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Nationally recognized defense attorney Cristina C. Arguedas receives 2017 White Collar Criminal Defense Award from NACDL and Stetson Law

Cris Arguedas received the White Collar Criminal Defense Advocacy Award at Stetson. — Cristina Arguedas (left) received the White Collar Criminal Defense Award from NACDL president Barry J. Pollack (right) at Stetson.

On Saturday, March 18, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Stetson University College of Law presented Cristina C. Arguedas with the 2017 White Collar Criminal Defense Award. Ms. Arguedas received her award during NACDL’s White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson Law in Gulfport, Florida. NACDL and Stetson co-present the award annually to individuals who have made a profound impact on the field of white collar criminal defense advocacy.

Cristina Arguedas, this year's White Collar Criminal Defense Award winner, spoke at Stetson. — Cristina Arguedas, this year’s White Collar Criminal Defense Award winner, spoke at Stetson.

Ms. Arguedas is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney specializing in complex white collar cases, such as public corruption, securities fraud, and environmental crimes, as well as sensational murders. Throughout her career, she has defended both celebrity and low-profile clients. In 1995, Ms. Arguedas served on O.J. Simpson’s “Dream Team,” where she was tasked to determine whether Simpson should testify in court by putting him through a grueling mock cross-examination. California Lawyer named Ms. Arguedas as the lawyer other lawyers would hire if they got arrested. In 2000, she was elected as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. And in 2010, Ms. Arguedas was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California (an honor shared by only 20 other attorneys in the state). In addition to numerous other awards, she has also been named one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in the United States by The National Law Journal and one of the five most promising women lawyers in the country by Time.

In 2016, Ms. Arguedas served as lead counsel in one of the most significant federal criminal cases of the year – the more than a billion-dollar criminal case of United States v. FedEx Corp. Accused of intentionally shipping illegal internet prescriptions, FedEx was charged with criminal distribution of controlled substances, conspiracy, and money laundering, among others. In a cautionary tale for overreaching prosecutors, not only did Ms. Arguedas and her team secure the dismissal of the criminal case against FedEx, but in doing so the court “conclude[d] that the defendants are factually innocent.” Ms. Arguedas and her colleagues discussed the case in a 2016 episode (episode 49) of NACDL’s podcast series, “The Criminal Docket.”

“We are honored to present this year’s White Collar Criminal Defense Award to Cris Arguedas,” said NACDL President Barry J. Pollack, who presented the award. “Ms. Arguedas is a fearless advocate who never shies away from a difficult case and wins an extraordinary number of them. Ms. Arguedas is what every law student and every lawyer aspires to be. She is a consummate professional and a master of her craft. Ms. Arguedas embodies what this award is all about – recognition of an attorney who has made a profound impact on the field of white collar criminal defense advocacy. ”

Ms. Arguedas earned her J.D. summa cum laude from Rutgers Law School in 1979.

The NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson, March 16-19, is an educational “boot-camp” program for legal practitioners from across the country wishing to gain key advocacy skills and learn substantive white collar law from masters in the field.

Media Contacts:
Ezra Dunkle-Polier, NACDL Public Affairs & Communications Assistant

(202) 465-7656 or [email protected].

Brandi Palmer, Communications Office, Stetson University College of Law

(727) 562-7381 or [email protected].

Up close with Cuba: Students and professor travel to Havana during Spring Break

Professor Jason Palmer traveled with the Stetson Law students to Cuba to complete a course during Spring Break. Photo courtesy Professor Palmer. — Students, professors and administrators visited author Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fishing village. (L-R): First row – Caridad Acosta (FAMU), Professor Deleso Alford (FAMU). Second row – Francisco Lopez (Stetson), Jason Birdsong (FAMU), Kristen Overstreet (Stetson), Professor Jason Palmer (Stetson), Ashley Fields (Stetson), Kelley Parks (Stetson), Aman Dhaliwal (Stetson), JR Swanegan (Stetson), Troy Lewis (Stetson). Third row – Kristen Nasser (Stetson), Erin Domaracki (Stetson). Back row – Anthony Nunnally (Stetson), Cali Crisler (Stetson), Erica Ramos (Stetson). Photo courtesy Professor Palmer.

Eleven second and third-year Stetson Law students recently spent their Spring Break studying abroad in Cuba.

Professor Jason Palmer’s one-credit Cuban Legal System and Society class met once per week during the spring semester, culminating in a five-day, four-night trip to Havana, Cuba, from March 5-9.

Stetson students visited Cuba for Spring Break. Photo by Francisco Lopez.

“Traveling to Cuba for five days was an amazing culmination to our eight weeks of classroom learning regarding Cuban law, culture, and society,” said Professor Palmer. “Speaking directly with Cuban lawyers about their civil, family and criminal law practices and immersing ourselves in the culture and history of Cuba sharply focused for the entire Stetson group the similarities and differences in our legal systems and cultural identities.”

The course introduced Stetson law students to the history of the Cuban legal system and society as well as the current legal system in Cuba. Students learned about Cuban laws, US-Cuba policy, Cuban society and current legal issues related to Cuba.

“The study abroad program eliminated the distance created by the U.S. Embargo on Cuba and allowed me to see the lives, culture, and viewpoints of the Cuban people up close,” said third-year Stetson Law student Francisco Lopez, who traveled to Cuba as part of Professor Palmer’s class.

Stetson launched the study abroad program in Cuba during Spring Break in 2015.

Stetson no. 1 Trial Advocacy, no. 4 Legal Writing in U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Stetson University College of Law no. 1 in Trial Advocacy for the 19th time in 23 years. Stetson ranked fourth in the nation for Legal Writing and has consistently ranked among the top six legal writing programs since the inception of the Legal Writing rankings.

Stetson law school's Gulfport campus. — Stetson law school’s Gulfport campus.

“At Stetson, we are dedicated to teaching the key skills lawyers need as advocates and communicators,” said Stetson University President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson alumni bear the distinction of graduating from a law school that is nationally recognized for its advocacy and legal writing programs.”

“We are proud to again be recognized for our consistent value as a leader in advocacy and legal writing education,” said Stetson Dean and Professor of Law Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “At Stetson, student advocates learn effective advocacy and communication skills by working with an internationally renowned faculty in state-of-the-art teaching courtrooms.”

“The Stetson Educational Experience ensures that the next generation of Stetson lawyers have the ability to advocate, to speak on behalf of others,” said Charles H. Rose III, Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy and Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson. “They learn to do so with a level of competency, compassion and professionalism – protecting the rights of all of us with every client they serve.”

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

Stetson is also listed among the Most Diverse Law Schools in the U.S. Its part-time law school program ranks no. 24. Stetson is also listed among the top 100 law schools.

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

For more information on the U.S. News 2018 “Best Grad Schools” visit www.usnews.com/grad.

Women in the Law: Student Natalie Yello

(L-R): Irene Mo from Michigan State University and Natalie Yello discussing being a first-generation law student at the conference.

Ms. J.D. Fellows with Ms. JD President Raychelle Tasher (bottom left corner in black suit and purple shirt) and Fellowship Coordinator Maleaha Brown.

Third-year student Natalie Yello recently presented a brief segment at the Ms. JD’s Ninth Annual Conference on Women in the Law in Chicago, Illinois, on March 2-3.

Natalie Yello at the Ms. JD PROPEL Conference in Chicago.

Yello co-presented with Irene Mo, a third-year law student from Michigan State University, on what it’s like to be a first-generation law student and shared tips with other law students.

Kelly Jo MacArthur, vice president and associate general counsel for Amazon, and Lia Moeser, Amazon’s corporate counsel, provided the conference keynote address.

The conference on Promoting Retention, Opportunity, Partnership, Excellence, and Leadership also featured awards for women in the profession which included, among others, Lieutenant General Flora Darpino, the 39th Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army and the first woman to hold that position its in 242 year history.

Yello is associate justice of the Moot Court Board at Stetson, editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Aging, Law & Policy, and a member of the board of governors for the Young Lawyers Division Law Student Division. Last year, Yello became the first Stetson student to be awarded a fellowship by Ms. JD. The competitive fellowship was only awarded to 15 law students from around the country.

Stetson Trial Team wins regional, advances to American Association for Justice national competition in April

Stetson University College of Law’s Trial Team won the regional qualifying round of the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition March 9-12 in Miami, Florida. Stetson students head to the national AAJ competition in Cleveland, Ohio, in April.

(L-R): Ethan Dunn, Chris Hallett, Amara Benitez, Christian Romaguera, two competition officials, Joseph Sise, Colby Connell, Kaitlyn Dugas and Haley Coet. — (L-R): Ethan Dunn, Christopher Hallett, Amara Benitez, Christian Romaguera, with two competition officials (center), Joseph Sise, Colby Connell, Kaitlyn Dugas and Haley Coet.

Stetson sent two teams of students to the regional competition in Miami who both advanced to the final round, beating all the other law schools to compete against each other.

Stetson’s team of Amara Benitez, Ethan Dunn, Christopher Hallett and Christian Romaguera beat the other Stetson team of Haley Coet, Colby Connell, Kaitlyn Dugas and Joseph Sise in the final round of the AAJ regional.

“I watched the Stetson students encourage, challenge, and educate one another over the course of this competition,” said Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles Rose III, who traveled with the teams. “This was truly a win for both teams.”

Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy Assistant Director Erika McArdle J.D. ’12 and Patrick McArdle J.D. ’12 co-coached the teams.

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

Stetson named co-champions at the Boston regional of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition

Stetson University College of Law students were named co-champions at the Boston Regional of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition on March 4.

Stetson law students Felicia Kitzmiller and Taylor Ryan won one of the final rounds of the competition as well as the second best brief and will advance to the national finals of the competition in April. A second team from Stetson of Anne Boyle, Evan Dix and Jeff Keller were co-finalists, and Dix won the sixth best oralist award. More than 180 teams competed in the regional rounds for a chance to become one of the 24 teams advancing to the national finals. Professor Michael Allen and alumnus Jason Stearns J.D. ’08 coached the team.

Another team competing over the weekend—Anna Kirkpatrick, Diego Pestana, Ali Preston, Hoyt Prindle, and Chloe Wells—was recognized for the 10th best memorial and won three oralist awards in the Southern Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition on March 4, in New Orleans. Stetson Law alumni Caitlein Jammo J.D. ’13 and Bradley Muhs J.D. ’14 coached the Jessup team.

The winter 2017 issue of the National Jurist magazine recently listed Stetson University College of Law’s moot court among the best 20 programs in the U.S. during this decade. To learn more about advocacy at Stetson visit www.stetson.edu/law/advocacy.

Chasing Down Madison Brown J.D. ‘16

By Brandi Palmer

“I never thought I was going to do anything in entertainment,” Madison Brown J.D. ’16 said as she prepared to travel to film two episodes of her new television program.

In one episode, Brown tries her hand at making desserts like the pros. Photo courtesy Madison Brown.

As a law student at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, Brown was focused on corporate law and business when the opportunity to play a role in a movie presented itself. Brown said that she spent many weekends during law school flying to Tennessee, the filming location for the movie, “Where the Fast Lane Ends.” A month after graduating from Stetson law school last year, Brown was shooting the pilot for her own program, “Chasing Down Madison Brown.”

“Now, it’s my full-time job,” said Brown. “It’s all day, every day, even weekends calling, scheduling and shooting.”

Brown said her law school studies paid off in negotiating the contract for the show, which she owns and hosts.

“It’s very exciting. I get to travel all over the country,” said Brown. The show is a travel adventure show that follows Brown to locations across the U.S., from Toby Keith’s restaurant and horse race farm in Oklahoma to a zoo in Naples.

Brown explained that she is no stranger to travel or adventure. The 25–year-old grew up following her father Mark Miller, musician with the Sawyer Brown band, around the country on tour.

“You never know where I’ll be,” said Brown of the new 26-episode program premiering on RSV-TV on March 7.

“Chasing Down Madison Brown” will air Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m. EST. Watch online on RFD-TV: http://www.rfdtv.com/story/34626078/chasing-down-madison-brown#.WL1bzxiZN-U.

Seven scientific organizations endorse brief co-authored by Stetson’s biodiversity institute

In response to President Trump’s executive order targeting the Clean Water Rule, seven scientific organizations have issued a joint letter in support of protecting the nation’s aquatic resources. The letter endorsed a brief filed in the Sixth Circuit in January by Stetson law professor Royal Gardner and Foreman Biodiversity Fellow Erin Okuno on behalf of water and wetland scientists in support of the Clean Water Rule.

“The Clean Water Rule reflects scientific reality. We need to protect streams and wetlands to protect larger, navigable waters,” said Professor Gardner, director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University.

Stetson University’s Dr. Kirsten Work and Dr. Benjamin Tanner were among the scientists for whom the brief was filed. Professor Steph Tai of the University of Wisconsin was a co-author of the brief.

In their letter, the Society of Wetland Scientists, Ecological Society of America, American Institute of Biological Scientists, American Fisheries Society, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society for Freshwater Science and Phycological Society of America emphasized the brief’s “use of sound science to explain the urgent need for the Clean Water Rule.”

Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy is the winner of the American Bar Association 2016 Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy Award. The Institute serves as an interdisciplinary focal point for education, research and service activities related to global, regional and local biodiversity issues.

Editor’s Note:

Download the brief here: https://www.stetson.edu/law/amicicuriae.

Download the letter here: http://sws.org/images/sws_documents/SocietiesLetterSupportWOTUSAmiciCuriaeBrief_ToPresidentTrump.pdf.

Stetson’s advocacy center honors Lawrence Sutter with inaugural Cornerstone Award

Stetson University College of Law’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy is honoring Lawrence Sutter with the inaugural Cornerstone Award during its Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills Conference.

Sutter has directed the University of Akron School of Law mock trial program since 1990. He served as a board member for the prestigious, invitation-only Tournament of Champions for 25 years, a competition that serves as a cornerstone for the development of the best trial simulation experiences around the country. Under his leadership, the University of Akron School of Law won four national championships and more than 20 regional championships. Sutter is a managing shareholder at his own law firm, Sutter O’Connell, where he has distinguished himself as one of the nation’s top civil trial lawyers.

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.

“Lawrence ‘Larry’ Sutter has been a tireless champion of the right to trial by jury for decades,” said Stetson University Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles H. Rose III. “His service as a trial lawyer and as an educator of future trial lawyers lifts up the profession.”

The recipient of the Cornerstone Award will be selected every year by the chair of the regional EATS planning committee. The first regional EATS conference was held at Pace University in 2015, the second regional EATS conference was held at Loyola Law School Los Angeles in 2016, and future regional conferences are scheduled. The regional conferences were created with the goal of bringing the lessons learned at the annual national EATS conference to local communities to create a new cornerstone for advancing the law, skill and art of trial advocacy.

Recent law grad cited in federal court

Brandon Breslow J.D. ’16, recently published an article in The Federal Lawyer, the official publication of the Federal Bar Association, that was cited by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of John R. Turner v. U.S.

(L-R): Brandon Breslow and Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz at the May 2016 Honors and Awards ceremony at Stetson.

Breslow began working on the pivotal article, “Signs of Life in the Supreme Court’s Uncharted Territory: Why the Right to Effective Assistance of Counsel Should Attach to Pre-Indictment Plea Bargaining,” while he was still a student in Professor of Law Ellen S. Podgor’s class in the Honors Program at Stetson law school.

As a law student, Breslow was a member of Stetson’s Trial Team, interned with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and worked as a law clerk at Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A.

His work as a student was focused on criminal justice and looking beyond what the law is to suggest what the law should be.

As a law clerk, Breslow researched Sixth Amendment ineffective assistance of counsel claims at the plea bargaining stage and the Supreme Court’s Bright-Line Rule. His research led him to develop the underlying theme of his paper.

Since graduating and passing the Florida Bar last September, Breslow works with mentors Katherine Earle Yanes J.D. ’97 and James Felman as an associate attorney for Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A. in Tampa, focused on trial, appellate, and post-conviction proceedings in federal and state courts.

“They both encourage me not only to become a better attorney for the benefit of our clients, but also for the benefit of the community and the legal profession,” Breslow said of his mentors.

Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute partners with Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Bay Area Legal Services and Gulfcoast Legal Services to assist veterans

Stetson University College of Law’s Veterans Law Institute celebrated the launch of a new medical-legal partnership on Feb. 15 with the Bay Pines Veterans Administration Healthcare System, Bay Area Legal Services and Gulfcoast Legal Services to help veterans. The program officially launched Feb. 1, with hundreds of veterans already signed up for assistance.

Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz signed an MOU at the VA Bay Pines. — Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz signed a new medical-legal partnership to help veterans on Feb. 15 at the VA at Bay Pines.

Qualifying low-income veterans in the area will have greater access to free civil legal services through the new partnership. Veterans can secure legal assistance for non-criminal offenses in a range of areas, from veterans benefits and Social Security disability benefits to family law matters, guardianship, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Stetson Law students work with VA social workers and legal aid attorneys Cherilyn Hansen J.D. ’16 and Julie Ann Embler J.D. ’14 to assist veterans with their civil legal needs twice weekly in an office at the VA Medical Center in Bay Pines. Hansen is an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Gulfcoast Legal Services who helps veterans with their VA disability benefits. Embler provides civil legal services to veterans through Bay Area Legal Services.

“This is really an historic day for Stetson and for our law students,” Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz remarked at the event.

“The law clinic that we’re able to have here because of the community support is going to expand in the future and really meet the needs of veterans and their families,” Suzanne M. Klinker, director of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, said of the new program.

The service to veterans is available every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the main medical center building 100, Room 1E-241 at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines (Click here to access a campus map and driving directions)

More info is available on the website at http://www.baypines.va.gov/BAYPINES/services/MLP.asp. The number for veterans to call is 727-398-9592.

“This partnership is a win-win for all involved,” said Trista Miller J.D. ’11, staff attorney with the Veterans Advocacy Clinic and Veteran’s Law Institute Pro Bono Initiative supervisor at Stetson who helped spearhead the new program. “The veterans have greater access to affordable legal services, law students are provided a rich environment to put their legal learning in to practice, and the capacity of our legal aid partners is expanded.”

To learn more about Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, visit www.stetson.edu/law/veterans.

Minority Mentoring Picnic brings students, judges and attorneys together for annual networking event

By Brielle Tucker

On Feb. 4, members of Stetson’s Black Law Students Association attended the 13th Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic in Hialeah, Florida. Ten Stetson students attended this year’s annual networking event, coordinated by the Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation.

Students and family gather at the Minority Mentoring Picnic. Photo courtesy Brielle Tucker.

Upon arrival, law students were greeted with a sticker that read “I Need a Mentor” while judges and attorneys were given stickers that read “I Need a Mentee” in hopes that lasting connections would be made. The picnic was well attended by judges, attorneys and other law students from every law school in Florida. Stetson Law alumnus Brian Tannebaum J.D. ’94 spoke with current Stetson students about life after Stetson and shared his memories from his law school years.

(L-R): Kamilah Clark, Assita Toure, Alexis Turner-Garris, Keongela Norton. Photo by Brielle Tucker. — (L-R): Career Development’s Kamilah Clark, Assita Toure, Alexis Turner-Garris, Keongela Norton. Photo by Brielle Tucker.

(L-R): Brian Tannebaum with BLSA president Kaarl Brandon. Photo by Brielle Tucker. — (L-R): Brian Tannebaum J.D. ’94 with BLSA president Kaarl Brandon. Photo by Brielle Tucker.

There was an opportunity to hear advice from the Florida Bar on completing the bar application as well as prepping for the bar exam.

Cuisine included barbecue, Caribbean, Mexican, American and vegetarian options. Popcorn, dessert and ice-cream stations were also available. The family-friendly event also featured a “Kids Zone” with rock-climbing, face painting and ring toss games.