News Archives - Page 39 of 138

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.

Students launch Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center

Stetson students coordinated a Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center. Photo courtesy Jenna Jordan. — Stetson students coordinated a Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center. Photo courtesy of Jenna Jordan.

Stetson’s Elder Law Society, Public Service Fellows, and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Association coordinated the first annual student-run Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center on March 19 to teach consumers how to guard against scams, identity theft and fraud. More than 50 seniors attended one presentation.

“We decided to launch the Consumer Protection Fair this year because we wanted to bring awareness to an issue that plagues communities like ours around the country,” said Jenna Jordan, student vice president of the Elder Law Society and Public Service Fellows. “We wanted to provide this event free to the seniors in our community because we realized the importance of protecting the seniors in our community against fraud, scams, and identity theft.”

Attendees were invited to gather giveaways and information from the Area Agency on Aging, shred sensitive documents, obtain free credit reports, and to register for the Do Not Call List during the fair.

Detective DeAngelo from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Bryan Oglesby of the West Florida Better Business Bureau, and Anna Marie Millett of Pinellas County Consumer Protection spoke on consumer protection issues, including fraud, scams and identity theft.

“We plan to improve this event with the feedback we received and host it again with the Gulfport Senior Center next year,” said Jordan.

Longtime Stetson Law professor Michael Allen celebrated investiture as federal judge in Washington, D.C.

Judge Michael Allen celebrated his investiture to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims with a special ceremony on March 20 in Washington D.C.

Longtime Stetson University Professor of Law Michael P. Allen celebrated his judicial investiture on March 20 as one of the newest judges serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, D.C. Along with Judge Allen, Judges Amanda L. Meredith and Joseph L. Toth also celebrated their investiture, with the Office of White House Counsel presenting commissions.

Jason P. Stearns J.D. ’08, recipient of Stetson’s Outstanding Alumni Representative Award, spoke at the investiture ceremony, describing Allen as an impactful mentor whom he first met while he was a first-year law student at Stetson. Allen and Stearns co-coached Stetson’s award-winning National Veterans Moot Court Competition team. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs General Counsel James Byrne J.D. ’95 was also in attendance.

Jason Stearns J.D. '08 spoke to a packed courtroom about his mentor, friend and former law professor, Judge Michael Allen. — Jason Stearns J.D. ’08 spoke to a packed courtroom about his mentor, friend and former law professor, Judge Michael Allen.

“The entire Stetson Law family is so grateful to Judge Allen for his work and dedication to the many students at Stetson who became professionals committed to giving back to our community and our veterans under his leadership,” said Stetson Law Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz. “He has done great things at Stetson and we look forward to his continued leadership for veterans in Washington.”

Allen is a recognized expert on the law of veterans’ benefits, and has testified before Congress and written extensively on veterans’ benefits issues.

Stetson Law dedicated its Veterans Law Institute under Allen’s direction in 2012. The Institute serves to increase legal services available to the growing population of military members, veterans and their families. Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic provides representation to veterans appealing decisions denying them Veterans Administration disability benefits.

Joining the Stetson faculty in 2001, Allen taught civil procedure, remedies, complex litigation, constitutional law, the federal courts and the federal system, and veterans’ benefits law and received multiple awards for teaching and scholarship. He also served as associate dean at Stetson Law for four years, co-coached four of Stetson’s moot court teams, and supervised the Stetson internship programs at the Florida Supreme Court, Florida Second District Court of Appeal, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Chief Judge Robert N. Davis, also a former professor at Stetson Law, officiated at the investiture in the ceremonial courtroom of the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Tom Bowman, and Senior Counsel to the Attorney General of Texas Michael C. Toth also spoke at the investiture. The Senate confirmed Judge Allen in August as a federal judge.

To learn more about veterans advocacy at Stetson, visit www.stetson.edu/law/veterans/.

To learn about Stetson’s no. 1 ranked advocacy program, visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson is again top law school for Trial Advocacy, ranked second for Legal Writing

Stetson's Gulfport, Florida, campus. — Stetson’s Gulfport, Florida, campus.

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, is again ranked the no. 1 law school for Trial Advocacy and is ranked no. 2 for Legal Writing in the U.S. according to U.S. News.

It is the 20th time in 24 years that Stetson has been ranked the top law school for Trial Advocacy and has consistently ranked among the top six legal writing programs since the inception of the Legal Writing rankings.

“We are thrilled to hear that Stetson University College of Law has maintained its top position for Trial Advocacy and moved up to no. 2 for Legal Writing,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson provides students a personalized experience with the highest quality faculty who are focused on learning outcomes. A Stetson Law education is enhanced by excellent leadership and mentoring opportunities. We are proud of our College of Law’s record of educating outstanding lawyers, we call them ‘Stetson lawyers,’ judges and community leaders for more than a century.”

“Stetson continues to lead the way in preparing its students with the best advocacy and communication skills in the country,” said Stetson Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz. “Our students leave Stetson with the tools they need to succeed as lawyers and leaders.”

“Stetson empowers students to advocate, speaking truth to power 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. “Our advocates are powerful, compassionate, and persuasive – keeping the promise of a commitment to excellence in word and deed that is the hallmark of a Stetson education.”

“We are committed to teaching and studying legal communication at Stetson and leading the way in legal writing,” said Kirsten K. Davis, Ph.D., Stetson’s director of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication. “We are honored that our peers recognize Stetson for this work.”

Stetson Law is also again listed among the top 100 law schools in the country.

More information about Stetson’s distinguished top national programs is available online at www.stetson.edu/law/advocacy and www.stetson.edu/law/academics/lrw.

For more information on the U.S. News 2019 “Best Grad Schools” visit www.usnews.com/grad.

Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic joins first Law Schools for Vets conference in Washington, D.C.

Stetson's Veterans Law Institute and Veterans Advocacy Clinic was dedicated in 2012. — Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute and Veterans Advocacy Clinic were dedicated in 2012.

Stetson University College of Law joined law schools from around the U.S. at the first conference of the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, or Law Schools for Vets, Feb. 28-March 1, in Washington, D.C. Stetson helped to found the consortium in 2016.

The first Law Schools for Vets conference, which drew more than 120 participants from law school clinics across the country to D.C., was designed to promote best practices among advocates at law schools serving veterans through pro bono work.

The conference featured seminars on law school veterans clinics, Dept. of Veterans Affairs reform, helping veterans with addictions, and working with congressional offices. Breakout sessions included topics ranging from advocating for clients with PTSD to providing legal aid to victims of domestic violence. Guest speakers included the secretary of the VA, Dr. David Shulkin; VA General Counsel James M. Byrne JD ’95; Chief Judge Robert Davis and Judge Michael Allen, both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; and former congressman and Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Jeff Miller.

Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox, director of Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic, said that the nationwide collaboration of law school clinics is immensely beneficial.

“By collaborating in this consortium, law schools can learn from each other and hone their strategies in helping veterans,” said Professor Simcox. “We want our law students to become passionate lifelong advocates for veterans in need of help.”

Law Schools for Vets was also officially recognized as the nation’s 93rd Veterans Service Organization during the conference.

Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic and Veterans Law Institute both launched in 2012.

To learn more about veterans advocacy at Stetson, visit www.stetson.edu/law/veterans.

Stetson wins regional AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition

(L-R): Dalton Allen, Zach Morrison, Jessica Viola, Amara Benitez-Rodriquez, Ethan Dunn, Chris Hallett, Joseph Sise, Ashleigh Thornton. — (L-R): Dalton Allen, Zach Morrison, Jessica Viola, Amara Benitez-Rodriquez, Ethan Dunn, Christopher Hallett, Joseph Sise, Ashleigh Thornton.

Stetson University College of Law students Ethan Dunn, Christopher Hallett, Amara Benitez-Rodriquez, and Joseph Sise won the regional American Association for Justice Student Trial Competition on March 4 in Miami, and will advance to the National Finals Competition in April.

Only the top team from each region advances to the National Finals. Teams are judged on their case preparation, opening statements, use of facts, examination of lay and expert witnesses, closing arguments and professionalism. It is the second year in a row that Stetson has won the regional competition.

The Stetson team was coached by Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and Professor Erika McArdle J.D. ’12 and Patrick McArdle J.D. ’12, partner with Grossman, Roth and Partridge.

Stetson sent two teams to the regional competition, and of the 16 teams competing, only four teams, including two Stetson teams, advanced to the semifinals. A second Stetson team of Dalton Allen, Zach Morrison, Ashleigh Thornton and Jessica Viola advanced the semifinals.

“Congratulations to our 2018 regional champions,” said Professor and Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, Charles H. Rose III. “At Stetson we create lawyers who embody the best of the profession. These advocates tried their case with power, passion, and professionalism. They are living examples of the Stetson advocacy experience.”

To learn more about advocacy at Stetson, visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson students win mediation competition, advance in all four dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the ABA

Julia Alley and Mark Joseph won the American Bar Association Representation in Mediation competition. — (L-R): Mark Joseph and Julia Alley won the American Bar Association Representation in Mediation competition.

Stetson University College of Law students won the ABA regional mediation competition in Connecticut this past weekend.

(L-R): Brooks Robinson, Valeria Villaverde, Dale Tan, with coach Professor James Sheehan, were recognized as having the best draft agreement for their client at the Transactional LawMeets regional competition. Photo courtesy Professor Kristen Adams.

Students Julia Alley and Mark Joseph won the American Bar Association Representation in Mediation competition at Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut, on Feb. 25. The team will advance to the national ABA competition in Washington, D.C., in April. Amy Catledge J.D. ’02 coached the team.

For the first time in its 17-year history, Stetson University College of Law’s Dispute Resolution Board has had a perfect four-for-four record of advancing to nationals in all four dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the American Bar Association. These competitions represent all four areas in which the Dispute Resolution Board competes – arbitration, client counseling, negotiation, and mediation. Stetson Law students advanced to nationals from regional ABA championships in arbitration and negotiation in November 2017, client counseling and mediation in February.

“This is an exciting time for Stetson, and more importantly, our students. Because these competitions are so closely related to the work that lawyers do everyday, we take enormous pride in their success and the opportunities that they will have in the very near future,” said Stetson Law Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.

Also this past weekend, Stetson students Valeria Villaverde, Dale Tan and Brooks Robinson were recognized as having the best draft agreement for their client at the Transactional LawMeets regional competition at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad School of Law on Feb. 25. Stetson Law professors James Sheehan J.D. ’77 and Kirsten Davis co-coached the team. This was Stetson’s first LawMeets competition.

“I am very proud of these students, not only for their achievements but, even more so, for the professionalism with which they have represented Stetson,” said Professor of Law and Dispute Resolution Director Kristen David Adams. “Hearing from attorneys who have judged our students and been impressed with their poise and preparation means a great deal to me, because it tells me that these excellent competitors will also be outstanding lawyers.”

To learn more about advocacy at Stetson Law, visit https://www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution team wins Vis pre-moot competition, heads to international competition

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

Stetson University College of Law’s Dispute Resolution team of Matthew Ceriale, Ahmed Mohamed, Martin Musichi and Jade Turner won the Florida Bar International Law Section Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot in Miami on Feb. 17. Ceriale was recognized as Best Oralist in the competition.

Stetson’s award-winning team will compete in international pre-moot competitions beginning March 24 in Belgrade, Serbia, and Budapest, Hungary, before heading to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. More than 300 teams from around the world, including the Stetson team, will compete in Vienna.

“The significance of this international competition is more than winning. Teams from more than 50 countries come together to compete, and more importantly, to learn about the rule of law, other cultures, and the global legal community,” said Stetson’s Associate Dean for Student Engagement and Professor of Law Stephanie Vaughan. “It is truly remarkable.”

The Stetson team was coached by student coach Taofikat Ninalowo, Associate Dean Vaughan, and Professor of Law Joseph Morrissey. The JAMS Resolution Center, the largest provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide, hosted the pre-moot competition in Miami. The Florida Bar International Law Section sponsored the competition.

“We are looking forward to representing the state of Florida, as well as Stetson, as our team travels to Vienna,” said Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board Director and Professor of Law Kristen Adams.

“This is much more than just one year’s success story,” said Professor Morrissey. “This is really about a continuing tradition, a legacy of Stetson’s excellence in this area of advocacy.”

To learn more about advocacy at Stetson Law, visit https://www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson Law students organize Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center in March

Stetson's elder law center does community outreach to assist elder clients and caregivers. — Stetson students are organizing a Consumer Protection Fair in March.

Stetson University College of Law students are organizing a Consumer Protection Fair at the Gulfport Senior Center in March to teach seniors about a range of consumer protection issues, from scams to identity theft to fraud. Attendees will learn about checking their credit reports, the importance of shredding sensitive documents, and the do-not-call list.

WHAT: Consumer Protection Fair

WHEN: Monday, March 19, 2:30-6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Gulfport Senior Center, 5501 27th Ave. S., Gulfport

WHO: E-mail Stetson Law student event organizer Jenna Jordan for more information on attending or volunteering for the event at: [email protected].

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board advances to national competition

Finalists (L-R): Jahanna, Vanessa, Keongela, Jade. Photo courtesy Professor Kristen Adams. — Finalists (L-R): Jahanna Azarian, Vanessa Denk, Keongela Norton and Jade Mattheys. Photo courtesy Professor Kristen Adams.

Stetson University College of Law’s Dispute Resolution Board team of Jahanna Azarian and Vanessa Denk won the regional rounds of the American Bar Association Law Student Division Client Counseling Competition on Feb. 11. The Stetson team of Azarian and Denk heads to the national ABA LSD Client Counseling Competition in Durham, North Carolina, in March.

A second Stetson Dispute Resolution team of Jade Mattheys and Keongela Norton advanced to the final rounds in the regional competition, hosted by Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia. Stetson alumna Emily VanOosting J.D. ’12 coached the team.

“These competitions give our students the opportunity to hone their practical lawyering skills in a way that uniquely prepares them to be confident attorneys from their very first days in practice,” said Stetson University College of Law Professor and Dispute Resolution Board Director Kristen Adams.

Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board teams recently advanced to the national rounds in all three dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the American Bar Association Law Student Division: in arbitration, negotiation, and client counseling.

To learn more about the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson, advocacy boards at Stetson, and the top-ranked program in trial advocacy in the country, visit www.stetson.edu/law/advocacy.

Stetson professors, alumni, overseer honored as “Hidden Figures” by Tampa’s U.S. District Court

Stetson University College of Law professors, alumni, and a college overseer were honored as “Hidden Figures” among more than 30 legal leaders in Tampa Bay by the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida on Feb. 8.

Professor of Law Dorothea Beane was honored as the first tenured minority professor and Professor of Law Luz Nagle was honored as the first tenured Hispanic professor at Stetson University College of Law during the special program in Tampa celebrating pioneering firsts.

Ruthann Robson, a Stetson Hall of Fame inductee and visiting professor and alumna, was honored as one of the first female judicial law clerks in the Tampa Federal Courthouse.

Stetson Law alumni honored among Tampa Bay firsts included Emmy Acton, the first female Hillsborough County judge; Pam Bondi, honored as the first female attorney general of Florida; Judge Susan Bucklew, honored as the first female county judge in Hillsborough County; Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich, the first woman jurist in Tampa Bay, elected to the Sixth Judicial Circuit; Judge Mac McCoy, the first openly gay person to be sworn in as a federal judge in the Middle District of Florida; Judge Catherine McEwen, the first female appointed U.S. bankruptcy judge in the Tampa division of the Middle District of Florida; and Marsha Rydberg, the first female president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Justice Peggy Quince, an overseer at Stetson Law, was honored for being the first African-American woman to lead a branch of government, serving as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Stetson presents award for lifetime achievement to Mark Caldwell

Stetson University College of Law will present the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching Advocacy to Mark Caldwell during its Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills Conference on the Gulfport campus, May 21-23.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those who have fundamentally changed the way in which the world approaches the teaching of advocacy.

Mark Caldwell is curriculum project manager for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. He has been recognized for his work as a teacher, program designer and administrator, receiving NITA’s Robert Oliphant Award for Service in 2001, the Hon. Prentice Marshall Award for Excellence in the Creation of Education Techniques in 2009, the University of Denver’s Institute for Advance Legal Studies Educator of the Year Award in 1999, and recognition from the Colorado Asian American Bar Association and the American Bar Association Section of Family Law. Caldwell designed the NITA Building Trial Skills: Rocky Mountain program which won the Association for Continuing Legal Education award in 2014.

“Mark is a beloved figure at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and has touched the lives of countless lawyers who strive to achieve justice for clients across the globe,” said Charles H. Rose III, the director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson. “He is a teacher’s teacher and we are so excited to welcome him into the Stetson family, as recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mark is the type of lawyer and teacher who brings out the best in all of us.”

Stetson University is home to the nationally no. 1 ranked trial advocacy program, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The annual Educating Advocates conference on Stetson University’s Gulfport campus, draws law professors, lawyers and legal practitioners from across the U.S. to learn the Stetson method of advocacy, develop teaching skills, learn new techniques and network with some of the most recognized names in advocacy teaching.

To register for the Educating Advocates, Teaching Advocacy Skills Conference, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/eats/.