Stetson University College of Law Interim Dean and Professor of Law Kristen D. Adams has been appointed to the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty.
“Many of my professional heroes have been involved in the work of the Commission in educating the public and the bar about homelessness, poverty, and ways in which lawyers can help to address both,” said Dean Adams. “I am proud and thankful to have the opportunity to be part of this important national conversation.”
Dean Adams has been a faculty member at Stetson for more than 17 years, where she supervises the Homeless Advocacy Externship.
She has worked with the Florida Bar and community leaders on issues regarding homelessness, the homeless courts, and public service opportunities for law students and graduates. Adams is the author or co-author of six books and 17 scholarly articles, writing on topics including the right to housing.
Adams also is the faculty advisor for Stetson’s nationally acclaimed Dispute Resolution Board and has been one of the faculty coordinators of the Social Justice Advocacy Concentration program for the past few years.
She is a member of the ABA Business Law Section Council, is editor-in-chief of the Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal, a member of the Board of Regents for the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers, an elected member of the American Law Institute, and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Gulfcoast Legal Services.
Stetson University College of Law will present the Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Award to Sara L. Williams during its annual Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills Conference in May.
Williams, a star litigator in Alabama, is managing attorney for Alexander Shunnarah Personal Injury Lawyers where she practices in the areas of trucking and automotive litigation. Williams was recently awarded a $12 million judgment against the Birmingham Max Bus system in the Jefferson County Bessemer Division. Alabama Super Lawyers magazine has named her a “Rising Star” since 2011 and she was recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of Birmingham’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2017.
An adjunct professor in the Cumberland School of Law advocacy program, Williams also serves as a coach for Cumberland’s nationally ranked mock trial teams. Williams’ legacy as an advocate began early in her career. While she was still a law student at Cumberland, Williams served as chief judge of Cumberland’s Trial Advocacy Board and was a member of the National Trial Team and National Mediation team that won their region in 2006, becoming the first team to ever win every single judge’s ballot during competition. Williams and her partner also won the ABA’s National Mediation Competition in 2005, and were invited to compete at the I.C.C.’s International Mediation Competition in Paris in 2006.
The Edward D. Ohlbaum Award honors an individual whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law. The award is designed to recognize a trial team coach and program director who exemplifies the late Professor Ohlbaum’s commitment to doing things with a high degree of professionalism, integrity and competency. In 2011, Ohlbaum received Stetson’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Advocacy.
Since 1900, Stetson University College of Law has pushed the leading edge of innovation in legal education, requiring students to enroll in a hands-on trial advocacy “Practice Court” course decades before skills training became more mainstream in legal education. Stetson Law is today home to the top-ranked program in the U.S. for trial advocacy. Stetson earned an “A” for curricular offerings in trial advocacy in the winter 2017 issue of preLawmagazine.
Stetson University College of Law third-year student Brielle Tucker was recently named a Ms. JD Fellow. Tucker is only the second student from Stetson University to be named a Ms. JD Fellow.
A member of both Stetson’s nationally ranked Moot Court and Trial Team, Tucker was named a regional finalist in the 2018 National Appellate Advocacy Competition. She is a Stetson Ambassador who has served as a representative on the Student Bar Association and as sub-regional director of the Southern Region Black Law Students Association. Tucker is a summer associate at Bush Ross, P.A. in Tampa. She has clerked for Smith, Kling & Thompson, P.A., in Tampa, and served as a judicial intern for U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell.
Tucker is an alumna of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation who graduated cum laude from the University of Tampa. As an undergraduate student, Tucker volunteered at Metropolitan Ministries, the local Boys and Girls Club, and tutored students at an afterschool enrichment camp. As an undergraduate student, she became interested in the law while competing regionally through the American Collegiate Moot Court Association, and became a member of the Bruce R. Jacob Criminal Appellate American Inn of Court.
Tucker is originally from Washington, D.C., where she served as a congressional intern during high school at The Madeira School.
Ms. JD awarded fellowships to nine law students from across the U.S. this year, selected for their academic performance, leadership, and dedication to advancing the status of women in the profession.
“I hope to foster a sense of support among women within the legal profession,” said Tucker.
Through the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Medical-Legal Partnership program, Stetson University’s Veterans Law Institute will assist veterans with civil legal services at community clinics in Bradenton and Sarasota from July through December.
Legal clinics for veterans will be available at:
Bradenton Community Based Outpatient Clinic from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Mental Health Group room on Monday, Aug. 20; Monday, Oct. 1; Monday, Nov. 5; and Monday, Dec. 3.
Sarasota Community Based Outpatient Clinic from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in the first-floor conference room on Monday, July 16; Monday, Sept. 17; Monday, Oct. 15; and Monday, Dec. 17.
Legal services available include family law, housing, consumer, bankruptcy, advanced directives, licensing, sealing/expungement, disability service connected, and discharge upgrades, and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis with the last application being accepted at 2:30 p.m. each day.
The Medical-Legal Partnership progam, launched in February of 2017, is a health and legal alliance between the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, Stetson University’s Veterans Law Institute, and Bay Area Legal Services. The program was designed for veterans enrolled for care with the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in need of legal representation/consultation for non-criminal offenses who may not otherwise afford legal representation. Services are provided by the Medical-Legal Partnership program attorneys at no cost to the veterans.
Legal services for veterans are regularly available in building 100, room 1E-241 at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., walk-ins are seen in the morning from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m., and scheduled appointments are available in the afternoon.
Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse for Science Technology and the Law is presenting complimentary training programs for prosecutors and defense attorneys in August in Texas and in September in Pennsylvania as part of the Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics: Train the Trainer series. The training programs, funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the DOJ, are designed to teach seasoned prosecutors and defense attorneys about proper forensic evidence use in capital litigation.
Attendees will also be provided with training resources, including webinars, PowerPoints and the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law database.
Allowable expenses for attendance, including pre-approved travel and lodging, will be covered under the BJA grant. Contact the Office of Professional Education at Stetson Law for additional details: [email protected].To learn more about the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University, visit http://www.ncstl.org.
A total of 111 Stetson University College of Law alumni have been selected for the Florida Trend Legal Elite and Up & Comers, 359 Stetson Law alumni have been selected as Florida Super Lawyers, and 258 Stetson Law alumni have been selected as Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars this year.
Four graduates of Stetson Law, Pamela Kaye Akin, Stephen D. Busey, Mark A. Hanley and Rhea F. Law, have been selected as distinguished members of the Florida Trend Legal Elite Hall of Fame. A total of 24 Stetson Law alumni were named among Florida Trend’s Up & Comers this year. Stetson Law is again among the top five Florida Trend Legal Elite law schools this year.
Florida Trend’s Legal Elite annually announces attorneys recognized by their peers for exemplifying a standard of excellence.
Florida Super Lawyers evaluates indicators of professional achievement and peer recognition to select a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel.
Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, was recognized at the Law School Admission Council’s Annual Meeting and Educational Conference on March 30 with the inaugural Diversity Matters award in the southern region for “excellence in hosting pipeline programs that promote access to justice and the legal profession.” LSAC also awarded Stetson a generous grant for future pipeline efforts.
Stetson partnered with a local bar association, student organizations and LSAC’s DiscoverLaw program to create two standout pipeline program events for high school students this year. Stetson also played a key role in several diversity panels for LSAC.
Stetson hosted an annual Diversity & Inclusion Pre-Law Conference on March 9 with help from the Black Law Students Association, Stetson Law alumni and the Fred G. Minnis Sr. Bar Association. Alumni volunteers included Associate Director for Admissions and Diversity Initiatives Carmen B. Johnson, Charis Campbell, Shaquana Harper, Angelica Jones, Cassandra Kline and Danielle Martin.
On March 24, Stetson worked with the Child Advocates of Stetson to host the “So You Want to Go to Law School?” program pairing teens in foster care with law student mentors to engage them in setting goals and planning for a legal education.
The Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association (SLAA) presented awards to six outstanding alumni and friends of Stetson University College of Law during the Florida Bar Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 14.
Jonathan “Boomer” Hart J.D. ’14 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award for dedication and service to the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association.
(L-R): Boomer Hart with Interim Dean Adams.
Hart is a senior associate with Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman in Tampa. He is an active participant with the leadership committee of Stetson’s Tampa Bay alumni chapter, and has played an integral role in the growth of the group.
Keith Appleby J.D./M.B.A. ’04 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for continuously supporting Stetson Law and its alumni association.
(L-R): Interim Dean Adams with Keith Appleby.
Appleby came to Stetson Law following a successful career in finance, and is currently a shareholder with Banker Lopez Gassler in Tampa practicing in the areas of bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, foreclosures, and general business litigation. A member of the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association board, Appleby and his wife Diana recently established the Kiana Lynne Appleby Scholarship Endowment.
Nathan Hatcher J.D. ’08 received the President’s Award in recognition of his leadership.
(L-R): Interim Dean Adams with Nathan Hatcher.
Hatcher is a shareholder in Hill Ward Henderson’s litigation group. Over the past two years, he has served as president of the board of the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association, helping to propel the board and association to new heights.
Bronwyn Stanford J.D. ’03 received the Distinguished Alumni Award.
(L-R): Interim Dean Adams with Bronwyn Stanford.
Stanford is chief administrator of the southern region for the Department of Children and Families. She is responsible for approximately 1400 employees and an operating budget of more than $250 million. She has dedicated her career to making a difference in the lives of children and developing young leaders.
Professor Emeritus William “Bill” Eleazer received the Distinguished Service Award for his significant, meritorious and continuing contributions to Stetson Law.
(L-R): Professor Emeritus Bill Eleazer with Interim Dean Adams.
Eleazer helped develop Stetson’s nationally top-ranked program in trial advocacy. Joining the Stetson Law faculty in 1979, he taught trial practice, advanced trial practice, evidence, and served as the director of Stetson’s Prosecution Clinic. He worked countless hours during evenings and weekends guiding and assisting students in preparing for state, regional and national trial competitions
Professor Rebecca Morgan J.D. ’80 received the Ben C. Willard Award for humanitarian achievements bringing distinction to herself and Stetson Law.
(L-R): Professor Rebecca Morgan with Interim Dean Adams.
Morgan is a law professor at Stetson, where she teaches a variety of elder law courses in the J.D. and LL.M. programs and oversees the elder law concentration program. She has co-authored numerous books, and served as the president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, president of the board of directors for the National Senior Citizens Law Center, chair of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Aging and the Law, chair of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section, and on the faculty of the National Judicial College. She has served on multiple task forces and commissions and has won awards including the 2003 Faculty Award on Professionalism from the Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.
Stetson University Interim Dean and Professor of Law Kristen Adams presented the awards program.
Jennifer Winn with plastic straws retrieved during a local trash cleanup with Stetson Law students in March. Photo courtesy Vanessa Moore.
Student Jennifer Winn was presented with the Distinguished Achievement Award on June 15 in Orlando from the Florida Bar Animal Law Section for her contributions to animal law in Florida.
Jennifer Winn received the Distinguished Achievement Award. Photo courtesy Jennifer Winn.
Winn spearheaded a proposed ordinance to ban disposable plastic straws in restaurants in Gulfport, Florida, as part of a class project for Stetson law professor Lance Long’s environmental advocacy class. Plastic straws that wash into the ocean as trash harm marine life and the initiative to ban plastic straws is gaining momentum in Florida and across the country. In July, the St. Petersburg City Council will examine how to deal with disposable plastics including straws, bags and polystyrene containers.
Winn is a member of the Environmental Law Society and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund at Stetson, and will be studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, this summer.
(L-R): Jacob and Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga. Photo by Joann Grages Burnett J.D. ’08.
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob was honored by the Florida Bar on June 14 with the Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism 2018 Law Faculty Professionalism Award. The award, which recognizes a Florida law school faculty member who exemplifies the bar’s mission through teaching, scholarship, and service to the profession, was presented to Jacob during the Judicial Luncheon at the Florida Bar’s annual convention in Orlando on Thursday afternoon.
Jacob retired in May after 13 years as dean, from 1981-1994, and 20 years as a faculty member at Stetson Law. He graduated in 1959 with his law degree from Stetson, and went on to become assistant attorney general of Florida and argue his first case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the historic Gideon v. Wainwright, at age 27. Shortly after the ruling in Gideon, Jacob signed up to become a public defender in Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. For more than 50 years, Jacob has represented hundreds of defendants in pro bono criminal and post-conviction cases.
Jacob started a legal assistance program for inmates in Atlanta in 1965 as a member of the faculty at Emory University, and launched a legal assistance program for inmates in Massachusetts while working on his S.J.D. at Harvard. Jacob served as law professor and director of clinical education at Ohio State University, then as dean of the law school at Mercer University, and became dean of Stetson Law in 1981. At Stetson, Jacob promoted Stetson’s participation in moot court competitions and taught more than 20 different law school courses, including constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law and criminal procedure.
He has been featured in the Washington Post, Esquire, the Atlantic, CBS News, NBC News, the National Law Journal and the ABA Journal.
Law alumnus Nathan Bruemmer J.D. ’17 is being honored with a 2018 Tampa Bay Business Journal Business of Pride award on June 18 at the Palladium in St. Petersburg, Florida, for being a voice in the community. It is the second year in a row that Bruemmer is receiving the award.
Nathan Bruemmer.
Bruemmer is executive director of the nonprofit Advocacy Leadership Support Outreach Youth, or ALSO Youth, an LGBT organization based in Sarasota. At Stetson, Bruemmer was an award-winning member of the Trial Team. He worked as a teacher before pursuing his law degree at Stetson.
Last year, he was named among the “Most Remarkable People 2017” by Watermark magazine. Also in 2017, Bruemmer launched the tradition of kicking off the St Pete Pride Parade with a transgender march in downtown St. Petersburg.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal Business of Pride award honorees include companies, organizations and individuals working to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the workplace.
(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.”
