News Archives - Page 38 of 138

Students attend ACS National Convention, network in Washington D.C.

(L-R): Bianca Lopez, Julie McHaffie, and Ana Leonart. Photo courtesy Bianca Lopez. — (L-R): Bianca Lopez, Julie McHaffie, and Ana Leonart in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy Bianca Lopez.

By Bianca Lopez

This June, three Stetson students – myself included – attended the American Constitution Society National Convention. ACS held this year’s event in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., allowing us to discuss political events surrounded by the “room(s) where it happens.” (Pardon the Hamilton reference.)

Students Julie McHaffie, Ana Lleonart and I received scholarships from the ACS national organization to travel to and participate in the convention. McHaffie will serve as the Stetson ACS chapter’s secretary this coming fall, Lleonart will serve as outreach chair, and I will serve as president.

The convention featured notable speakers such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and former United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Justice Sotomayor walked through the audience, graciously shaking hands and sharing hugs. She spoke about the importance of representation – as she is the only woman of color on the Supreme Court, and about the plight of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Yates, as keynote speaker for the first night of the convention, kicked off a popular theme of the weekend: legal issues within the current administration.

“Part of the American Constitution Society’s mission is to raise awareness within our nation about important issues that risk being silenced,” Lleonart said. “ACS provides its members with a platform to start those necessary conversations that will ultimately aid in creating the positive change our country needs. I am a part of ACS because I want to contribute to that conversation, in an effort to create the positive change our country calls for.”

Students experienced valuable networking opportunities, paired for coffee meetings by ACS with professional members with experience in their fields of interest. ACS also offered group dinners and speed networking where students could meet attorneys and judges.

“These conventions allow you to connect with hundreds of legal minds throughout the United States,” McHaffie said. “As a law student, it is beneficial to meet students from different law schools and a diverse group of legal professionals. It is impossible to go to one of these conventions and not come away with a new perspective on a legal issue or profession.”

Student attendees came from all around the country – from Harvard to Emory to Berkeley. Some students had just finished their first year of law school, while others balanced the convention festivities with studying for their impending bar exams.

The convention offered many panels throughout the weekend, including the topics of voting rights, immigration, big tech, religious-freedom, and the #metoo movement. To close out the event, attendees acted as the live studio audience for a taping of the Versus Trump podcast and then heard an empowering speech from Karla Perez, a DACA Dreamer who has just graduated from law school.

“After a challenging and demanding first year of law school, attending the ACS national convention reaffirmed my decision to become a lawyer,” McHaffie said. “I realized the impact my legal education can have on the world around me and that I have an ability to make a difference.”

Professor Royal Gardner receives Society of Wetland Scientists President’s Service Award

Stetson's biodiversity institute director Royal Gardner visited the Okavango Delta, Botswana in May. — Stetson’s Biodiversity Institute director Royal Gardner visited the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Stetson University College of Law Professor Royal Gardner, director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, received the Society of Wetland Scientists President’s Service Award on May 31.

The award recognizes members of the SWS who have made significant contributions by serving the society and its members, and who have promoted the goals of the society in their efforts that extend above and beyond their duties as teachers, researchers and administrators.

Professor Gardner was selected for his work on behalf of the SWS on Clean Water Act policy issues and litigation.

Gardner and Erin Okuno J.D. ’13 of Stetson’s Biodiversity Institute co-authored an amicus brief filed on behalf of the Society of Wetland Scientists asking a federal district court in New York to require federal agencies to consider the scientific and economic record before suspending the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which defines which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act.

Read the brief from Stetson’s Biodiversity Institute here.

Stetson hosts webinar on Title IX Compliance Issues in the Trump Era on June 12

Stetson University College of Law is hosting a webinar on June 12 from 1-2:30 p.m. on Title IX Compliance Issues in the Trump Era: Updates on Title IX Policy and OCR Enforcement.

The webinar for attorneys and Title IX coordinators features Debbie Osgood, a longtime former official with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and current partner with the education practice group at Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd.

Topics cover issues related to sexual harassment and sexual violence impacting colleges and universities, recent case letters and resolution agreements issued by the Office of Civil Rights, as well as practical guidance on steps to reaffirm and bolster Title IX compliance at educational institutions.

To register, visit Stetson’s Conferences and Workshops or contact the Office of Professional Education at [email protected] for more information.

Stetson hosts complimentary webinar on Forensic Psychology Essentials on June 1

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, is hosting a complimentary webinar on Forensic Psychology Essentials on June 1, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., as part of its forensic science webinar series funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The webinar for criminal litigators explores the essentials of forensic psychology and the legal considerations when utilizing forensic psychology evidence and experts in litigation.

Stetson professor and founder of the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law Carol Henderson moderates the webinar, featuring Dan Martell and Randy Otto.

To register, visit Stetson Law’s Conferences and Workshops or contact the Office of Professional Education at [email protected] for more information.

Stetson University College of Law is the first American Bar Association Competitions Champion

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, has been named the first American Bar Association Competitions Champion. The ABA Law Student Division hosts four practical skills competitions—the arbitration, negotiation, client counseling and national appellate advocacy competitions. The Competitions Champion Award is presented to the law school that accrues the most points through team achievements and participation in the ABA Law Student Division’s four practical skills competitions. In 2018, more than 1,300 students from 156 law schools participated in one or more of these competitions.

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—arbitration, client counseling, mediation, and negotiation—competitions that represent all the areas in which the Dispute Resolution Board competes. Stetson University College of Law is the first school to achieve this distinction. Stetson teams advanced to nationals from regional ABA championships in arbitration and negotiation in November of 2017, client counseling and mediation in February of 2018.

Stetson Law students Jahanna Azarian and Vanessa Denk finished as national semifinalists at the national client counseling competition and placed first at the regional competition. Students Allison Belanger and Christina Huckfeldt finished as national semifinalists in the national negotiation competition after being finalists at the regional competition. Students Max Brown, Caroline Garrity, Olivia Mejido and Meghan Sullivan placed first at the regional arbitration competition. Students Julia Alley and Mark Joseph finished first at the regional mediation competition.

“We are delighted to be recognized by the preeminent organization of our nation’s lawyers. Importantly, these skills are the foundation on which our students will build their professional careers to effectively represent clients and advocate for our communities,” Stetson Law Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz told the ABA.

Legal scholars with Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson Law, NYU School of Law’s Institute for Policy Integrity, highlight flaws in Clean Water Rule suspension

Two new amicus briefs written by the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law and the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law are asking the federal district court in New York to consider the scientific and economic damage of suspending the 2015 Clean Water Rule.

The Clean Water Rule was designed to protect the streams and wetlands on which Americans’ health and economy depend. The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are now considering repealing that rule. While no repeal has been finalized, the agencies added an “applicability date” to the Clean Water Rule in February of 2018, suspending it for two years.

Several states and organizations have filed suit against the Trump administration for the suspension. Professor Royal Gardner and Erin Okuno of Stetson’s Biodiversity Institute co-authored an amicus brief filed on behalf of the Society of Wetland Scientists. The Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law also filed a brief in opposition to the suspension of the Clean Water Rule.

“Every aspect of the Clean Water Act’s implementation requires the use of science,” said Stetson Law professor Royal Gardner. “When the agencies disregard science, their judgments deserve no deference.”

Bethany Davis Noll, litigation director at the Institute for Policy Integrity, explained that “the benefits of protecting wetlands under the Clean Water Rule outweigh the costs by a substantial amount. In ignoring those benefits now, the agency has violated longstanding principles of administrative law.”

Read the brief from Stetson’s Biodiversity Institute here.

Read the brief from NYU’s Institute for Policy Integrity here.

Contact: Brandi Palmer

Stetson University College of Law

(727) 562-7381

Contact: Derek Sylvan

New York University School of Law

(212) 998-6085

Professor of Law Luz Nagle appointed co-chair of the Crimes Against Women Subcommittee

Stetson University Professor of Law Luz Nagle has been appointed co-chair of the Crimes Against Women Subcommittee of the International Bar Association, serving through December 2019. The IBA is the largest lawyer association in the world.

“This is a fantastic organization for disseminating information and educating tens of thousands of lawyers about issues impacting women worldwide,” said Professor Nagle. “It is an honor to become part of the IBA’s efforts to support women and women’s rights around the globe, and to address so many social, political and economic factors that impact not only women, but their families, their professions, and the communities in which they live and work.”

Professor Nagle is the author of numerous book chapters, articles, and the 2017 book Understanding Human Trafficking, Corruption, and Optics of Misconduct in the Public, Private, and NGO Sectors: Causes, Actors and Solutions. She specializes in international law, international criminal law, and national security law and has been a visiting professor and lecturer in the U.S., Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Mexico, Panama, and Spain. Her scholarship has appeared in three languages on four continents, addressing topics of international law, international criminal law, judicial reform, and regional security. She is sought internationally as a voice in the fight against human trafficking and modern day slavery.

Professor Nagle currently serves as a trustee of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute Trust after serving on the IBA’s Human Rights Institute Council and holding other significant leadership appointments with the IBA’s Legal Practice Division Council and the Criminal Law Section. She has served on several IBA task forces involving terrorism, corruption, criminal justice reform, and combating human trafficking.

To learn more about the IBA, visit https://www.ibanet.org.

Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic honored for feature video depicting its work to help a Marine veteran and spouse obtain long-awaited benefits

Stetson University College of Law’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic has won a national 2018 Hermes Creative Award for its feature video about law student Kyle Short’s work through the Clinic to help a Tampa Bay area veteran named Joe and his spouse Karla obtain long-awaited benefits.

The video, Stetson University’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic: The Story of Karla and Joe, filmed by Stetson’s manager of video production Stan Arthur, has won a gold award from Hermes in the video: nonprofit category.

The Story of Karla and Joe relates the story of a couple who fought for years to receive veterans benefits for Joe, a Marine who served at Camp Lejeune. When Karla and Joe came to Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic for help, Stetson Law student and Marine Kyle Short assisted with their benefits claim. Joe was very ill, and succumbed to his illness and died, but through the work of Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic, his surviving spouse Karla received the benefits he was owed.

Stetson’s 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 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. “Without their passion and energy, the unique partnership that Stetson created with the University of South Florida’s medical school, which helps us to seek medical evidence to support veterans’ disability claims, would not have been possible. They also work diligently to support Stetson, Bay Area Legal Services, and the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center to provide legal services to veterans in need at the local VA hospital. It is gratifying to see the hard work of law students who have the opportunity to learn and give back through this clinical experience, highlighted in this video.”

Visit the Veterans Law Institute at Stetson to learn more. Veterans who need free legal help with VA disability benefits appeals should reach out to the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at Stetson at 727-562-7324 or visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/veterans/legal-help-for-veterans.php.

Stetson wins award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization

(L-R): Melissa Mora J.D. '06, who presented the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization; Evelyn Passino, president of Stetson's Public Service Fellows; and Professor Ann Piccard. Photo courtesy Professor Piccard. — (L-R): Melissa Mora J.D. ’06, who presented the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization; Evelyn Passino, president of Stetson’s Public Service Fellows; and Professor Ann Piccard. Photo courtesy Professor Piccard.

Stetson University College of Law was selected as the winner of the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization by the 13th Judicial Circuit and Hillsborough County Bar Association. Stetson’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Ann Piccard J.D. ’85 and Stetson student president of the Public Service Fellows Evelyn Passino accepted the award on behalf of Stetson at the Pro Bono Awards Ceremony at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center in Tampa on April 19.

Professor Piccard, along with professors Kristen Adams and Judith Scully, leads the Social Justice Advocacy Concentration program at Stetson University as well as Stetson’s pro bono efforts. Stetson was the first law school to require pro bono service of its students in the state of Florida, and Stetson students donate thousands of pro bono hours annually.

“It’s tremendously gratifying to see our students’ pro bono work recognized by the members of the 13th Judicial Circuit and the Hillsborough County Bar Association,” said Professor Piccard. “Our students make a difference every day in communities across the Tampa Bay area, and have done so for decades. Pro bono work is more than a graduation requirement: It’s a professional responsibility, and Stetson Law students know that with the privilege of their education comes the social responsibility to make our communities better places in which to live and work. They make us all proud to be a part of Stetson.”

The 13th Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee, H.A.V.E. A HEART pro bono program, and Bay Area Legal Services’ Volunteer Lawyers Program congratulated Stetson for being selected for the honor. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Catherine Peek McEwen J.D. ’82 nominated Stetson for the award.

Lieutenant Commander Vincent R. Stewart spoke at Stetson Law commencement on May 19

Stetson Law's May 19 commencement. — Stetson Law’s May 19 commencement.

Lieutenant General Vincent R. Stewart, the Deputy Commander for U.S. Cyber Command, presented the commencement address in the Plaza Mayor Courtyard at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, on May 19.

Stewart told the story of coming to the U.S. at the age of 13. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Stewart is a decorated Marine who received honors including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. Stewart previously served as the 20th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he was promoted to Lieutenant General. He is the first African American, first Jamaican American and first Marine to hold the director post. He also served as head of the Marine Corps Forces Cyber Command.

“It truly is a beginning. Commencement is the next step,” Stewart told the more than 200 Stetson Law students gathered to hear him speak on Saturday morning in Gulfport. “We need everyone to participate in our democracy…We’re going to need great lawyers. We are counting on you.”

A total of 268 J.D. students walked at Stetson’s May 19 commencement, including four J.D./M.B.A. students, two J.D./LL.M. Advocacy students, and 16 part-time J.D. students. Eighteen students are candidates for the LL.M. in International Law, 11 students are candidates for the LL.M. in Elder Law, and five students are candidates for the LL.M. in Advocacy degree. Visit the Graduation webpage for links to videos and photos.

Among this year’s outstanding graduating Stetson Law class are:

Taofikat Ninalowo, a J.D./M.B.A. student and member of Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board who is originally from Nigeria;

Kevin Reali, a part-time J.D. student and former Navy officer who worked his way through law school as a sailing coach at Eckerd College while participating in Moot Court and the Stetson Law Review;

Vanessa Moore, a fellow with the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy who plans to join the Attorney General’s Honors Program, working in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.;

Joseph Sise, a member of Stetson’s Trial Team and the team that won the Chester Bedell Trial Competition; and

Viviana Vasiu, editor-in-chief of the Stetson Law Review, originally from Romania, who has had several articles accepted for publication in top placements across the country.

Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo is Stetson Law’s Cornerstone Award winner

Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has been selected as Stetson University College of Law’s Cornerstone Award winner. Judge Restrepo will be presented with the award during Stetson’s Educating Advocates Teaching Advocacy Skills conference on May 21-23 in Gulfport, Florida.

Judge Restrepo, who was born in Medellin, Colombia, has spent much of his legal career in public service as both a judge and an advocate. Judge Restrepo has presided over several significant civil rights cases on the bench. As both a magistrate and district judge, Judge Restrepo led a collaborative effort to help former inmates successfully reenter the community as productive citizens. Before serving on the bench, he spent 13 years in practice focusing on civil rights and criminal defense, and worked as a public defender in Philadelphia and as a member of the federal defenders unit.

Judge Restrepo is a visiting law professor in the LL.M. Trial Advocacy Program at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where he received the Gideon Award in 2014 for his work to ensure that the indigent are afforded competent counsel.

The Cornerstone Award recognizes exceptional members of the advocacy teaching community who work tirelessly to create learning opportunities across the profession. The recipients of the Cornerstone Award are recognized for their unwavering commitment to protecting the right to trial by jury, development of training opportunities for trial lawyers, and support of the profession in both word and deed.

The theme of this year’s Educating Advocates conference at Stetson is “Advocacy: Fulfilling the Promise of Experiential Learning.” The conference brings together academics and advocates from around the country to share ideas, sharpen their skills, and learn the nationally renowned Stetson Method of advocacy. To learn more about the conference, or to register for EATS, please visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/eats/.

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board takes home award for best video from the Vis Moot in Austria

Stetson University College of Law’s Dispute Resolution Board team of Matthew Ceriale, Ahmed Mohamed, Martin Musichi, Jade Turner, and student coach Taofikat Ninalowo was recognized as the winner of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot video contest on March 23 in Vienna, Austria.

(photo L-R): Professor Joseph Morrissey, Matthew Ceriale, Taofikat Ninalowo, Associate Dean Vaughan, Jade Turner, Martin Musichi, and Ahmed Mohamed.

The team received a standing ovation from the assembled crowd of more than 3,000 competitors, coaches, and arbitrators from around the world as their music video, “Together,” was played. Stetson’s manager of video production, Stan Arthur, edited the video and was the recording engineer for the song. The purpose of the video contest was to capture the spirit of the Vis Moot, and teams were encouraged to show why participating is meaningful to them and how they prepare to compete.

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board joined the record 366 teams competing this year at the 25th anniversary of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.

The Stetson team was one of only six teams from the U.S. advancing out of preliminary rounds and Ceriale was recognized with an honorable mention as an oralist. The Secretariat of the International Court of Arbitration extended an offer for an internship to one member of the Stetson team.

Associate Dean for Student Engagement and Professor of Law Stephanie Vaughan J.D. ’91 and Professor of Law Joseph Morrissey coached the Stetson team.

“During the reception after the opening ceremony, we had a vast array of people, literally from all over the world, surrounding our team and telling them how much they loved the video and felt like it showed their own experiences and struggles as well,” said Professor Morrissey.