News Archives - Page 49 of 138

Top advocate Natalie Yello named first Ms. JD Fellow from Stetson University

Stetson University College of Law third-year student Natalie Yello was awarded a fellowship by Ms. JD for 2016. The competitive fellowship was only awarded to 15 law students from around the country. Yello is the first Stetson student to receive the fellowship.

Natalie Yello is a Ms. JD fellow. — Natalie Yello is a Ms. JD Fellow.

This year’s Ms. JD Fellows were selected for their academic performance, leadership, and dedication to advancing the status of women in the profession. The fellows include women pursuing opportunities in academia, public interest, and the private sector in every region of the U.S.

Yello serves as president of the Stetson chapter of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Law Student Division. She was selected from all of the Florida student governors as the 2016 Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division Governor of the Year. The year 2016 also marks the third year in a row that the Stetson chapter of the Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division was awarded “Chapter of the Year.”

Yello is an associate justice for Stetson’s moot court board. She is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Aging Law & Policy. Yello was a member of the team of Stetson law school students who won the Florida Bar’s 2016 Law Student Professionalism YouTube Contest for their training and educational video depicting professional conduct for lawyers.

Yello volunteers as a Guardian Ad Litem child advocate for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida. She was a summer associate at GrayRobinson, P.A., in Orlando, Florida, this summer and has accepted an associate position in litigation after graduation from Stetson.

As an undergraduate at the University of Florida, where she graduated cum laude with her bachelor of arts in political science and bachelor of science in psychology, Yello served on the board of the Student Conduct Committee and was a junior fellow in the political science department to Beth Rosenson, Ph.D. She received the University of Florida’s Phyllis M. Meek Spirit of Susan B. Anthony Award for promoting the advancement, rights and opportunities of women.

Stetson University’s biodiversity institute receives ABA environmental achievement award

Stetson University’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy has received the American Bar Association’s 2016 Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy Award.

“This award recognizes the contributions of the Stetson community and our partners in wetland, wildlife conservation, and environmental issues around the world,” said Professor Royal C. Gardner, director of Stetson’s Institute and an internationally recognized expert in wetland law and policy.

Stetson's biodiversity institute director Royal Gardner visited the Okavango Delta, Botswana in May. — Stetson’s biodiversity institute director Royal Gardner visited the wetlands of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa, in May.

Every year, the ABA selects one organization to receive the Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy Award. Professor Gardner accepted the award on behalf of the biodiversity institute at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Aug. 7.

A special committee of the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources selected Stetson’s Institute based on its demonstrated leadership in improving the substance, process, and understanding of environmental issues.

The Institute’s upcoming programs include:

On Aug. 26-28, the Institute will offer a special one-credit, three-day course on Sea Turtle Law and Policy for law and other graduate students pursuing degrees in marine science, environmental science, or environmental policy. The Sea Turtle Grants Program has provided a grant that funds scholarships for this course.

In the fall, the Institute will continue its popular public Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series with three presentations by conservation, legal and scientific experts.

On Nov. 3, Stetson will collaborate with the Environmental Law Institute to sponsor the fourth annual ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop.
Stetson received this year’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Environmental Law and Policy.

In January of 2017, Stetson will co-sponsor the 17th International Wildlife Law Conference. The conference will be held in Pune, India, hosted by the Institute of Environment Education and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University.

From March 30-April 1, 2017, Stetson will again host the international finals of the International Environmental Moot Court Competition, now in its 21st year.

To learn more about the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson, visit: www.stetson.edu/law/biodiversity.

Joshua Magidson J.D. ’80 honored with Barney Award

By Brandi Palmer

Joshua Magidson J.D. ’80, a Stetson University trustee and past-president of the Stetson Lawyers Association who has chaired the board of overseers at the College of Law for the past eight years, was recently honored with The Barney by the Barney Masterson Inn of Court.

Every year, The Barney is awarded to a lawyer who demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism, ethics, civility and legal excellence in the practice of law.

Magidson, who serves as shareholder with Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen, was inducted into the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the Richard T. Earle, Jr. Professionalism Award 2007, presented annually to the lawyer who demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism in the practice of law. He is a longtime adjunct professor at Stetson law school, the recipient of Stetson’s Outstanding Alumni Award and the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for his continued support of the College of Law.

In addition to his service to Stetson University, Magidson has served as board chairman of Ruth Eckerd Hall, Inc., and on the boards of the Clearwater Arts Council and Florida Orchestra Conductor Search Committee. Magidson began his service as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1969.

Magidson is listed among Tampa Bay’s Top Lawyers by Tampa Bay Magazine, among the Best Lawyers in America (2009-2015), Florida Trend’s Legal Elite 2011, and Florida Super Lawyers (2013-2016).

The Barney Masterson American Inn of Court was founded in 1988 in Pinellas County by judges and lawyers seeking to improve the skills, the professionalism, and the legal ethics with which the bench and the bar perform their duties.

Graduate joins highly selective Honors Program for Attorneys in Washington D.C.

By Brandi Palmer

This fall, Lane Cryar, J.D. ‘14, will be joining the Department of Homeland Security’s Honors Program for Attorneys in Washington, D.C. The Honors Program for Attorneys is a highly competitive program open to application by recent law graduates as well as federal or state judicial law clerks with no more than two years of clerkship experience. Only four attorneys from a large pool of highly qualified applicants were selected for Cryar’s Honors Program class.

Lane Cryar J.D. '14 is among a select handful of attorneys joining the Honors Program in Washington, D.C. — Lane Cryar J.D. ’14 is among a select handful of attorneys joining the Honors Program in Washington, D.C.

Cryar was a member of the Honors Program and Valedictorian of her class at Stetson University College of Law, as well as executive editor of the Stetson Law Review, an editor with the Stetson Journal of Advocacy and the Law, and student president of Stetson’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund.

While in law school, Cryar made helping others a priority, performing over 500 hours of public service in addition to completing a Public Service Fellowship and serving as a mentor to numerous law students. She volunteered for and supported causes that ranged from raising money and awareness for veterans’ groups to advocating for animal rights and supporting victims of domestic violence.

“The common thread among the different efforts I supported during law school was a desire to make an impact for the public good,” said Cryar.

Cryar heads to D.C. after completing a two-year clerkship for Judge Charles R. Wilson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

“I wanted to make sure I was using my law degree in a meaningful way, so I focused on obtaining a position after my clerkship that would permit me to do important work with significant responsibilities,” said Cryar.

Cryar said she did some research to discover that federal government attorneys in honors programs seemed to have more opportunities to do the kind of work she wanted to do. She was drawn to the prospect of continuing work in the public sector and wanted a position where she felt that she could make a difference. The Department of Homeland Security’s Honors Program seemed like an ideal fit.

During their two-year term, Honors Attorneys rotate through various divisions and components within the department. The opportunity to gain exposure to a variety of different practice areas ranging from national security law, immigration law, and litigation to international law, intellectual property law and environmental law was appealing to Cryar.

Cryar, who said that her interests have grown even more varied in the past two years working at the appellate level, said, “I wanted a position where I would be challenged and continue to learn more about the law, while still being able to do meaningful work that makes a difference in the lives of others. This was a great match for me.”

Stetson University hosts Legal Writing Academy for lawyers in August

Stetson University College of Law is hosting a Legal Writing Academy for lawyers on Persuasive Legal Writing: What Every Lawyer Should Know on Aug. 19 in Tampa.

Professor Jason Palmer reviews and advises on student writing. — Professor Jason Palmer, who teaches legal writing at Stetson, meets with students to review research and writing projects.

WHERE: Stetson University’s Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.

WHEN: Aug. 19, 8:15 a.m.-3:45 p.m.

WHAT: Stetson’s Legal Writing Academy helps lawyers improve their persuasive legal writing skills with sessions on how to apply storytelling techniques to persuasively write about facts, use advances in persuasion studies to improve writing, and edit writing to give it additional persuasive power. The schedule includes breakfast, lunch, interactive instruction, and small-group breakout sessions.

WHO: The program will be taught by nationally recognized faculty in Stetson’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication.

Special discounted rates are available to Stetson alumni, non-profit and government workers.

An application will be made to The Florida Bar for 5.0 CLE credits.

For more information, contact Stetson’s Office of Professional Education at [email protected] or 727-562-7898.

To view the program or to register, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/lrw/legal-writing-academy.php.

Stetson University offers capital litigators crime scene to courtroom training

Litigators who work on death penalty cases immersed themselves in a complimentary two-day crime scene to courtroom training seminar at St. Pete Beach on July 11-12 offered by Stetson University College of Law.

Death penalty expert and Temple University Professor of Law Jules Epstein spoke at the seminar. — Death penalty expert and Temple University Professor of Law Jules Epstein spoke at the crime scene to courtroom seminar.

Seminar topics included forensic science 101 for capital litigation; forensic report wording and statistics–interpreting DNA results; science research for lawyers; and forensics after the National Academy of Sciences Report.

Nationally known experts in death penalty law, forensic science and biology, and digital forensics led sessions and roundtable discussions with capital litigators from across the country. The seminar was funded by a grant awarded to the Bureau of Justice Assistance by the U.S. Department of Justice, Capital Litigation Initiative.

Speakers included death penalty law expert and Temple University Professor of Law Jules Epstein; forensic science expert Max Houck; and forensic biology and DNA expert Julie Sikorsky.

“Lawyers must be able to understand science because that knowledge could make or break a case,” said Stetson University Professor of Law Carol Henderson, director of the National Clearinghouse of Science, Technology and the Law. “Working with the BJA, Stetson is offering much-needed interdisciplinary education in a critical area.”

Through grants from the BJA, Stetson has offered several training workshops on the use of forensic science in trying capital cases. Last fall, Stetson University’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law was awarded a grant from the U.S. Attorney General to develop a forensic evidence training program for lawyers who work on death penalty cases. In March, Stetson launched an eight-part series of webinars as part of the Capital Litigation Initiative: Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics Training that educates lawyers about using forensic science in death penalty cases, from evaluating the crime scene to defending or prosecuting death penalty cases in court.

Stetson’s next webinar in the series on Pathology Essentials is Oct. 13. To register, or for more information, contact Mercy Roberg at [email protected] or 727-562-7898 or visit www.ncstl.org.

Recipes for legal writing: Stetson University launches new project at Legal Writing Institute conference

Stetson University College of Law’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication is launching “Teaching Legal Writing: Out of the Box Ideas Inside,” an educational service project with legal writing experts around the country. Stetson University Professor of Law Kirsten Davis will introduce the project during the Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference in Portland on July 10-13, with the goal of sharing favorite legal writing teaching ideas with law school professors from across the U.S.

“The Box” project features a boxed collection of idea cards for teaching legal writing as well as online teaching materials to accompany the idea cards. The project launches with a box that includes a half-dozen legal writing teaching idea cards organized by topic and created by Institute. “The Box” will be updated annually with new teaching ideas in categories ranging from writing organization to research and attribution.

“Improving legal writing teaching is a mission for the Institute. ‘The Box’ promotes excellent legal writing instruction by sharing good teaching ideas among faculty nationwide,” said Dr. Davis, who directs the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication and legal research and writing program at Stetson. Stetson University’s legal writing program is consistently ranked at the top among programs in the U.S. “We loved the idea of having inspiration for teaching sitting on our desks, and ‘The Box’ is a fun and effective way to share that inspiration with others. Over time, we hope that everyone who teaches legal writing has an idea card in ‘The Box.’”

Faculty who teach legal writing may receive “The Box” and future updates by sending their name and address to [email protected].

To contribute an idea, legal writing professors may email [email protected].

To learn more about the project, visit www.stetson.edu/thebox. Learn more about Stetson’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication by visiting https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/lrw/.

Class of 1966 alumni join Florida Bar 50-year member celebration

Stetson University College of Law alumni Frank J. Aloia Sr. J.D. ’66, Anthony A. Balasso J.D. ’66, Kenneth C. Deacon Jr. J.D. ’66, Ernest S. Marshall J.D. ’66, Bruce Thomas McKinley J.D. ’66 and Melvyn Trute J.D. ’66 were among more than a dozen Stetson law school alumni recently honored at the Florida Bar luncheon celebrating 50-year members during the Florida Bar Annual Convention on June 17 in Orlando.

(L-R): Anthony A. Balasso ’66, Frank J. Aloia, Sr. ’66, Melvyn Trute ’66 and Ernest S. Marshall ’66. — (L-R): Anthony A. Balasso J.D. ’66, Frank J. Aloia, Sr. J.D. ’66, Melvyn Trute J.D. ’66 and Ernest S. Marshall J.D. ’66.

The Florida Bar honored 226 attorneys for 50 years of dedication to the practice of law. Active or inactive Florida Bar members in good standing who reached their 50th bar admittance anniversary this year were recognized.

For the full list of honorees, visit the Florida Bar here.

Corporate campaign money? Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy joins FEC Forum in Washington

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, an election law pundit and author of the new book, Corporate Citizen? An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State, joined a Federal Election Commission Forum on Corporate Political Spending and Campaign Influence on June 23 in Washington, D.C.

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy (center) joined a panel at the FEC in Washington D.C. — Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy (center) joined a panel at the FEC forum in Washington D.C.

Professor Torres-Spelliscy presented on a panel that addressed the impact of corporate money and foreign influence on the election and the FEC’s role in responding.

“In this election year, the topic of the appropriate bounds of corporate power continues to be raised by candidates and voters alike,” Professor Torres-Spelliscy writes in Corporate Citizen. “History shows that size matters. We’ve gone from too big to fail to too big to jail.”

“We cannot reach the point where there are firms that are too big to regulate,” Torres-Spelliscy writes. “And gigantism matters a great deal if real (human) citizens are expected to compete with corporations for the attention of elected officials in policy making, or for the attention of their fellow citizens during elections. Protecting the ideal of one-person-one-vote requires mitigating the power of corporate money in politics.”

In Corporate Citizen, Torres-Spelliscy addresses a lack of corporate accountability in areas ranging from protecting the environment to paying taxes and respecting human rights.

“If we are guilty of committing a crime, we can expect to be held accountable under the rule of law,” Torres-Spelliscy writes. “But with corporations, which are at their essence just a pile of papers, U.S. courts have granted them more and more rights, and then simultaneously, absolved many firms from responsibilities.”

Read more: Professor Torres-Spelliscy examines the expansion of corporate rights in the American Constitution Society Blog.

More than 100 Stetson grads listed among Florida’s Legal Elite

A total of 111 Stetson University College of Law graduates were selected for inclusion among Florida’s Legal Elite in the July 2016 Florida Trend magazine.

Stetson Law students celebrated commencement in May.

Stetson Law alumni Stephen D. Busey, Mark A. Hanley and Rhea F. Law are again included in the Legal Elite Hall of Fame, a distinguished group of attorneys who consistently earn high peer rankings in the annual Legal Elite voting. Busey is chairman of the Smith Hulsey & Busey law firm who received both his bachelor’s and law degrees from Stetson University. Hanley is a partner at the Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP law firm. Law is chair of the Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney P.C. firm’s Florida offices, a member of the board of directors and co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. She is also a member of the Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame.

This year’s Florida Trend magazine lists 20 Stetson Law graduates as “up and coming” attorneys and four Stetson Law graduates as outstanding attorneys working in the government and non-profit sectors among Florida’s Legal Elite.

Florida’s Legal Elite, now in its 13th edition, showcases attorneys chosen by their peers who exemplify a standard of excellence in their profession. Voting for this year’s Legal Elite attorneys began in October 2015 when Florida Trend invited all in-state members of the Florida Bar to participate. This year, 1,144 lawyers are listed among the Florida Legal Elite, representing fewer than 2 percent of the active Florida Bar members who practice in Florida.

Read more here: http://www.floridatrend.com/legal-elite.

Chapter of the Year: Student groups again recognized at Florida Bar meeting

(L-R): Chantay Perry, Lauren Baio, Natalie Yello, Ciara Willis (’16), Alison Preston and Zabbdy Lopez. — (L-R): Stetson Chapter of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Law Student Division members Chantay Perry, Lauren Baio, Natalie Yello, Ciara Willis J.D. ’16, Alison Preston and Zabbdy Lopez.

Stetson law school student organizations were again honored as chapters of the year at the Florida Bar Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 17.

(L-R): FAWLS executive board members Katie Salemi J.D. '16, Sadiya Hashem, Chloe Wells, Courtney Cox J.D. '16, Giselle Girones J.D. '16. — (L-R): FAWLS executive board members Katie Salemi J.D. ’16, Sadiya Hashem, Chloe Wells, Courtney Cox J.D. ’16, Giselle Girones J.D. ’16.

For the third year in a row, the Stetson Chapter of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Law Student Division was named Chapter of the Year.

The group was also honored for Best Event for an “Evening of Etiquette.” Third-year Stetson Law student Natalie Yello was named Governor of the Year.

For the second year in a row, the Florida Association for Women Lawyers at Stetson was named Law Student Chapter of the Year. Incoming FAWLS president Chloe Wells accepted the award on behalf of FAWLS at the FAWL Annual Gala on June 16.

“Both of these organizations work tirelessly to put on stellar programs and always represent Stetson beautifully,” said Joann Grages Burnett, associate director in the career development office at Stetson. “I truly love working with their leadership teams and am confident that we will continue to see wonderful things from each organization next year.”

Stetson celebrates alumni and friends: Katherine Hurst Miller ’06 new president of Florida Bar YLD

(L-R): Katherine Hurst Miller with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Stetson University College of Law presented its annual awards to outstanding alumni and friends of the college during the Florida Bar meeting in Orlando on June 16. Stetson also celebrated the installation of Katherine Hurst Miller J.D. ’06 as president of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.

(L-R): Mac McCoy with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Alumni and friends honored this year by Stetson included:

(L-R): Kayla Richmond with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

(L-R): Frank Hearne with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Judge Mac McCoy B.A. ’98, J.D. ’01 was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, recognizing individuals who are outstanding in their profession, who have brought honor to themselves and to the College of Law through service to humanity and dedication to the ideals of the College of Law;

(L-R): Larry Miccolis with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Kayla Richmond J.D. ’13 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award for her dedication and service to the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association through local district involvement and for encouraging other alumni involvement in local district activities of the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association;

(L-R): Judge Catherine McEwen with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Frank Hearne received the Distinguished Service Award, presented to recognize his significant, meritorious, and continuing contributions which have benefited the College of Law;
(L-R): Marc Levine with Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.

Larry Miccolis J.D. ’09 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for showing his continued support of the Alumni Association and the College through contribution of time and gifts;

Judge Catherine McEwen J.D. ’82 received the Ben C. Willard Award for expending great effort for the benefit of the citizens of Florida and for her humanitarian achievements bringing distinction to herself and to the College of Law;

Marc Levine J.D. ’06 received the President’s Award, presented to the current Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association president at the end of his/her term for service and leadership and for constantly striving to improve the on-going efforts of the SLAA for the betterment of all alumni.