Her new role became official Saturday, May 14 at the 2022 NAELA Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1987, the organization offers resources to attorneys, professional organizations and other entities whose work involves helping older and disabled Americans resolve problems unique to those populations. This work includes helping clients make critical healthcare decisions, drafting of special needs trusts, and seeking income benefits.
Building the elder law community
For Flowers, the role is the culmination of many years of leadership in the elder law community. She said her new title is an honor.
“I am so honored to serve as the president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. NAELA attorneys are compassionate, talented, and professional,” Flowers said. “It is an amazing group and I am proud to be a member.”
Over her term, Flowers said she has big plans for the nonprofit that aim to continue the legacy of the organization’s founders in maintaining the “NAELA kindred spirit” while welcoming the next generation of elder and disability law attorneys.
She added that she will be looking for ways to encourage people of color to join the organization’s ranks so NAELA can continue to find ways to serve underrepresented communities. Concentrating on new technologies and ways to engage new elder and disability law attorneys will also be a priority.
A legacy of compassion & forward-thinking
A pioneering force for elder law at Stetson University College of Law and beyond, Flowers is director of Stetson Law’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law. Flowers and another elder law leader at Stetson Law, Professor Rebecca Morgan, were given the Florida Supreme Court Professionalism Award for a series of videos they created to train attorneys on how to confront ethical challenges that arise in elder law cases. They also created the first “elder-friendly courtroom” designed to accommodate the unique needs of elder Americans.
Under Flowers’ and Morgan’s leadership, Stetson Law hosts the annual National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts at the Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg. This year’s event takes place October 12-14 and will feature nationally known speakers with critical insights on special needs trusts.
Stetson Law alumna and adjunct professor Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy (1981-2022).
An outpouring of loving tributes and fond memories from the Stetson Law community follows the loss of alumna, adjunct professor, mentor, and all-around powerful presence, Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy. Students and colleagues reflected on her humor, her passion, and her willingness to help students be the best advocates they can be.
Jean-Pierre Coy graduated from Stetson Law in 2004. While on campus, she was active with Stetson’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA). After graduating, she returned to campus as a mentor and as an adjunct professor and became known for being generous with her time in helping students.
“Theresa was a friend, mentor, and professor to so many of us within the Stetson Law community and beyond. She is the epitome of what it means to empower and serve, both through her legal expertise and her passion for the ‘Beloved Community’ that Dr. King asked us all to behold,” said alumna Carmen Johnson, who is now Stetson University’s Executive Officer for Diversity, Collaboration, and Inclusion.
Ambition, advocacy, & empowerment
In her 18 years as a legal professional, she quickly rose through the ranks to become a high-profile advocate. She worked for the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender’s Office upon earning her J.D. before launching her own practice. In January of 2022, she was hired by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office to lead the office’s Conviction Review Unit.
No matter her role, she always came back to Stetson Law to help students navigate law school – especially Black female law students, a historically underrepresented group within the legal profession.
“Theresa not only taught us about the essence of being a lawyer, but also how to get a seat at the table and promote diversity within the profession,” Johnson said. “Even as she accomplished so many impactful things throughout her life, she constantly checked in to encourage and empower others.”
Stetson Law alumna Valeria Obi said she first met Jean-Pierre Coy as a 1L. Well into her career, Jean-Pierre Coy had returned to campus to mentor students. After graduation, Obi said, the two developed a good friendship.
“Our connection came full circle when I was fortunate enough to become her vice president for the George Edgecomb Bar Association (GEBA),” Obi said. “Through GEBA, our relationship grew, and I quickly realized how her humorous personality, insightful words of wisdom, and keen knowledge of the law impacted everyone she interacted with, including myself. The legal profession really lost a beautiful soul and I’m so happy that I was able to know her.”
An adjunct who inspired
As an adjunct professor at Stetson Law, Jean-Pierre Coy sought to inspire students to be the best advocates they could be. 3L Deja Gordon, who is the current BLSA president, said she was a “phenomenal mentor” and a “stellar trial advocacy professor.”
“As a professor, she demanded that we bring our best to class,” she said. “She was passionate about advocacy and every day that she showed up to teach us, she brought all of her life experience and passion with her.”
Gordon added that Jean-Pierre Coy, not only showed up for students, but put in the extra mile when asked. As a 1L, Gordon said she asked her to meet for guidance on her law school journey, a conversation Jean-Pierre Coy ended by telling her “I am here for anything you need.”
“As a 3L, I can truly say that through this journey, she kept that promise,” Gordon said. “She was there for everyone. With each text, each phone call, and each Zoom meeting, Theresa was always there. Losing Theresa is a devastating blow to us all, but her legacy will live on through every person that she touched.”
A shining light
Stetson College of Law Dean Michèle Alexandre said Jean-Pierre Coy exemplified the Stetson Law community at its best: driven to succeed, passionate for advocacy, engaged in the community, and determined to help others succeed.
“Theresa’s light shone brightly and inspired us all. We are incredibly fortunate to have had such an exceptional person remain a consistent presence in this community,” Alexandre said. “Stetson Law is a better place because of Theresa, and we will deeply miss her.”
Just weeks prior to her passing, Jean-Pierre Coy delivered a virtual keynote address to students as part of the Office of Professional and Career Development’s annual Campus to Career programming. Sharing a screen with her husband, Travis Coy, a Stetson Law alumnus with whom she had a son named Thaddeus, Jean-Pierre Coy urged 1L and 2L students to keep going, and to always take a moment to breathe.
“Her work and enthusiasm for service will continue to live on as we pass on her example to the next generation of lawyers and advocates,” Johnson said.
Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy tours the Veterans Law Institute with Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox and Dean Michèle Alexandre.
Amid the bustle of graduation-day activities, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy carved out some time for a tour of Stetson Law’s Veterans Law Institute.
Between the first and second of the three graduation ceremonies that took place Saturday, May 14, Remy, who delivered the commencement address at all three, joined Professor and VLI Director Stacey-Rae Simcox, Dean Michèle Alexandre, staff members, and graduates at the state-of-the-art facility.
“I wanted to come back and visit here just to see the place and see where you guys congregate, where you study, where you learn and where you build your future. Because it’s in your hands – you know that, right? It’s all about tomorrow,” Remy said.
A space for veterans
A veteran himself, Remy learned about how the building was outfitted with veterans in mind.
“This building is specifically designed for disabled veterans – both students and our clients who come in,” Simcox said.
Those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder will find curved ceilings and no hidden corners. The rooms are acoustically soundproofed for the comfort of those with tinnitus or hearing loss and outfitted with variable lighting that can be adjusted for student comfort.
During the tour, Simcox and graduates Barrett Hand, Andrew Zacherl, Richard Harrylal, and David Hines explained the types of cases the VLI assists with and the work the students do for veterans to improve their lives.
Remy noted how rare entities like the VLI are, and commended the team for their work on behalf of veterans.
Supporting the VLI mission
Simcox said the Remy’s visit to the VLI was important to its students and clients.
“The VA has been very supportive of veterans clinics at law schools across the country,” Simcox said. “VA’s relationship with these clinics and their students has truly impacted the future of veterans law and encouraged law students to practice veterans law and to help veterans pro bono in the future.”
The VA also supported the creation of the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, a non-profit founded by Stetson’s VLI and two other law schools, which currently has members from thirty-five other law schools. In 2018, the agency appointed the Consortium as a Veterans Service Organization.
With help from volunteer lawyers, partner organizations, students, and others, the Veterans Law Institute aims to provide legal services to current and former members of the military throughout the Tampa Bay region who need it. Through the Veterans Advocacy Clinic, Simcox oversees students as they gain experience helping veterans appeal their cases when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs denies disability benefits.
Graduates at the Spring 2022 enjoyed sunshine and camaraderie.
Under bright, sunny skies Saturday morning and afternoon, more than 250 Stetson Law students officially became Stetson Law alumni. Comprising three ceremonies, graduation took place in the Plaza Mayor.
The three ceremonies took place at 8:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. Each began with a ceremonial procession featuring bagpipes followed by marshals, graduating students, legacies, faculty, and the platform party.
A pair of bagpipers leads the commencement procession into the Plaza Mayor.
Once all were seated, Stetson University College of Law Dean Michèle Alexandre welcomed the graduates and their loved ones, acknowledge active-duty military and veterans among those gathered, and spoke about the graduates’ exceptional resilience and grit, which she said prepares them for meaningful advocacy careers.
Stetson Law Dean Michele Alexandre gave a moving speech to the graduating class.
“As I pondered the issues we face today in this increasingly complex world: climate change, global wars, and my conviction has reinforced that you are well prepared to join us in tackling these problems,” she said. “That is because you are the embodiment of the qualities that it takes to rise to this moment in our history. You, 2022 graduates, have had to adapt and transcend conditions and a national landscape for which there was no blueprint. You faced it all and excelled.”
Stetson University President Christopher Roellke leads graduates out of a Spring 2022 commencement event.
In addition to the rigors of academic life at Stetson Law, the new graduates assembled there faced the unique challenge of attending the bulk of law school amid a global pandemic in a time of political upheaval – something not lost on those who spoke.
“You’ve made it to the end of a remarkable journey, and I commend you for your resilience, your tenacity and for all that you have accomplished during what I have been calling a ‘once-in-a-century set of challenges’ for higher education,” said Stetson University President Christopher Roellke, PhD. “You made it. You made it through lockdowns, online learning, virtual meetings, lost internet connections, masks, handwashing, and physical distancing. You endured and you made it.”
Students wait as a Spring 2022 commencement ceremony begins.
A keynote from the Deputy Secretary of the V.A.
After President Roellke bestowed on him an honorary doctor of laws, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy gave a lively commencement address that expressed the gravity of the work the grads will soon be doing as lawyers. But his speech was not without levity.
Deputy VA Secretary Donald Remy gave the Spring 2022 commencement keynote.
He said his friend and former colleague, Stetson Law Professor Royal Gardner, offered him pointers for giving the address: keep it short, keep it simple, and avoid cliches like telling the students “to be courageous as you go out into the brave new world.” It was that last bit of advice, Remy joked, that he couldn’t completely follow.
“I’m going to come dangerously close to telling you all ‘to be courageous as you go out into the brave new world,’” Remy said. “Because that’s part of your responsibility as new lawyers. In accepting this call to become lawyers, to join this profession of law, you have an opportunity, but you also have a responsibility. And that responsibility is to right wrongs. It’s to look at challenges both large and small and make a difference. And most importantly, it’s to hold our great nation accountable to its promises.”
Family and friends gathered in the Plaza Mayor to watch the Spring 2022 graduation ceremony.
He told the graduates that as lawyers, they help ensure that the words in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence will never ring hollow – and they will defend the fundamental promises upon which the U.S. was founded.
Friends and family looked on as the ceremony took place.
“After three years of law school, you know better than many that democracy isn’t destiny,” Remy said. “It doesn’t just survive on its own. It’s on you to preserve and protect it. You know better than anyone that progress doesn’t just happen. It’s on you to make it happen.”
Provost Noel Painter and Assistant Dean Darryl Wilson exit the Plaza Mayor after a Spring 2022 commencement ceremony.
Virtual words of encouragement from key leaders
In short, pre-recorded videos, some of the most prominent Stetson Law community leaders congratulated the graduating classes and encouraged them to advocate for a better world.
Stetson University Board of Trustees Chair Maureen Breakiron-Evans said the graduates join a community of Stetson Law alumni that has spanned a century and urged them to stay connected with the Stetson Law community with which they shared a law school journey in unprecedented times.
Stetson University Board of Trustees Chair Maureen Breakiron-Evans.
“You are graduating at a time of political polarization and fake news,” she said. “You’ve had to navigate through a global pandemic to complete your studies, and that’s been challenging for everyone. Your future lies before you as blank pages in a book in which you will write the story of your personal life’s journey.”
Mitchell Schlermer, current president of the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association, told the new alumni that this is a monumental moment for their careers and that he looks forward to having them join the ranks of Stetson Law alumni and lawyers.
“Enjoy the moment,” he said. “Enjoy bar study, as hard as it might be, because soon you’ll have a lifetime of law practice to look forward to.”
Tala El-Ghali, who served as Student Bar Association president in her 3L year, encouraged her fellow grads to use their hard-won advocacy skills to fight for a better world.
“Whether you make $40k or $400k, we as attorneys will carry substantial power and influence within our communities, and I encourage you all to make good-faith efforts to exercise this power in impactful ways both inside and outside of the legal profession,” she said.
Stetson University College of Law Dean Michèle Alexandre speaks to the spring 2022 Honors & Awards recipients
For the first time since 2019, Stetson University College of Law held an in-person ceremony to recognize the graduates who excelled in their academic achievements.
Held in the Great Hall and streamed online on Friday, May 13, the eve of the spring commencement ceremony, the event heralded students who graduated with honors, earned certificates of concentration and joint degrees, participated in advocacy competitions, or worked on one of Stetson Law’s academic journals. Over 150 awards were bestowed. Honorees included December 2021 graduates in addition to the spring 2022 graduating class honorees.
“Graduates, being honored today is a defining moment in your legal careers,” said Stetson College of Law Dean Michèle Alexandre. “At our Honors and Awards ceremony, we recognize your numerous achievements during law school above and beyond the already very high standards expected of you. Today, we recognize your contributions to this community, and to society at large.”
Alexandre urged the honorees to continue going above and beyond what is expected of them as legal professionals in serving their communities – and commended them for helping Stetson Law earn national recognition for trial advocacy, legal writing, and dispute resolution as well as logging thousands of pro bono hours while helping others.
“You have earned this time to celebrate your achievements in law school,” she said. “Your law school friends celebrate with you here today, and those at home are rewarded at seeing the years of support that brought you to this moment.”
In brief remarks to those gathered, Stetson University President Christopher Roellke, PhD, congratulated the students for persevering despite unprecedented challenges.
“I will give you more remarks tomorrow, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you the entire Stetson University community is incredibly proud of you,” Roellke said. “This has not been easy over the last couple of years, and you have persevered. You were resilient, and you made it. Congratulations.”
Next, Dr. Noel Painter, Vice-President and Provost of Stetson University addressed the honorees, noting that the characteristics that helped them earn honors that evening reflect Stetson’s values as an institution.
“Today, you are recognized not only because you are aligned with what Stetson is, but because you have excelled at those things that Stetson values: hard work, the highest academic learning, and developing a caring, ethical community,” Painter said. “I am proud to be part of a community that celebrates those values, and exceptionally pleased to be here tonight to honor each of you who embody the characteristics that have made Stetson what she is today. Congratulations to each of you.”
Law Professor Judith Scully presented the first series of awards, starting with the William F. Blew Pro Bono Service Awards, named for an alumnus and Stetson Law Hall of Fame member.
“All of our students are required to perform 60 hours of pro bono in order to qualify for graduation,” Scully said. “These students, however, have gone far beyond the extra mile; and as a group they have selflessly given over 20,000 hours of their time to legal agencies and nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities, the elderly, war veterans and other vulnerable populations.”
Law Professor Stephanie Vaughan announced and issued the second half of the awards, starting with the Stetson Law Review awards. Vaughan is chair of Stetson Law’s Honors and Awards committee, which identifies students deserving of awards.
The event culminated with the announcement of three major awards: the Walter Mann Award, the Dean’s Excellence Award, and the Edward D. Foreman Most Distinguished Student Award.
The Walter Mann award was given to Jessica Lauren Merkel. This award’s namesake is perhaps best known for helping organize the College of Law Board of Overseers and serving as its first president.
The recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award was Deja Monét Gordon, who was president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and competed as part of the Trial Team.
Jennifer Lynn Rex was given the Edward D. Foreman Most Distinguished Student Award. This award is meant to honor the “best all-around student” who has shown passion for advocacy and community service. It was established by Bonnie Foreman in her late husband’s name. The couple were jointly inducted into the Stetson Law Hall of Fame in 2010. In addition to the award, Rex’s name has been cast in bronze and will be secured to the plaque outside the Great Hall, and she was given a $5,000 check.
Professors Anne Mullins, Joseph Morrissey, and Kirsten Davis were recognized for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research, respectively, in spring of 2022.
As the 2021-2022 academic year drew to a close, Stetson University College of Law Dean Michèle Alexandre recognized Stetson Law faculty members whose work best reflects the law school’s mission. The series of awards honored them for their impact on student achievement and Stetson Law’s national reputation.
The Homer & Dolly Hand Award in Faculty Research: Professor Kirsten Davis
Stetson Law alumna Dolly Hand established this award to honor faculty who are dedicated teachers, have recent notable scholarship or creative work achievements in their areas of expertise, and who strive to make a difference within their communities.
In recent years, she has been exploring the role of lawyers as citizens with a special responsibility for justice, a role that every state’s ethics rules recognize. Through a lens guided by rhetorical theory, her scholarly, creative, and service work has explored lawyers’ professional identity as a rhetorical practice – in particular, the lawyer’s ability and obligation to speak as public citizens on matters of public concern, including social justice.
This work includes two scholarly articles, a book chapter, regular posts on LawProf Blog Network Appellate Advocacy Blog, and service that includes participating in the Florida Bar’s Special Committee to Review Professionalism in Florida.
The Dickerson-Brown Award in Faculty Scholarship: Professor Anne Mullins
Selected by the Dean with input from the Faculty Scholarship Committee, this award recognizes a faculty member who has published a book in the past two years, or multiple, highly regarded works of scholarship over a two-year period, thereby helping significantly enhance the College of Law’s academic reputation.
Professor Anne Mullins, who said she was “thrilled to receive the award,” said three projects were critical in helping her earn the recognition. She authored the new textbook Florida Legal Research, which multiple law schools throughout the state have adopted. As part of the Feminist Judgments Project, she reimagined U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion in Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa in a way that reached “the same ultimate result but through the application of feminist theory and very different rhetorical techniques.” The third project, Unending Conversation, involves working with the Stetson Law Review Forum to “feature essays responding to extant legal writing scholarship.”
She said working with students on Unending Conversation has been incredibly rewarding.
“I had the opportunity to work with an exceptional team of Stetson Law Review staffers, led by Liz Kellar, alongside a group of nationally known legal writing scholars,” Mullins said. “Every member of the project was incredibly thoughtful, engaged, and hard-working. They really inspired me in my work on the project.”
The Excellence in Teaching Award: Professor Joseph Morrissey
This award is given to a full-time professor who has made outstanding contributions in teaching students both inside and outside the classroom – as well as by example. A professor who is part of Stetson Law’s business law concentration faculty, Professor Joseph Morrissey was named the 2021-2023 Leroy Highbaugh Research Chair in May of 2021. Under that designation, he is researching and writing a book on surrogacy. He said it’s an honor to yet again be recognized for his passion for teaching and mentoring students.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this year’s Excellence in Teaching Award,” said Morrissey. “For me, working with and mentoring students is the reason I came to academia. It’s truly a privilege to be a part of each student’s personal and professional development. Moreover it is absolutely energizing to work with our students, who are generally infectiously enthusiastic about the future.”
Clockwise from top left: University of Notre Dame Law Professor Veronica Martinez, Stetson Law Professor Louis Virelli III, and Kimberly Humphrey, senior legislative counsel at the Alliance for Justice
Hours before a leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves through the public sphere, a panel of legal experts that included Stetson Law Professor and constitutional law expert Louis J. Virelli III talked ethics standards on the high court and why they’re hard to enforce.
The American Constitution Society discussion focused heavily on recusals in light of calls for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ recusal on cases involving his wife, activist Ginni Thomas, and her involvement in the events that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. The conversation was called “Supreme but not Immune: Creating a Binding Code of Ethics for Supreme Court Justices.” ACS president and former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin Russ Feingold called the controversy over Justice Thomas “the proverbial elephant in the room.”
“This is an egregious ethical lapse given the Thomases’ close connection as spouses and the existential threat to democracy that its offenders represent,” Feingold said.
The lack of a clear solution
The panel explored how to impose greater accountability to prevent ethical lapses among U.S. Supreme Court justices and why Congress has been limited in its ability to do so. There is, for example, a code of conduct for United States judges, but it doesn’t apply to Supreme Court justices.
“Supreme Court justices are not replaceable,” Virelli, a faculty advisor on Stetson Law’s student ACS chapter, said. “So when a Supreme Court justice is recused or recuses themselves, it changes the number and makeup of the court, and therefore you have a different institution.”
Congress can technically pass a law enforcing ethical standards, but as Virelli pointed out, there have been 18 proposed laws introduced that would have done this – and none have passed. Virelli said that every case the court hears has enough of its own nuances that a policy governing recusals and other ethical issues would be weak and unsatisfactory.
“My view is, the best way to do this is to focus on the due process clause and the equivalent of public shaming, where instead of saying a justice did or did not follow a legal standard, the justice is just wrong and being unethical,” he said.
Panelist Veronica Root Martinez, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, who researches professional and organizational ethics, countered that public shaming won’t work in the current polarized media environment because of social media.
“I don’t think you can be a Supreme Court justice right now without choosing to ignore a lot of the commentary about you,” Martinez said.
The congressional route
Martinez said she supports congressional action, given how the state intervenes in many other instances of professional misconduct – and how Congress already determines the number of Supreme Court justices, what constitutes a quorum, and other factors. An enforceable ethics code might help improve public trust in the court, which is heavily damaged, she said.
“It is eroding the legitimacy of the court for people to continue to think the court is increasingly partisan,” Martinez said. “And whether that is or is not true, the lack of an ethics standard is contributing to the belief of the public that the court is just a partisan show that isn’t actually putting out objective and legitimate decisions. And that is bad for the rule of law, and that is bad for the country.”
If Congress can’t enforce ethical standards and the Supreme Court won’t do it on its own, the solution may need to be a creative one.
“I think the blame is in justices who are willing to be fast and loose with their ethical obligations. And I don’t know that we can fix that in a traditional legal way,” Virelli said.
While debate remained over how to create accountability, the panelists agreed that something needs to be done.
“We know that these issues have been percolating for some time,” said moderator Kimberly Humphrey, senior legislative counsel for the Alliance for Justice. “I do believe that it has gotten to a point where it can’t be ignored.”
Father-and-son duo Rick and Key Morrow both received their J.D.s in December 2021 and subsequently passed the February 2022 Florida Bar exam.
Rick Morrow was at the gym, trying to distract himself from the pending Florida Bar exam results that were supposed to drop in several hours, when his son, Key, called. The results came down earlier than expected; Key had passed.
Rick rushed to see if he passed. After weeks of fretting over the February exam, Rick learned he had also passed. It was an unusual feeling, the culmination of years of study and lessons gained along an unconventional path for the father and son.
“Surreal, I would say,” Rick said. “It was an eight-year journey.”
Key and Rick Morrow received their J.D.s from Stetson Law in December 2021 through the college’s part-time program. They took most of their classes together, carpooled to class prior to the pandemic, studied together, and took the bar together.
“I think we benefitted from each other’s presence there,” Key said.
How they got here
The father and son duo’s journey was far from conventional.
Rick had been an entrepreneur who invested in apartment buildings, laundromats, and eventually an auto dealership, but had never earned a college degree.
As a freshman in high school, Key suffered from cancer – and missed a lot of school as a result. The illness coincided with financial stresses that he was working overtime to overcome. The ordeal affected his morale, and he eventually dropped out.
“High school kind of fizzled out after my junior year,” he said.
Over the course of Key’s illness, he and his father had grown close – “more like best friends than father and son,” as Rick put it. Key became a certified nursing assistant, but it didn’t take long for higher education to call. So the two took on postsecondary education side-by-side, first earning associate’s degrees from St. Petersburg College, bachelor’s degrees from University of South Florida St. Petersburg (Key majored in psychology; Rick majored in political science), and, J.D.s from Stetson Law.
Because St. Petersburg was home for them – they are originally from New Hampshire, but moved there when Key was young enough to have taken some of his first steps on St. Pete Beach – they were set on Stetson Law.
“We didn’t apply anywhere else,” Rick said. The two enrolled in Stetson Law’s part-time program because the full-time program was full. They sold the auto dealership they ran together to they could focus on their studies. Both spent countless hours in the library.
Persevering through a pandemic
The two got involved with student organizations and held leadership positions within the Student Bar Association’s part-time-students’ division. When COVID-19 hit, they had to take their studies online.
“We lost our library,” Key said. “We started doing a lot of Zoom meetings.”
Much of their preparation for the Florida Bar exam was also virtual, the Morrows said. Yet they prevailed, as did many of their classmates, despite the challenging circumstances.
Key and Rick were part of the group of Stetson Law bar takers that had a notably high passage rate of 77.8 percent – the second-highest in the state for the February 2022 round. Many were classmates-turned-friends.
“Most of us were cohorts, and we killed it,” Rick said.
In the short time since the results came down, both secured full-time employment at Florida firms: Rick was hired at Orlando-based firm Killgore, Pearlman, Semanie & Squires PA, where he’ll be doing transactional work. Key will be handling cases involving labor, employment, and general liability at Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.
The 26th Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition took place Apr. 7-9, 2022.
For the first time since 2019, the International Environmental Moot Court Competition brought teams from around the world to Stetson Law to compete in the international finals. The event’s 26th edition brought 12 teams from 11 countries and five continents together for a spirited event April 7-9.
Teams argued a fictional case involving armed conflict, protected wetlands, and vulnerable sea turtle nesting areas.
Current events inspired the premise, and current events affected the event itself. A team from Ukraine had to cancel plans to attend as a result of Russia’s invasion of the country; they sent a moving video message to those in attendance. Teams from Bangladesh and India were unable to attend due to COVID-19-related visa issues. A team from Nairobi, Kenya was able to attend – but only because their visas got approved just a day before their scheduled departure.
“Despite travel-related challenges, the event went smoothly. I was impressed and inspired by the students’ advocacy skills, as well as their resilience and good cheer,” said Professor Royal Gardner, the competition’s founder and main organizer. “It was such a joy to host the teams in person after being virtual for two years.”
From bumpy travels to brilliant triumphs
Micah Cheyenne Ecarma of the University of the Philippines College of Law said her team had students from every level, which, due to time constraints, meant they could only practice once a week. Despite this, they made it to the final round.
“In the end, we saw our efforts bear fruit and witness each other’s improvements. Instead of dreading our preparations, we started looking forward to them,” Ecarma, who won Best Oralist for the preliminary rounds, said.
Micah Cheyenne Ecarma of the University of the Philippines College of Law, whose team was an IEMCC finalist, and Professor Royal Gardner. Ecarma also one Best Oralist for the preliminary rounds.
The trip from Manila to Gulfport wasn’t easy. A connecting flight was delayed, and the team even got separated. They arrived safely, albeit more than a half-day later than planned. Ecarma said ultimately, competing in person – especially on such a beautiful campus as Stetson Law’s – made the trip worth it.
“We were blown away when we first set foot in the halls of Stetson. Being in such a lovely campus really inspired us and kept us calm and focused during our rounds,” Ecarma said. “We also really loved competing in the rooms themselves, as they really gave us the full experience of doing oral arguments in a courtroom in front of a panel of judges.”
Rising to the occasion
Participants commended the event’s organizers for a well-executed event.
“The organizers rose to the occasion given the challenges that we are facing to facilitate travel, accommodation, and paperwork. They kept us well fed, coordinated volunteers and judges, and gave comfortable space to work on campus to 12 teams from five continents,” said Verónica Cáceres Chamorro, who served as a championship round judge for the event.
“I was delighted to see how knowledgeable the students participating in the Moot Court were of the entire IAC text, resolutions, and the research they did outside legal documents…addressing sea turtle threats – not only lighting, but climate change, dangers in the marine habitat with a marina and boat strikes, damage to nests from people walking on the beach, to the socioeconomic aspects,” she said.
IEMCC 2022: Results and recognition
The final round was between two teams from the Philippines: University of the Philippines College of Law and University of Cebu School of Law, Philippines. The latter was ultimately the winner. A University of Cebu School of Law competitor, Golda Marie Lim, won Best Oralist in the final round.
Team members from Kenya and Korea sign a world map that will be presented to the Ukrainian team, who were the 2022 recipients of the Spirit of Stetson Award.
Semifinalists were Singapore Management University and Law Society of Ireland.
Best Memorial went to University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Though they could not be present to compete, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla, Ukraine was given the Spirit of Stetson Award.
A Stetson Law graduate is among the top-scoring test-takers who took the Florida Bar exam in February 2022. Craig Zyburo, who graduated with his J.D. in December 2021, did so well on the test, he has been invited to speak at the Second District Court of Appeals swearing-in ceremony on May 2 – an honor reserved only for the highest-achieving test-takers.
In all, 443 February 2022 exam-takers were admitted to the Florida Bar. While he worked hard to prepare for the exam, Zyburo said he did not go into it with the expectation that his score would ultimately be among the highest statewide.
“I just wanted to pass!” he said. “I had no idea what I would score or if I would even pass on my first try.”
With a 77.8 percent pass rate, Stetson Law ranked second in the state for February 2022 Florida Bar exam passage, and was about a percentage point away from the top spot. It is the first time since 2014 Stetson Law has had a top statewide pass rate.
Diligent study and preparation were key to Zyburo’s success, he said. He employed multiple prep methods, including several resources offered through Stetson Law’s Academic Success & Bar Preparation Services office.
“I definitely put in a ton of work and a lot of hours for bar prep,” Zyburo said. “I usually studied eight hours a day, six days a week for about nine weeks.”
Born in New York City and raised in Naples, Florida, Zyburo holds a B.A. in Psychology, Cum Laude, from Boston College.
Prior to attending Stetson Law’s part-time J.D. program, he spent a decade teaching special education at local public schools. He lives in Dunedin with his wife, Viviana, and their two children.
Now that he has been admitted to the Florida Bar, Zyburo said he will be practicing insurance defense with the firm Andrews Biernacki Davis, where he previously held a summer clerk position. That clerkship, along with an externship with The World Triathlon Corporation (the company that produces IRONMAN events), “really gave me some solid legal experience,” he said.
He graduated from Stetson Law December 9, 2021, the same day his wife graduated from nursing school.
Professor Catherin Smith speaks at Stetson Law in April, 2022
The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down in Brown vs. Board of Education is a lauded as pivotal moment for civil rights.
Originally filed by the Brown family and a dozen other Black families against a Topeka, Kansas school district, it contested the constitutionality of forcing Black students to bus to segregated schools and challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine put forth by Plessy v. Ferguson decades earlier.
Earlier this month, University of Denver Sturm College of Law Professor Catherine Smith visited the Stetson Law Campus to assert that the case’s legacy may go beyond its groundbreaking impact on civil rights and education law in the U.S.
“I’m asking you to think of it as a landmark children’s rights case,” she told the audience gathered in the Great Hall and watching virtually over Zoom.
How “separate but equal” reinforced inequality
In Brown, she said, the plaintiffs contended that Black children being required to attend segregated schools in Kansa, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and DC could never be considered equal to schools barring non-white students. The psychological impact of school segregation on Black children, the court recognized, “affected Black children’s hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone.” Segregation permanently locked children in racial castes, she said, thereby reinforcing racial inequalities.
“So, this lost children’s equality jurisprudence serves as a constitutional check on caste creation by ensuring young people’s advancement on individual merit and preventing state practices that lock classes of children and the groups to which they belong into an underclass, or into a caste – into some sort of group hierarchy,” Smith said.
An unexplored legal realm
Despite what she sees as an obvious avenue for exploring and developing a children’s rights-centered approach that could be applied cases involving juveniles, courts currently apply precedents and tests that stem from adult cases. Smith believes looking at Brown through a children’s rights lens could change that.
“It’s time for us to recognize this nascent children’s equality law and build on it,” she said. “It’s wide-open, I promise you. You will look and not be able to find a doctrine that talks about it in this way that I’ve been able to see.”
Fostering “constructive and healthy discourse” about law
In her remarks ahead of Smith’s lecture, Stetson Law Dean Michèle Alexandre said such discussions are critical.
“National and global events continue to highlight the importance of constructive and healthy discourse about our legal systems, including those that impact our children and other vulnerable populations,” she said. “As legal scholars tasked with training new generations of lawyers and advocates, we are honored to have such a distinguished scholar join us today as part of our charge to facilitate such discourse.”
Stetson Law Professor Theresa Pulley Radwan has been chosen to lead the campus as its interim dean of the College of Law. Her term will begin June 24, 2022 and she will serve in that capacity until the position of dean is filled.
Specializing in business law, Professor Radwan joined the Stetson Law faculty in 2001. During her time at Stetson, she has served as Associate Dean for Academics, Senior Associate Dean for Academics, Associate Dean for Administration and Business Affairs, and Transitional Business Administrator.
Her recent work as co-chair of the university-wide Safer Campus task force led the ACE Women’s Network to recognize her with the “She Stepped Up Award,” which is reserved for women who played a pivotal role in leading an institution throughout the pandemic. Radwan has routinely been recognized by the university for her teaching and scholarship, including the College of Law award for Excellence in Teaching (2004), and twice received the Homer and Dolly Hand Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship (2007 and 2017).
Radwan attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary, where she served as an articles editor of the Bill of Rights Journal and a research editor of the Moot Court Board. Prior to joining Stetson, Professor Radwan practiced in the areas of bankruptcy and commercial law in Cleveland, taught as an adjunct faculty member at Case Western Reserve University, and served as a full-time faculty member at the University of Cincinnati.
To university leadership, Radwan was an obvious choice for the role.
“For quite some time, I have been aware of Terri Radwan’s strong contributions to the College of Law as an excellent educator, dedicated student mentor, exceptional scholar, and advocate for legal education,” said Dr. Noel Painter, executive vice president and provost at Stetson University. “I am confident that, through Interim Dean Radwan’s leadership and with the support of talented staff and faculty, the College of Law will continue to advance a strong record of student enrollment, reputational advancement, curricular innovation, and university initiatives including our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Professor Radwan will serve in the role of interim dean while the University seeks a permanent dean to fill the role after Dean Michèle Alexandre’s departure. Radwan and Alexandre have worked together closely over the last three years and are well-positioned to have productive engagements between now and June 24 to facilitate a smooth decanal transition.
