(L-R): Emilia Soliman, Sarah Cibula and Brielle Tucker.
By Brielle Tucker
On March 15, three Stetson students, Emilia Soliman, Sarah Cibula, and Brielle Tucker, attended the Ms. JD 11th Annual Conference on Women in the Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The theme was “Speak Up” in honor of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s birthday, and the group celebrated by listening to women in the law speak about various timely issues.
The first workshop, “Finding your voice and using it,” presented by Gail J. Cummings of Gail J. Cummings Consulting, LLC, provided helpful tips and insights on how to be vocal and your own advocate when navigating your career.
“It was amazing to be able to network and connect with so many women attorneys with such leadership in the field,” said Emilia Soliman. “They gave great advice, especially for young soon-to-be attorneys. They taught me we can do it all.”
Stetson University College of Law’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic recently helped secure long-denied benefits for an 80-year-old Tampa Bay area Navy veteran who was exposed to radiation during atomic bomb testing in the 1950s.The veteran is now eligible to receive disability benefits retroactive to April 2012, when he filed his claim.
Stetson Law student Brian Paul presented the case before the Board of Veterans Appeals at the St. Petersburg V.A. regional office at Bay Pines, Florida. Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic collected evidence that convinced the board to find the veteran’s cancer to be as likely as not caused by his exposure to ionizing radiation.
Several Veterans Advocacy Clinic students and staff attorney Ronald “Rocky” Roodhouse LL.M. ’17 researched the etiology of the cancer, documents about the atomic bomb tests, and the standard procedures for calculating radiation exposure that occurred decades ago. The Stetson Veterans Advocacy Clinic team discovered that the VA severely underestimated the veteran’s exposure to radiation and improperly disregarded medical opinions from distinguished oncologists.
The Veterans Advocacy Clinic, located on Stetson University’s Gulfport, Florida, campus, was dedicated as part of the Veterans Law Institute in 2012 to help the growing population of Tampa Bay area veterans obtain denied Veterans Administration disability benefits.
Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox, director of the Veterans Law Institute and Veterans Advocacy Clinic, oversees Stetson Law students providing free legal assistance to veterans seeking denied disability benefits.
“Stetson’s law students are at the heart of the Clinic’s mission to serve our nation’s disabled veterans by providing them top notch legal help to receive the benefits they have earned,” said Professor Simcox.
Veterans who need free legal help with VA disability benefits appeals should reach out to the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at Stetson by calling 727-562-7324 or visiting www.stetson.edu/law/veterans.
Professor Luz Nagle, third from the left, with Wilson Herrera and members of the Junta.
Professor of Law Luz Nagle spent Spring Break in Colombia working on social justice initiatives.
Professor Nagle met with a family of shoemakers in Rionegro, Colombia.
Professor Nagle met with the community-based social justice organization Junta de Accion Comunal San José, in a village in the municipality of Guarne, Colombia. She talked with Junta leaders about ways to limit over-development and environmental damage impacting the community.
“We will be coordinating grassroots support and legal responses for the well-being of the rural people living here who just want a safe and secure environment in which to live and care for their families and properties,” said Professor Nagle.
The Junta was instrumental in building an aquaduct system to provide safe and plentiful potable water to the local communities.
While in Colombia, Professor Nagle also met with a family of shoemakers in Rionegro that is trying to expand their business and develop a strong social entrepreneurship focus, training local artesans to continue making shoes, and using the proceeds of shoe sales to make custom-fitted shoes for disabled people who otherwise cannot afford shoes. The business, which has been in the same location for 50 years, needs to move into a larger work space to hire and train more staff.
At Stetson Law, Professor Nagle teaches courses on international law and international and transborder criminal law, human trafficking, international business transactions, terrorism and global security.
For the 21st time, Stetson University
College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, is ranked the no. 1 school for Trial
Advocacy in the U.S., according to U.S.
News & World Report. Stetson is ranked no. 3 for Legal Writing, and is
consistently among the top six programs for legal writing.
“For 25 years,
Stetson has distinguished itself among the top programs in the country for
Trial Advocacy. We are also extremely proud to
be consistently recognized among the top programs for Legal
Writing. We are honored to appear
for the first time in the top third of law schools for Dispute
Resolution. Skills in these areas are critical to the successful
practice of law, and we are dedicated to preparing our students to be the best
lawyers they can be,” said Stetson Interim Dean and Professor of Law Kristen
David Adams, who directs the Dispute Resolution Board at Stetson.
“Stetson advocates speak on behalf of clients whenever and wherever they are called to do so,” said Charles H. Rose III, Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy and director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson. “Stetson transforms students into advocates who are powerful, compassionate, and persuasive – committed to excellence in word and deed. That is the hallmark of a Stetson education.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be ranked number one in Trial Advocacy for
the 21st time,” said Stetson University President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “This
consistency highlights Stetson’s commitment to a rigorous education where
faculty are deeply invested in the educational pursuits of our students. Such
recognition exemplifies our commitment to students who learn to provide
outstanding legal representation while working with innovative faculty who
prepare them for significant careers beyond these walls.”
Stetson Law
is ranked among the top third of law schools for Dispute Resolution by U.S. News. In 2018, for the first time in its 17-year history, Stetson’s
Dispute Resolution Board achieved a perfect four-for-four record of advancing
to nationals in all four dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the ABA.
(L-R) Professor Lance Long, Adam Duh, Maria White, Kate Welch, Jake Black, Taylor Koufos, Jennifer Winn, Rachel Curran, and Jackie Lopez.
By Jennifer Winn
On March 2-3, Stetson Law students traveled with Professor Lance Long to the University of Oregon for the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference.
“It was a great experience and we got to meet some of the most influential people in the environmental law sector,” said student Jennifer Winn.
At Stetson Law, Winn is vice president of the Student Bar Association, a fellow in International Programs, and member of the Environmental Law Society.
(L-R): (Back row) Forest Sutton, Megan McGinn, JJ Meyer, Sam Powers, (front row) Dana Baker, Ariana Seiler, Kelli Motes, Mary Katherine Bleckley, and alumna Kaitlyn Dugas.
Stetson University College of Law won the regional American Association of Justice trial competition in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1.
The winning Stetson Law team of Dana Baker, Mary Katherine Bleckley, JJ Meyer and Ariana Seiler are advancing to the national AAJ competition in Philadelphia on April 11-14.
A second team of Stetson students, Megan McGinn, Kelli Motes, Sam Powers, and Forest Sutton, advanced to the semi-finals.
Stetson Professor of Practice and Director of Trial Teams Julia Metts and alumnus Stanton Fears J.D. ’15 co-coached and alumna Kaitlyn Dugas J.D./M.B.A. ’17 traveled with the teams.
Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law is offering a webinar on Cognitive Bias Essentials: The Use and Abuse of Expert Evidence, on March 26 from 12-2 p.m. EST.
The webinar, presented by renowned cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Itiel Dror, will cover The Use and Abuse of Expert Evidence: How to Expose and Mitigate Bias in Experts.
The webinar is part of a complimentary Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics Training series supported by a grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
(L-R): Omar Amin, Professor Stephanie Vaughan, Alex Busvek, Matt Ceriale, Ryan Dwyer, Professor Erika McArdle, Clare McQueen, and Kyle McCabe.
Stetson University College of Law’s Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration team won the Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot for the second year in a row in Miami on Feb. 23. The pre-moot prepares students for the international Vis competition in Vienna, Austria, on April 12-18.
The Stetson Law team of Omar Amin, Alexander Busvek, Matt Ceriale, Ryan Dwyer, Kyle McCabe, and Clare McQueen won first place overall, Ceriale was awarded best overall oralist, and Busvek was named third best oralist in the competition.
At the pre-moot, Stetson’s team competed in four rounds against other Florida law schools. After four back-to-back arguments, Stetson was declared the overall winner.
Adjunct Professor Jason Stearns and Professor Stephanie Vaughan co-coached the team along with Professor Joseph Morrissey.
“Other coaches and arbitrators have complimented us time and again on our preparedness and professionalism at this competition,” said team coach and professor Stephanie Vaughan. “The students are exceptional ambassadors for Stetson.”
This year, Stetson’s Vis team has been invited to travel to the Hague, Netherlands, on the way to Vienna to compete and present arguments in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, located in the Peace Palace.
The Stetson University College of Law team of Grace Kobitter and Alex Spadaro won the regional Client Counseling Competition on Feb. 9 at the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago.
The team advances to the national Client Counseling Competition at Baylor Law in March.
“This is the second year in a row that Stetson advanced to the national Client Counseling Competition,” said Professor Erika McArdle, associate director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy. “We are thrilled that our students will again have an opportunity to hone their advocacy skills in this competition at the national level.”
(L-R): Alex Spadaro, Jenna Jordan, team coach Emily VanOosting, Grace Dinger and Grace Kobitter.
A second Stetson team of Grace Dinger and Jenna Jordan were finalists in the competition. Stetson was the only law school with two teams advancing to the semi-final and final rounds of the regional competition.
Emily Van Oosting J.D. ’12 coached and traveled with the team.
(L-R): Sara Papantonio, John Kimbrough and Madeline Pendley.
The Stetson University College of Law team of John Kimbrough, Sara Papantonio and Madeline Pendley won the regional rounds of the National Trial Competition in Tallahassee, Florida, on Feb. 3, and heads to the national finals in San Antonio, Texas, on March 27-31. Stetson Law has won the National Trial Competition five times.
Professors Erika McArdle J.D. ’12 and Julia Metts J.D. ’04, who directs the Trial Teams at Stetson, co-coached the team.
(L-R): Professor Erika McArdle, Madeline Pendley, John Kimbrough, Sara Papantonio and Professor Julia Metts.
The National Trial Competition draws student teams from more than 140 law schools, involving more than 1,000 students every year. The competition is coordinating 15 regional rounds this year across the U.S. The top two winners from each region will advance to the national finals in Texas.
The NTC is co-sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and Texas Young Lawyers Association and is designed to expose law students to the nature of trial practice and to serve as a supplement to their education.
Since 1980, Stetson Law teams have won five world, 74 national, 85 regional and 48 state championships and numerous awards for advocacy.
The Stetson University College of Law team of Elise Engle, LaMark McGreen, Grace Samarkos and Megan Tiralosi won the Chester Bedell Mock Trial Competition on Jan. 23-25 in Tampa, Florida. This year, Stetson won the competition for the 23rd time in 37 years. A Stetson team won the inaugural Chester Bedell competition in 1983.
The Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar conducts the prestigious competition for mock trial teams from across the state annually, and the final round of competition is presided over by distinguished members of the judiciary.
“Stetson has historically set the bar high for excellence in trial advocacy,” said Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles Rose. “Our legacy of success with the Chester Bedell competition is a point of pride for our students and alumni.”
Samarkos, a member of this year’s award-winning team, is the daughter of Charles Samarkos J.D. ’89, who won the Chester Bedell competition when he was a student at Stetson.
Stetson Law 2016 alumni Brandon and Lara Breslow co-coached the team.
A second Stetson team of JD Arnett, Olivia Bergert, Blake Fromang and Justine Roof made it to the semi-final round.
Fromang is the son of Stetson Law alumna Jennifer Eden J.D. ’90, who won Chester Bedell several times when she was a student.
Stetson’s program in trial advocacy is nationally ranked no. 1 by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about the advocacy program, visit stetson.edu/law/advocacy.
(L-R): Professor Deborah Weissman and Richard C. Woltmann.
Stetson University College of Law’s annual Inns of Court Banquet on Jan. 24 in St. Petersburg honored Bay Area Legal Services pioneer Richard C. Woltmann with the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award. Stetson established the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Award in 1990 to honor outstanding contributions to public service, the justice system, and the community.
Woltmann established the elder law programs at Bay Area Legal Services in 1976, becoming chief executive officer/president of the organization in 1980. Prior to joining Bay Area Legal Services, he served for three years in the Peace Corps in West Africa and for one year as a VISTA lawyer in Washington State.
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law Deborah Weissman presented the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture. Professor Weissman’s teaching and scholarship focuses on human rights, immigration and immigration rights, gender violence, and the lawyer as public citizen.
Stetson’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. award and lecture honor the late Wm. Reece Smith Jr., a champion for justice and national leader in the legal aid movement. Smith is a member of the Stetson Law Hall of Fame, the namesake of Stetson’s Tampa Law Center Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Courtroom, and was a longtime member of both the Stetson Law Board of Overseers and Stetson University Board of Trustees.
The Inns of Court banquet, with roots in the English mentoring program for barristers, presents Stetson Law students with an opportunity to interact with prominent lawyers on current topics in the law and ethics.
