News Archives - Page 48 of 138

Stetson inducts three into Hall of Fame

Stetson University College of Law inducted three new members of its prestigious Hall of Fame at a special evening event on Oct. 22.

(L-R): Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Professor Robert Bickel, President Wendy Libby.

Professor of Law Robert D. Bickel, Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince, and Matt Towery J.D. ’87 are the newest members of the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame.

Professor of Law Robert D. Bickel has taught at Stetson for 38 years. His national awards include the American Bar Association’s Harrison Tweed Award for Continuing Legal Education and the Florida Bar’s Faculty Professionalism Award. In 1994, he was elected to the American Law Institute and he is a fellow of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

Joining Stetson’s faculty in 1978, Professor Bickel served as assistant dean and created the law school’s first federal civil procedure course. Professor Bickel created and launched the National Conference on Law and Higher Education. Now in its 37th year, this is the longest running national conference of its kind.

In 2004, Professor Bickel approached his colleagues to create a Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement course. He envisioned a travelling classroom, where students meet civil rights icons where they made history. Professor Bickel has also invited numerous Civil Rights Movement veterans to campus. He and video production manager Stan Arthur filmed interviews with a special group of Civil Rights Movement veterans as part of a digital classroom project for the Newseum Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2012, Professor Judith Scully and Professor Bickel created a concentration program in social justice advocacy, which graduated its first full class in 2014.

(L-R): Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Justice Peggy Quince, President Wendy Libby.

Justice Peggy A. Quince is the first African-American woman to lead a branch of government in Florida, serving as chief justice of Florida’s judicial branch, and the first to be appointed to both the Florida Supreme Court and Florida District Courts of Appeal.

Honored with dozens of awards, Justice Quince is a Lifetime Achievement Award and Margaret Brent Women Lawyers Achievement Award recipient, and a member of the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame which includes luminaries Marjorie Stoneman Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

Justice Quince received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Stetson University, where she has participated in a number of programs and served on the Board of Overseers at the law school for many years.

Matt Towery J.D. ’87, a longtime member of the Stetson College of Law Board of Overseers, was nominated in 2007 by the family of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and Ambassador Andrew Young for the John F. Kennedy “Profiles in Courage Award” for his efforts and amicus brief filed to free a young African-American, Genarlowe Wilson, imprisoned under an incorrect interpretation of a law Towery authored years earlier. Georgia’s Supreme Court, including Stetson alumna Justice Carol Hunstein, agreed with Towery and freed the young man.

(L-R): Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Matt Towery, President Wendy Libby.

At the age of 30, Towery was the Republican Party’s nominee for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Two years later, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, becoming the first Republican since Reconstruction to preside over the state House chamber. Towery also served as the political chairman for U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He was also CEO of his family company Color Graphics, which was at the time of sale the largest sheet-fed printing company in the Southeast. Towery also founded InsiderAdvantage, a national internet news, polling and publishing company. He has enjoyed an 18-year career in network and affiliate television and this election year he serves as the political analyst for major national Fox affiliates.

In the fall of 2015, Towery’s latest book Newsvesting soared to the top of Amazon.com’s hottest new releases. He currently splits his time between running his family-owned investment company, finishing his TV obligations, and serving as chairman of governmental affairs at a major Southeastern law firm, Hall Booth Smith, which has a growing Florida presence.

Watch videos about each inductee and learn more about past Hall of Fame inductees here: https://www.stetson.edu/law/about/hof/2016-inductees.php

Stetson’s star alumni honored

Stetson University College of Law alumni were recently selected for the Tampa Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list and for inclusion in the Business Observer’s “40 Under 40” and the National Trial Lawyers Association Top 40 Under 40 Lawyer list.

Tammy Briant J.D. ’06 was selected for the annual “40 Under 40” issue of the Business Observer that highlights the brightest young stars of the business community on the Gulf Coast. Briant is the director for student affairs and deputy Title IX coordinator at Stetson University College of Law, overseeing 45 student organizations, campus counseling and student leadership development. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Stetson Law and the University of South Florida.

Law alumna Bridgette Lester J.D. ’10 was recently named a Top 40 under 40 Lawyer in Florida by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2016 list of “Up & Comers” is composed of five Stetson Law alumni: David Brickhouse J.D. ’11, Allison Ellison J.D. ’05, Phillip Harris J.D. ’07, Amanda Singleton J.D. ’05, and Jason Stearns J.D. ’08.

Stetson’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law awarded new grant, director honored

The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, was recently awarded an additional grant from the Department of Justice to produce educational in-person trainings and webinars.

Professor of Law Carol Henderson spoke in New Zealand.

The two-year $400,000 grant was awarded to Stetson’s Clearinghouse by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice to support the Capital Case Litigation Initiative.

Stetson will use the grant to produce four national in-person trainings on topics relating to “Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics” and eight webinars on emerging topics related to capital case litigation and forensics. The sessions are designed to educate death penalty litigators, from both the prosecution and defense, in forensic science.

A year ago, a $400,000 grant was also awarded to the Clearinghouse to develop a forensic evidence training program for lawyers who work on death penalty cases.

In September, Clearinghouse director and Professor of Law Carol Henderson was honored for the Best Oral Presentation in Education and Training at the Australia New Zealand Forensic Science Society’s International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences in Auckland, New Zealand.

Stetson’s National Clearinghouse was developed to foster communication between the scientific, technological and legal communities, providing comprehensive scientific, technological and legal information to promote justice based on sound science and technology. The Clearinghouse has trained more than 14,000 legal and scientific professionals since its inception.

For more information about the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson visit http://www.ncstl.org/.

Scientist speaks at Stetson on captive marine mammals

Dr. Naomi A. Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., delivered the Foreman Biodiversity Lecture at Stetson’s Gulfport campus on Sept. 29.

Dr. Naomi Rose spoke at Stetson's Foreman Biodiversity Lecture. — Dr. Naomi Rose spoke at Stetson’s Foreman Biodiversity Lecture.

Dr. Rose spoke on the plight of “Captive Marine Mammals: Beneath the Surface” and described how the natural history and biology of marine mammals make them uniquely unsuited to a life in captivity.

“It’s a pretty simple equation: large animals in small enclosures,” said Dr. Rose, who illustrated the impacts of captivity on marine mammals.

She described how limited space and social environment, poor water quality and behavioral restrictions all impact marine mammals in captivity. She also examined how captive marine mammals develop behavior problems that can result in injuries and even death to their handlers.

“I hope that as empathetic human beings that you can see that there’s a problem here,” Dr. Rose told the audience of law students and community members gathered to hear her talk.

Her presentation also addressed recent regulatory and legislative developments related to the public display of whales and dolphins.

Dr. Rose works on several campaigns and coalitions addressing problems associated with cetacean live capture, trade and captivity, both in the U.S. and abroad. She has been a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee since 2000 and has worked in the marine mammal advocacy field for more than 20 years.

(L-R): Professor Lance Long, Dr. Naomi Rose and Professor Royal Gardner.

Upcoming lectures in this series on Stetson’s Gulfport campus include:

Nov. 2, 12 p.m., Great Hall, Robert Williams J.D. ’95, chief deputy counsel of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, presenting Working for the Government – One Lawyer’s Perspective on the Florida Environment and the Challenges Associated with Representing a State Agency;
Nov. 3, 12 p.m., Great Hall, Jeanne Christie, executive director of the Association of State Wetland Managers, presenting Are We There Yet? Trends in Protecting Wetlands and Biodiversity – A State-side View.

Stetson’s Foreman Biodiversity Lecture series is coordinated through the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, which is the recipient of the 2016 ABA Distinguished Achievement Award in Environmental Law and Policy.

To learn more about environmental law programming and the Institute at Stetson, visit www.stetson.edu/law/biodiversity.

Stetson Law alumnus Gary Trombley honored

By Brandi Palmer

Stetson University College of Law alumnus Gary R. Trombley J.D. ’73 of Trombley & Hanes, P.A. in Tampa, has been elected to the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and was recently honored with the Goldburg-Cacciatore Inn of Court Award.

Gary Trombley '73. — Gary Trombley J.D. ’73.

The International Academy of Trial Lawyers seeks out, identifies, acknowledges and honors those who have achieved a career of excellence through demonstrated skill and ability in jury trials, trials before the court and appellate practice. The Academy invites only lawyers who have attained the highest level of advocacy.

Trombley was inducted into Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and is a past-president of the Stetson Lawyers Association, member of the Stetson Board of Overseers, and recipient of Stetson’s Paul M. May Meritorious Award.

He is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and a past-president of the Herbert G. Goldburg Criminal Law American Inn of Court Middle District of Florida. Trombley has served on numerous federal, state and local bar association committees, as president of the Trial Lawyers Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, chairman of the Thirteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Committee and Criminal Law Committee. He was a member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors for four years and served on the board’s legislative committee.

Trombley has been named among the Best Lawyers of America 1987-2017, in Chambers USA, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and in the Florida Super Lawyers. A Florida native, Trombley began his legal career as an assistant U.S. attorney where he received the Attorney General’s “Outstanding Performance in Trial Practice Award.” He then entered private practice and participated as defense counsel in criminal cases including “The Bank of Credit and Commerce” case, one of the largest criminal cases included among historical exhibits of major cases in the Tampa federal courthouse.

“Gary Trombley is a terrific lawyer, person, and someone who has done an incredible amount for Stetson University College of Law,” said Professor of Law Ellen Podgor, the Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Research Professor at Stetson.

Full-day education program at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center explains process of reporting abuse and exploitation

Stetson University College of Law is hosting “A Day in the Life of an Exploitation Report,” a continuing legal education program for attorneys dealing with cases of abuse and financial exploitation.

The full-day program, co-sponsored by the Florida Bar Elder Law section, Florida Securities Dealers Association, Aging Life Care Association Florida Chapter, the Office of the Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Stetson Law, begins at 8:30 a.m. with a closing session at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.

The program includes an overview of the process of reporting abuse and exploitation, from the first phone call to Adult Protective Services, to investigating the abuse, to taking the case to court, and finally identifying strategies to curb future exploitation.

“This seminar will take the participants from the Adult Protective Services hotline to the courtroom, explaining precisely how Adult Protective Services really works, what the department can do and what it can’t do,” said Stetson University Professor of Law Roberta Flowers, co-director of the Center for Excellence in Elder Law.

Speakers include Judge Sean O. Cadigan of the 13th Judicial Circuit; Erika Dine, elder law attorney and co-chair of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section Committee on Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation; Deanne Fields, assistant Suncoast region counsel with the Florida DCF; Professor Flowers; Laura Hinson, Adult Protective Investigator with the Florida DCF; Laura Moody, assistant state attorney in the Elder & Economic Crimes Unit in the Office of the State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit; and Roseanne Powers, statewide training coordinator for Adult Protective Services, Florida Department of Children and Families.

For more information on registration costs and a program schedule, call 727-562-7898. To register, visit https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1856730.

Stetson’s July bar passage rate among top three in the state

Stetson University College of Law’s pass rate for first-time takers of the July 2016 Florida Bar Examination was 80.5% and 12 points above the statewide average of 68.2%.

Stetson's bar passage is no. 3 in the state. — Stetson’s bar passage is no. 3 in the state.

Stetson is also in the top three of all Florida law schools who took the exam, very close to tying for second place.

Trial advocacy expert presents CLE for trial lawyers at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center in October

Trial advocacy expert, longtime trial advocacy fellow and visiting law professor Lee A. Coppock presents a three-hour continuing legal education program for trial lawyers at Stetson University College of Law’s Tampa Law Center in October.

Professor Coppock will present persuading a jury to want to do right by the client, as well as preparing questions on the verdict form for both plaintiff and defense at a three-hour CLE, “Money Damages: Getting to the Jury’s Sweet Spot,” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.

The program covers:

evaluating a potential claim;
points for discovery;
methods of proof;
at trial: questions for direct and cross;
and from translation after the liability portion of the closing to making persuasive arguments that are most likely to get the jury to do right by your client.

CLE application has been made to the Florida Bar for 3.5 General CLE credits. To register, and for more information, please visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/homepages/money-damages-cle.php.

Stetson’s Special Needs Trusts Conference is Oct. 19-21

Stetson University College of Law’s 18th Annual Special Needs Trusts-The National Conference returns to the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club on Oct. 19-21.

Professor Rebecca C. Morgan.

This year’s conference offers a comprehensive review of major issues presented in special needs planning and in the creation, administration and monitoring of special needs trusts. The conference also features two pre-conference intensives on Oct. 19 on tax issues in special needs planning, as well as issues for pooled trusts administrators, attorneys and others who work with pooled trusts, followed by the two-day national conference.

The national conference begins on Oct. 20 with general sessions, followed by afternoon sessions with basics, administration and advanced tracks.

“This is a fascinating area of law with frequent new developments. This conference gives attendees a significant educational experience and an opportunity to network with the leaders in the field of special needs planning,” said Stetson Professor of Law Rebecca C. Morgan, conference chair and co-director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law.

Nationally recognized speakers include Ben Belton and Kenneth Brown from the Social Security Administration; Gregory W. Coleman J.D. ’89, past-president of the Florida Bar; Ann Koerner, president of the National Care Advisors; a significant number of nationally recognized attorneys who lead the field of special needs planning; and national political pundit Matt Towery J.D. ’87 of Insider Advantage. Noted football coach Charlie Weis of the Kansas Jayhawks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will present the keynote on Hannah and Friends, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and adults with special needs.

Application will be made to the Florida Bar for CLE credits. To register and for more information please visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/snt/registration.php.

Stetson is a national leader in elder law, offering both a certificate of concentration in elder law and an online LL.M. in elder law. Visit https://www.stetson.edu/elderlaw to learn more.

Sea turtle course at Stetson features guided visit to sea turtle nest at Fort DeSoto Park

Students in Stetson University College of Law’s special summer course on Sea Turtle Law and Policy visited a sea turtle nest at Fort DeSoto Park on Aug. 28.

Students and professors gather at a hatched sea turtle nesting site at Fort DeSoto Park on Aug. 28 as part of a special summer course on sea turtles. Photo by Frank Klim.

Students in Stetson's sea turtle course gather at a sea turtle nesting site at Fort DeSoto Park where turtles recently hatched. Photo by Frank Klim. — Students in Stetson’s sea turtle course gather at a sea turtle nesting site at Fort DeSoto Park. Photo by Frank Klim.

A sea turtle nesting site at Fort DeSoto Park. Photo by Frank Klim.

Stetson was awarded a grant by the Sea Turtle Grants Program to offer the one-credit, three-day course, “Topics in Biodiversity Law: Sea Turtles,” on its Gulfport, Florida, campus for law students and graduate students who are pursuing degrees in marine science, environmental science, or environmental policy.

The course was offered through Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy on Aug. 26–28. Law and other graduate students learned about threats to sea turtles and the local, state, national, and international legal and policy framework to protect them.

Scholarships funded by the Sea Turtle Grants Program covered the cost of the course for students.

Stetson students, faculty, staff kick off the fall with two days of community service

The Stetson volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity build site on Aug. 19

The Stetson volunteers gather on Aug. 18 at Community Preschool.

Students, faculty and staff at Stetson University College of Law kicked off the fall semester by volunteering for two days to help people and pets through community organizations in the Tampa Bay region.

(L-R): Second-year law students Danny Jacobo and Taofikat Ninalowo volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

A total of 63 members of the Stetson community volunteered on Aug. 18-19 to help build furniture for classrooms and to read to children at the Community Preschool, sort and clean books and read to preschool children at the Goodwill/Book Works Program, socialize homeless pets at Friends of Strays, and build affordable housing for Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County.

Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz volunteered with faculty, staff and students for Habitat for Humanity, — Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz volunteered with faculty, staff and students for Habitat for Humanity.

Professor Judith Scully co-coordinates Stetson’s Social Justice Advocacy Program which will spearhead the pro bono program starting this fall with professors Kristen Adams and Ann Piccard.

(L-R): Professor Judith Scully and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Susan Rozelle. — (L-R): Professor Judith Scully and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Susan Rozelle helped at the Habitat for Humanity build site.

“In three short years, law students will be joining the legal profession — a profession that requires its members to serve the needs of clients from all walks of life,” said Professor Scully. “Adopting a habit of serving a diverse group of people early on in a law student’s career will benefit them in the future. Since law students are on a career path that requires them to serve others, it is important for our students to adopt a culture and practice of serving the community on a regular basis. Our pro bono program seeks to build advocates that lead both in the courtroom and in the community.”

Stetson was one of the first law schools in the nation to establish a pro bono service requirement for graduation, and students today are required to complete 60 hours of pro bono work for graduation. Professor James Sheehan previously directed the pro bono program at Stetson.

Alumni named to Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” list

Amos Goodall LL.M. '09. — H. Amos Goodall LL.M. ’09.

By Brandi Palmer

The Best Lawyers in America has just released its “Lawyer of the Year” list, which includes several Stetson University College of Law alumni working in the greater Tampa Bay, Florida area.

The list includes alumni Debra L. Boje J.D. ’92, Tae Kelley Bronner J.D. ’94, Thomas H. Dart J.D. ’77, Aileen S. Davis J.D. ’83, Aubrey O. Dicus Jr. J.D. ’74, Theodore Eastmoore J.D. ’80, Rhea F. Law J.D. ’79, Chandra L. Miller J.D. ’98, Robert A. Norgard J.D. ’80, Angela E. Outten J.D. ’93, Thomas D. Roebig Jr. J.D. ’86, Scot E. Samis J.D. ’86, Barry F. Spivey B.A. ’67, J.D. ’70, Scott I. Steady J.D. ’86, Joan M. Vecchioli J.D. ’86 and Katherine E. Yanes J.D. ’97.

Outside of Florida, H. Amos Goodall Jr., who graduated with his LL.M. in Elder Law from Stetson in 2009 and works in Pennsylvania, was named “Lawyer of the Year” for the second year in a row, with distinctions in two areas of practice. This year, Goodall was named “Lawyer of the Year” in Trust and Estate and last year, he was named “Lawyer of the Year” in Elder Law.

Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer-review, and the methodology is designed to capture the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Best Lawyers in America was founded in 1981.