 annually for living expenses.

The scholarship was established through a $175,000 contribution to Stetson from Wilkes, co-founder of the Tampa-based firm of Wilkes & McHugh and a 1983 graduate of the Stetson University College of Law. Wilkes’ gift was matched with 1:2 by the law school, bringing the total scholarship fund to $262,500.

The scholarship is given to a student in the part-time J.D. program at Stetson, with preference given to nontraditional students who are entering law school as a possible career change or who are raising a family. It is designed to support the student throughout the four years of the program.

“I wanted to help a deserving student with life experience to have the financial wherewithal to pursue a legal career,” Wilkes said.

Richter is a program manager for CAE, a flight simulator company in Tampa. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, concentrating in aerospace design. He is a former U.S. Army Captain and Blackhawk helicopter pilot. At CAE, Richter works primarily with the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin in CAE’s C-130 line of products.
“This is obviously a very, very generous gift,” Richter said. “It is indicative of Mr. Wilkes and his firm’s focus; they take care of families. That is exactly what was done in this case.”

Richter and his wife of 10 years, Emma, have four children: Veronica, age 9; Geoffrey, age 7; Isabelle, age 5; and Bernadette, age 2. They acknowledged that going to school part-time while working full-time and raising a family would be a challenge, and recognized the financial relief as a true easing of burden.

“I will not take this scholarship for granted,” Richter said. “I sincerely hope to be in a position at some point in the future to repay this scholarship in like form, thus propagating Mr. Wilkes’ generosity to future generations of law students.”

September 29- Stetson Law secretary retiring this week after 48 years Dorothy Bishop has worked at the College of Law since 1956

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Dorothy Bishop’s official title is executive assistant to the dean, but for 48 years, she has served as unofficial campus historian and many would say the behind-the-scenes glue that has held the College of Law together. This week, Stetson Law will lose one of its treasures as Bishop retires on Thursday.

“You have to like the place where you work, and everyone here is so friendly and that’s made the time here go too fast,” Bishop said.

There will be a reception honoring Bishop’s time and devotion to the law school Thursday at
4 p.m. in Stetson’s Mann Lounge.

“It’s very rare these days for a person to spend her entire career at one place. Ms. Bishop has dedicated her professional life to Stetson, and she will always be remembered as a true Stetson treasure. We will miss her very much,” Dean Dickerson said.

Bishop has seen many changes across campus. She has served six deans, and she knew Dean Emeritus Bruce Jacob when he was a student among the first classes at the Gulfport campus. From the building and later closing of the Dana Library, to the opening of the Tampa Law Center, Bishop has been at Stetson Law.

“She is a great employee, a wonderful person. She’s really just the best, they don’t come any better,” Dean Jacob said.

Connie Evans, director of faculty support, had similar thoughts, “She is just a perfect lady.”

After graduating high school, Dorothy Bishop set out to find a job. Her first ever interview, gained with the help of a local employment agency, was with the College of Law. Bishop was hired on the spot for $35 a week.

“Everything just kind of fell in my lap,” Bishop said. “I’m just thankful that I had an opportunity to work here. I really loved every minute of it. I’m thankful for the years they let me stay here.”

September 28- Seventeen members inducted into charter Hall of Fame at Stetson University College of Law

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law recently honored the dedication and contributions of 17 alumni, faculty and friends with its newly established Hall of Fame. The charter members were inducted during a banquet on Sept. 19.

Dean Darby Dickerson chaired the 10-member panel that selected the inductees. “To have been selected for the Hall of Fame, a candidate must have reached and remained at the pinnacle of his or her field for a period of time sufficient to demonstrate perseverance and maturation or must have affected a profound positive influence on the College of Law,” she said.

The inductees include: (click name to view photo)

Edith M. Atkinson ’22
Edith M. Atkinson was the first female Stetson law school graduate to become a judge.

Charles A. and Eleanor N. Dana
The Danas were strong financial contributors to the College of Law after its move to Gulfport.

Richard T. Dillon ’57
Soon after graduating in 1957, Richard Dillon was named librarian and an assistant professor of law at Stetson. In 1959, he was named first assistant dean of the law school and held this post continuously until his appointment to dean in September 1968. He served as Stetson’s law dean for 13 years. His administration was characterized by extensive physical improvements and tremendous academic growth.

J. Ollie Edmunds ’28
Dr. Edmunds was the first university-trained lawyer and Stetson law school graduate to assume the presidency of Stetson University He was associated with Stetson University for 60 years, from 1921 when he enrolled as an undergraduate student his retirement as chancellor. He was president when the law school moved from DeLand to Gulfport.

Bruce Jacob ’59
Twenty-two years after graduating from Stetson University College of Law, Bruce Jacob returned to his alma mater to serve as dean for 13 years. In his years as dean, Jacob guided the College of Law to significant changes in legal education. Dean Jacob established the Elsie and Ed Jacob Scholarship Fund in memory of his parents. Dean Jacob, who also served as dean at Mercer, continues to teach at Stetson.

Frederick B. Karl ’49
Fred Karl made countless contributions to Florida residents throughout his long career. He has led several of Florida’s major public institutions, serving as a Florida Supreme Court justice, state representative, state senator, state public counsel, county administrator, county attorney, city attorney, gubernatorial candidate and hospital CEO.

Elizabeth A. Kovachevich ’61
Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich was the only woman in her graduating class at Stetson University College of Law. She was the first woman circuit court judge in Pinellas County. President Reagan nominated her to the federal bench, and from 1996 to 2003, she served as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Judge Kovachevich has served on the College of Law’s Board of Overseers, and she also started the federal judicial internship program for Stetson students.

Calvin Arnold Kuenzel
Calvin Arnold Kuenzel was a celebrated Stetson law professor who taught almost four decades until his death in 1998. Legendary for his demanding style of teaching, Professor Kuenzel was held in awe by generations of students who took his first-year contracts course. Professor Kuenzel served as assistant dean at Stetson from 1969 to 1975 and was appointed the LeRoy Highbaugh Sr. Professor of Law in 1981. He died in 1998, just as he was planning to retire from full-time teaching.

James Nemec ’36 and Ruth Nemec
The James and Ruth Nemec Auditorium at the College of Law and Nemec Hall on Stetson’s DeLand campus are both named in recognition of their generosity. They established the James and Ruth B. Nemec Scholarship Fund at Stetson and co-founded the Palm Beach Friends of Stetson University.

Perry Nichols ’37
Perry Nichols was one of the nation’s most successful trial lawyers and president of both the American Trial Lawyers Association and the International Trial Lawyers Association. A charter member of the Law Center Foundation and the Stetson Law Board of Overseers, he served as chairman of each. Nichols gave generously of his time, talent and finances at some of the most crucial moments in the College of Law’s history.

Harold L. “Tom” Sebring
Harold L. “Tom” Sebring served as dean of the College of Law from 1955 to 1968. Dean Sebring served as the head football coach for the University of Florida before giving up football for a legal career. He served as a circuit judge, Florida Supreme Court justice and chief justice. After World War II, he was a judge for the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal.

William Reece Smith Jr.
Professor William Reece Smith’s relationship with the law school dates back to 1954. He has served as distinguished professorial lecturer at Stetson University College of Law since 1991. He has served as Presidents of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Florida Bar, National Conference of Bar Presidents, American Bar Endowment, American Bar Foundation, American Bar Association and International Bar Association. Smith has diligently worked to improve access to legal services to the poor for more than 40 years. He founded Florida Legal Services and served as its first president. The courtroom in Stetson’s Tampa Law Center is named in his honor.

Lewis H. Tribble ’15
Dean Lewis Tribble was a member of the faculty of Stetson University Law School for 17 years, serving 10 of those as dean. He fought for the law school’s accreditation and kept the school financially afloat during the Depression years.

William Amory Underhill ’36
William Amory Underhill was a Stetson University trustee from 1977 to 1986 and served as a member of the College of Law Board of Overseers for more than 20 years, serving as chair for 18 of those 20 years. Stetson recognized his many years of service by naming him trustee emeritus in 1994. He was the 1988 recipient of one of Stetson’s highest honors, the Doyle E. Carlton Award for outstanding service to the university and to higher education.

W. Gary Vause
Dean W. Gary Vause served Stetson University College of Law for 28 years as law professor, assistant dean and four years as dean until his death in May 2003. He spearheaded construction of Stetson’s new Tampa Law Center. Dean Vause established or contributed greatly to a number of other Stetson programs, including its Master of Laws program in International Law and Business; the dual J.D./M.B.A. degree program and summer abroad programs in Granada, Spain, and Tallinn, Estonia. He also expanded Stetson’s curriculum in health and elder law.

Hall of Fame Banquet photos

September 10- Events commemorate Stetson Law’s 50 years in Gulfport

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law is inviting the Tampa Bay community to help celebrate its Golden Anniversary at its Gulfport campus. An array of free events is planned spanning the next three months.

“Stetson is excited to celebrate 50 years at our magnificent campus in Gulfport, 50 years of volunteering and working with the Tampa Bay community, and more than a century of producing outstanding lawyers, judges and community leaders,” said Dean Darby Dickerson.

Festivities kicked off this week with the first of four screenings of films connected with Stetson. The first, Gideon’s Trumpet chronicles the case of Gideon v. Wainwright, in which Stetson Dean Emeritus Bruce Jacob represented the state of Florida before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Golden Anniversary weekend will be the focus of the celebration. Events on Saturday, Sept. 18, from noon to 4 p.m. include walking tours of the Gulfport campus, which was once home to the Hotel Rolyat and the Florida Military Academy; free trolley rides around campus and Gulfport; plus an exhibit of classic cars from 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.

The film series and a history lecture series will continue through November.

Golden Anniversary special presentations (all free and open to the public):
Sept. 18: Classic Car Exhibit, noon to 4 p.m., Stetson parking lot
Walking Campus Tours and trolley rides, noon to 4 p.m.

Sept. 22: Film Series: The Strange One (filmed on Stetson’s campus), 7 p.m., Great Hall

Oct. 5: Lecture Series: History of Gulfport by author Lynn Brown, noon, Great Hall

Oct. 13: Film Series: Judgment at Nuremberg, 7 p.m., Great Hall

Oct. 27: Film Series: A Deadly Business, 7 p.m., Great Hall

Nov. 9: Lecture Series: Panel Discussion on Architectural History of College of Law, noon, Great Hall

Stetson University opened Florida’s first law school in 1900 in DeLand. The first classes at the Gulfport campus took place on Sept. 20, 1954. The move was spurred by growth following World War II and to be near the Tampa Bay legal community.

Today, the College of Law’s curriculum includes international programs; one of the nation’s top-ranked trial advocacy programs (placing first in six of the nine annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report); and recognized programs in advocacy, elder law and international law and business. The College is also a leader in the field of higher education law and policy. In January, Stetson opened the Tampa Law Center to house evening law classes, the Tampa branch of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal and continuing legal education programs.

September 8- National wetland leaders to attend forum at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law will welcome national environmental leaders to its Tampa Law Center Sept. 20 –22 to discuss wetland conservation during the Fourth Stakeholder Forum on Federal Wetland Mitigation.

“Stetson is proud to host this important environmental event,” Vice Dean Royal C. Gardner said. “We in Florida have an obvious and continuing interest in the effectiveness of wetland mitigation efforts.” Dean Gardner served on the National Academy of Sciences’ committee that studied how best to mitigate wetland losses.

Presented by the Environmental Law Institute, the Stakeholder Forum will review progress on the 2002 National Wetlands Mitigation Action Plan and solicit feedback, actions and goals related to the Plan through 2005.

The forum will gather mitigation providers, state and federal regulators, members of the environmental community, development interests, non-governmental organizations and others with an interest in compensatory mitigation.

Stetson Law will sponsor the program in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources Conservation Service, NOAA Fisheries, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Information on the National Mitigation Action Plan can be found at www.mitigationactionplan.gov.

Stetson’s Tampa Law Center is located at 1700 N. Tampa St. in Tampa.