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December 23- Crist donates to Stetson for Elder Fraud

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law’s Elder Law Center received $300,000 from Attorney General Charlie Crist Friday, Dec. 19, the final installment of $700,000 to support Stetson’s statewide program to educate elderly residents to avoid consumer fraud.

“This award is a significant complement to our Center for Excellence in Elder Law. It will allow us to increase our efforts to help protect our elderly residents and the community around us,” said Dean Darby Dickerson.

Stetson received $700,000 of a $950,000 settlement reached in November 2002 between the Attorney General’s Office and a Delaware-based firm that faced allegations of deception. The announcement was made by then-Attorney General Bob Butterworth.

“Fraud concerning the elderly continues to be a serious and growing problem in Florida,” said Professor Rebecca Morgan, director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law.

A national leader in the field of elder law, Morgan has spearheaded unique partnerships with the Attorney General’s Office, AARP and the legal community to increase public awareness of consumer fraud against senior citizens.

“The most effective way to fight consumer fraud is through education, and this support from the Attorney General puts us well on our way to having a more educated community,” she said.

Stetson University College of Law selects three finalists in dean search

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

Gulfport, Fla. – The search for the next dean of the Stetson University College of Law has been narrowed to three candidates.

The finalists are: John T. Berry, Executive Director of the State Bar of Michigan; Darby Dickerson, Interim Dean of the Stetson College of Law and Leroy Pernell, Dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law.

“A number of highly qualified candidates from across the country have applied for this position and the selection process has been very difficult,” said John Cooper, co-chair of the Dean Search Committee.

The committee has been working since its appointment in July 2003 to identify individuals to recommend to President H. Douglas Lee to serve as Dean of Stetson University College of Law and University Vice President. The 12-member committee is comprised of representatives from the faculty, alumni, staff, Board of Overseers and the Student Bar Association.

The three finalists will be brought to campus for interviews in January or February 2004. Events will be planned for faculty, administrators, staff and students to meet with the candidates. Ultimately the recommendations of the faculty and the Dean Search Committee will be forwarded to President Lee for the final selection. President Lee has indicated his desire to have the final selection made so that the new dean will assume his/her position by July 1, 2004.

About the Finalists:

John T. Berry is a 1976 graduate of Stetson University College of Law. He is the Executive Director of the State Bar of Michigan. Berry has served as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting consumer fraud action in Florida. He has also served in leadership positions in both the Florida Bar and the Arizona State Bar. He also serves as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Professionalism. In 2000, he was appointed to serve on the Florida Supreme Court Professionalism Commission. He was the 2001 recipient of the American Bar Association’s Michael Franck Award, the association’s highest award in the field of legal ethics and professionalism. Berry has published prolifically on legal professionalism and has been associated with and taught at a number of law schools.

Dean Darby Dickerson has been Interim Dean of the Stetson University College of Law since May 2003. She graduated from the Vanderbilt Law School in 1988 where she served as Senior Managing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and as a member of the Moot Court Board. After serving as a law clerk for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, she entered private practice for six years in Dallas, Texas. In 1995, she was named the Outstanding Director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and also the Outstanding Young Lawyer in Dallas. Dean Dickerson joined the Stetson faculty in 1995. She served as Associate Dean of the Stetson College of Law from 2000-2002 and as Vice Dean of the College of Law from 2002-2003. She has published extensively in the areas of litigation ethics and legal writing and citation.

Dean Leroy Pernell has served as the Dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law since 1997. Dean Pernell graduated from the Ohio State Law School in 1974. Prior to teaching law, Dean Pernell practiced with the Columbus Legal Aid and Defender Society. He served as a Professor at the law school at Ohio State from 1975 and as Vice Provost of the Office of Minority Affairs at the Ohio State University from 1994, until being appointed the Dean at the University of Northern Illinois. In 1988, he served as a visiting scholar at Columbia University School of Law. He has written law review articles in the areas of criminal procedure, juvenile justice, personal injury and sports law.

ABA President Dennis Archer speaks at Stetson University College of Law’s fall commencement Graduating class establishes scholarship fund

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Dennis Archer, the first person of color elected president of the American Bar Association, spoke to graduates at Stetson University College of Law’s fall commencement Dec. 20, in the College’s outdoor courtyard.

Archer was presented with an honorary doctorate for his distinguished accomplishments in the law and his commitment to community service. He is chairman of the 200-person, Detroit-based law firm Dickinson Wright PLLC and served as mayor of Detroit from 1994 to 2001. Governing magazine named Archer Public Official of the Year in 2000.

Stetson Law Dean Darby Dickerson said the College was honored to have such a renowned leader and legal scholar speak at commencement.

“Mr. Archer is an inspiration for our students to succeed personally and professionally,” she said.

The members of the graduating class presented a $20,500 check to establish a scholarship fund to aid future graduates as they prepare for the bar exam. Stetson matched the gift 2:1 to increase the fund to $30,750.

During the ceremony, 99 students received their degrees, including five who received the LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in International Law and Business. Seventeen students also earned a joint juris doctor and master’s degree in business administration from Stetson College of Law and the Stetson University School of Business Administration.

December 9- Security for seniors topic of free Stetson Law and Florida AARP forum Dec. 10

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Experts from around the state will advise senior citizens on personal and financial security at a consumer forum at Stetson University College of Law Wednesday, Dec. 10. The forum begins at 1 p.m. in Stetson’s Great Hall and is a joint-effort with the AARP of Florida.

Discussion topics will include warnings on how to avoid scams and con-artists, protection against identity theft, home repair fraud and financial exploitation.

Representatives from the following organizations will speak: the Attorney General’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Finance Services, the State Attorney’s Office, the Gulf Coast Legal Services and the Pinellas County Consumer Protection Agency and Stetson University College of Law.

The AARP is putting on a series of forums throughout the state to inform communities on consumer issues.

The forum is part of an effort by Stetson’s Consumer Protection Education Program to educate seniors on how to spot fraud and how to avoid becoming a target for criminals.

December 11- Security for seniors topic of recent free Stetson Law and Florida AARP forum

Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
(727) 562-5889

Gulfport, Fla. – Experts from around the state warned senior citizens on personal and financial security at a consumer forum at Stetson University College of Law Wednesday, Dec. 10.

A joint effort of Stetson and the AARP of Florida, the forum allowed seniors to learn and ask questions about a variety of issues facing them including advance health care directives, protection against identity theft and how to avoid scams and con-artists.

“Our best way to fight consumer fraud is to know about it,” said Nick Cox, professor and head of Stetson Law’s Elder Consumer Protection Program.

Clearwater senior Robert Weigel said personal protection is a constant concern for him.

“I don’t know how we can stop being scammed except to be as careful as we can be,” Weigel said.

In addition to longtime fraud issues, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation and seniors are the top targets. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Officer Telly Sands put it simply, “ID theft is just out of control.”

Sands recommended close attention and research into any organization before seniors give out their personal or financial information.

Along with dealing with financial issues, the forum also let seniors know about options available to establish their wishes for health care, such as living wills and health care surrogates, should the unexpected happen.

Because of the attention given to the Terri Schiavo case, there has been a greater effort for community education in this area, said Rebecca Morgan, Stetson’s Faculty Chair in Elder Law.

“Talk with your spouse, loved ones, significant others and be as specific as you can about what you want and why you want it because that increases the chances that what you want will get done,” Morgan said.

Representatives from the following organizations also spoke: the Attorney General’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office, the Gulf Coast Legal Services and the Pinellas County Consumer Protection Agency.

The AARP is putting on a series of forums throughout the state to inform communities on consumer issues.

The forum was part of a continuing effort by Stetson’s Consumer Protection Education Program to educate seniors on how to spot fraud and how to avoid becoming a target for criminals.

December 8- ABA President Dennis Archer to address graduates at Stetson University College of Law’s fall commencement

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Dennis Archer, the first person of color elected president of the American Bar Association, will speak to graduates at Stetson University College of Law’s fall commencement, 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 20, in the College’s outdoor courtyard.

Stetson will present Archer with an honorary doctorate for his distinguished accomplishments in the legal field and his commitment to community service. Archer is chairman of the 200-person, Detroit-based law firm Dickinson Wright PLLC and served as mayor of Detroit from 1994 to 2001. Governing magazine named Archer Public Official of the Year in 2000.

Stetson Law Dean Darby Dickerson said the College is honored to have such a renowned leader and legal scholar speak at commencement.

“Mr. Archer is an inspiration for our students to succeed personally and professionally,” she said.

During the ceremony, 102 students are expected to walk, including seven who will receive the LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in International Law and Business. Eighteen students also will earn a joint Juris Doctor and master’s degree in Business Administration from Stetson College of Law and the Stetson University School of Business Administration.

November 24- Stetson Law Professor Adams authors guide to succeeding in law school

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law Professor Kristen David Adams has written a definitive work on succeeding in law school, “The Practice of Law School: Getting in and Making the Most of Your Legal Education.”

The book has been very well received by the legal community. Nancy Rapoport, dean of University of Houston Law Center, wrote, ” ‘The Practice of Law School’ is the only book I’ve seen that shows potential law students both the forest and the trees.”

Adams’ goal is to help prospective students and their families understand law school and what it means to be a lawyer.

“I wrote this book to inspire people to be excited about law school,” Adams said. “The book is intended to encourage students to personalize their experience with fulfilling activities and student law organizations.”

Adams co-authored the book with longtime friend and former colleague Christen Civiletto Carey, Esq.

“We want to help new and aspiring law students succeed at every stage of their law school experience,” Adams said.

“The Practice of Law School” covers critical steps between deciding where to apply for law school and taking the bar exam, including need-to-know basics such as proper dress and typical attendance and grading policies.

Adams believes life outside the classroom is important in preparing students to succeed inside the courtroom.

For example, Adams and Carey begin their chapter on pre-law preparation with the following: “Preparing for law school is not just about reading the right books, taking the recommended courses, or talking with enough lawyers. Instead, much of a future lawyer’s preparation involves experience: experience with coursework, with people, and with life itself.”

Dean David E. Shipley, of University of Georgia School of Law, wrote, “My daughter will be a 1L this fall, and I am recommending that she read ‘The Practice of Law School.’ I probably should make it required reading for all my first-year students!”

“The Practice of Law School” was published by ALM Publishing, a division of American Lawyer Media. It is available at various online booksellers and at www.lawcatalog.com.

Adams graduated from Emory Law School with honors in 1995 and received the degree of Masters of Law from Yale Law School in 2000. While at Emory, she was a managing editor of the Emory Law Journal. Between her two law degrees, she was in private practice in Atlanta.

Adams recently spoke before the Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors at their annual meeting in Durham, N.C.

November 20- Delegation of Russian judges to visit Stetson Law Friday

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Media Advisory
Attention News/Assignment Editors

WHO: A delegation of judges and courtroom personnel from Saint Petersburg, Russia, will be at Stetson University College of Law to observe American legal education.

WHAT: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker will greet the delegation outside Stetson’s Sebring Courtroom. The group then will move into the courtroom to view a mock trial competition from Stetson Law students. Following the competition, Russian-speaking Stetson students will lead the delegation on a campus tour. Finally, there will be a luncheon with a presentation on the college’s Centers for Excellence.

WHEN: 10 a.m. –12 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21

WHERE: Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S, Gulfport, FL, 33707

WHY: The Russian delegation will visit Stetson University College of Law on Friday, Nov. 21, for an overview of legal education and advocacy training in the United States and to meet with students and faculty. Their visit is part of the cultural exchange Open World Program sponsored by the Library of Congress. The program invites emerging Russian political leaders to the United States to assist in building a democracy and market economy in the former Soviet Union.

November 12- Stetson Law Trial Teams place first, second in mock trial competition

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law trial teams finished first and second in the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers’ Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition. The prestigious event was held Nov. 8 and 9 at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach.

The Stetson team of Richard Barbara, Marc Semago, Gabrielle Osborne and Steven Kay defeated the other Stetson team of Meredith McCall, Slade Dukes, Sheetal Brahmbhatt and Neil Andrews in the finals. The Honorable Fred Lewis of the Florida Supreme Court presided over the final round.

Richard Barbara was named Best Advocate for the competition.

The Stetson teams each defeated groups from Florida State University in the semi-finals after defeating Florida State, the University of Miami, St. Thomas University and Florida Coastal School of Law in the preliminary rounds.

Trial team alumnus Thea Dalkalitsis coached the teams, and Stetson Law Professor Pam Bell accompanied them as faculty advisor.

Since the competition began, Stetson has more first-place finishes than all other Florida schools combined, often taking first and second place.

November 11- Record number of Stetson Law students named to Who’s Who list

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

Gulfport, Fla. – Forty-seven Stetson University College of Law students have been selected for national recognition as outstanding campus leaders, and their names will be included in the 2004 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Stetson deans and faculty recommended students to the editors of the annual directory who chose these students based on their academic achievement, service to the community and potential for continued success. The students also were selected for their involvement in Stetson Law Review, moot court, trial, or client skills board teams, the Calvin A. Kuenzel Student Bar Association, campus clubs and organizations, the Stetson Ambassadors or other outstanding service activities.

These Stetson students join an elite group of students from more than 2,300 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations.

Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1934.

Students named this year from Stetson University College of Law are:

 Ms. Jody Ann Rys Armstrong  Mr. Abulajiang “Jon” Baret
 Mr. Caleb A. Bendix  Ms. Beth L. Carlson
 Ms. Leslie A. Case  Ms. Mary M. Clapp
 Mr. Ian L. Clarke  Ms. Marisa J. Davies
 Ms. Nicole A. Deese  Mr. Slade V. Dukes
 Ms. Christa L. D’Urso-Folkers  Mr. Joel S. Elsea
 Ms. Jan Monet Fauntleroy  Mr. Larry Javan Grant
 Mr. Christopher W. Hayes  Mr. James Russell Headley
 Ms. Lauren M. Hosie  Ms. Aleksandra I. Jagiella
 Ms. Christine M. Jalbert  Ms. Lyndy C. Jennings
 Ms. Andrea M. Johnson  Mr. Camar R. Jones
 Mr. Christopher M. Lovelady  Ms. Kelly A. McKnight
 Mr. Bryan David McLeod  Ms. Julia A. Metts
 Mr. Steven C. Morgan  Ms. Meredith A. McCall
 Ms. Christine E. Pejot  Ms. Meredith A. Phipps
 Mr. Michael J. Quesada  Ms. Lisa J. Rhein
 Ms. Cynthia Elizabeth Richards  Ms. Elizabeth V. Samorukova
 Mr. J. Scott Slater  Ms. S. Nicole Smith
 Mr. Ruben E. Socarras Jr.  Ms. N. Karen Steverson
 Ms. Jane E. Stoetzel  Ms. Susan V. Stromberg
 Mr. Garrett L. Pendleton  Mr. Jason L. Turner
 Ms. Rena J. Upshaw-Frazier  Mr. Edwin V. Valen
 Mr. Wayne K. Wilkes Jr.  Ms. Anne L. Weintraub
 Ms. Sema Yildirim  

November 6- Stetson University College of Law hosts conference on ‘The Future of Aging’

Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
(727) 562-5889

Gulfport, Fla. – To address critical legal and policy issues related to the aging population in the United States, Stetson University College of Law will host a conference on Nov. 7 at the Radisson Resort Parkway in Orlando, Fla.

The keynote speaker will be Bentley Lipscomb, AARP Florida State Director. Other featured speakers include: Bob Jackson of Boyer Jackson, P.A., Sarasota; Lyn Bodiford, state affairs coordinator of AARP Florida; Horatio Soberon, director of planning and evaluation for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs; and Nancy Coleman, executive director of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging.
The conference includes an inside look at the influence of elderly voters on elections by Matthew A. Towery, co-founder and chairman of InsiderAdvantage.com in Atlanta, Ga.

Other sessions include:

The Future of Aging – Global Perspectives

  • Sue Field, senior research assistant, The Centre for Elder Law, University of West Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • Dr. Israel Doron, Haifa University, Department of Gerontology, Haifa, Israel
  • Helen Meenan, Jean Monnet Chair in European Law at Kingston Law School, Surrey, England

Cultural Diversity in an Aging Population

  • Carolyn Hill, DuPree Hill & Hill, Clearwater, Fla.
  • Felix Hill, DuPree Hill & Hill, Clearwater, Fla.
  • Professor Luz Nagle, Stetson University College of Law
  • Ann Soden, The Estate and Elder Law Practice of Ann Soden, Montreal, Canada
  • Neelofer Syed, LL.M. student, International Law and Business, Stetson University College of Law

Ethics in an Elder Law Practice

  • Professor Roberta K. Flowers, director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, Stetson University College of Law
  • Professor Rebecca C. Morgan, Stetson University College of Law

For additional information or to register for the conference, please contact Stetson’s Office for Continuing Legal Education at (727) 562-7830 or [email protected]. Information is also available at www.law.stetson.edu/cle.

This conference is in place of the International Aging Law and Policy Conference, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 6-7. This conference is being offered as a service of Stetson University College of Law and is intended to provide the legal community greater access to this vital information.

November 5- Stetson Law to honor Veterans Day with World War II Speakers

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

Gulfport, Fla. – World War II veterans and a Holocaust survivor will speak at Stetson University College of Law Nov. 12 and 13 from 12-1:30 p.m. in Stetson’s Great Hall commemorating Veteran’s Day.

The programs will honor the sacrifices of what has been called “The Greatest Generation” and discuss the events of World War II, warning students to “Remember It or Relive It.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Auschwitz survivor Philip Gans will share his experiences growing up as a Jew in Nazi-controlled Holland and his three-year captivity in concentration camps. Gans’ appearance is sponsored by Stetson’s Department of Graduate and International Programs and the campus chapter of the Jewish Law Student Association.

On Thursday, Nov. 13, The Department of Graduate and International Programs, headed by Stetson Law Professor John Cooper, also will welcome a panel of speakers.

“This is an opportunity for our students to hear firsthand about the experiences of people they have only read about,” Cooper said. “It will be very interesting to hear from speakers who experienced the war from different perspectives.”

Thursday’s speakers will include:

    • Retired Federal Bankruptcy Judge Alexander Paskay, an honorary member of the College of Law’s Board of Overseers. Judge Paskay was in the Hungarian Army during World War II. The Germans marched him across Europe, and eventually Paskay turned himself over to British forces. Fluent in several languages, Paskay became an interpreter and worked with the Allies during war crimes investigations.

 

  • Lt. Col. Warren Meyer was a U.S. B-24 pilot who flew bombing missions over Europe in World War II. Meyer also was involved in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

 

 

  • Casmir Majewski was 10 years old when Soviet forces made him and his family leave their native Poland. The family lived in stables in Uzbekistan before Majewski’s mother died of illness and his father tried to join the Polish Army and was never heard from again. Majewski is the father of Stetson Associate Dean Jan Majewski.

 

 

  • Peter Klein was a German Luftwaffe pilot who now lives in Pinellas County. He was shot down four times during the war, but never captured as a prisoner of war. He became an American citizen in the 1950s.

 

Stetson Law Professor Robert Davis, a Commander in the United States Naval Reserves, will moderate the panel and a question-and-answer session.