News Archives - Page 52 of 138

Stetson advances to the National Finals of ABA competition, wins Best Oralist in regionals of international moot court competition

Stetson University College of Law’s moot court teams competed over the weekend to win a regional tournament of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition and win the Best Oralist Award at the South Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

A Stetson Law moot court team advanced to the National Finals of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition after being named co-champions at a regional tournament in Boston, March 4-6.

The team of Darnesha Carter, Evan Dix and Jessica Ford defeated teams from Northeastern University, Quinnipiac University, Southern Methodist University, South Texas College of Law and Texas Tech University to be named one of the four co-champions. The team’s success marks the third time in the last five years that Stetson has advanced to the National Finals.

“Advocacy competitions require strong educational backgrounds, extensive preparation, professionalism, and the ability to perform under pressure. These skills are required in the legal profession on a daily basis. And once again, our students have demonstrated these skills on a national platform,” said Stetson Professor of Legal Skills, Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and Moot Court Advisor Brooke Bowman.

Associate Dean Michael Allen and alumnus Jason Stearns, J.D. ’08, coached the team.

More than 190 schools competed during a three-week period in six regional rounds of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. A total of 24 teams were invited to compete in the National Finals in Chicago, April 7–9.

Another Stetson moot court team competed in New Orleans at the South Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition on March 5-6. Students Lauren Eliopoulos, Anna Kirkpatrick, Nicole Santamaria, Chloe Wells and Julius Matusewicz advanced to the semifinals. For the first time in Stetson history, a Stetson advocate — Lauren Eliopoulos — won the Best Oralist Award.

Stetson, Chatham universities partner on shorter time to law degree

Stetson law school's commencement in 2015. — Stetson law school’s commencement in 2015.

Stetson University in Florida and Chatham University in Pennsylvania and have partnered to offer students an accelerated program to earn a law degree.

The 3+3 program, starting in fall of 2016, allows eligible Chatham University undergraduates to apply to law school at Stetson University in their junior year. Students admitted to the program fulfill their senior year of undergraduate credits through the successful completion of their first year of law school courses.

High-performing Chatham students will earn their bachelor’s and juris doctor (J.D.) degrees in six years, rather than the traditional seven years. Students will spend three years at Chatham and three years at Stetson law school.

“This partnership builds on Chatham’s pre-law foundation by helping Chatham students save time and money with the accelerated 3+3 path to their undergraduate and graduate degree,” said Chatham University President Esther L. Barazzone, Ph.D. “And, as a recognized leader in sustainability, Chatham is also thrilled by the opportunity this presents for our students wishing to pursue environmental law and policy.”

“Stetson University is pleased to partner with Chatham to offer a quality legal education to students who are high achievers,” said Stetson University President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “President Barazzone and I started talking about this in October of last year, and I am so pleased that our institutions have been able to work through the details in such a timely fashion. Creating the next generation of leaders in the legal profession is our mission and our privilege.”

“Stetson leads the way in designing partner programs to help outstanding students accelerate their quest to launch a legal career,” said Stetson law school Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “This latest agreement reaffirms Stetson’s commitment to the success of our students.”

Stetson Law offers an accelerated 3+3 program with the University of South Florida, as well as a 3+3 and a Direct Admissions program with the University of West Florida and Stetson University. Other partner arrangements are planned for the future.

Stetson offers certificates of concentration for J.D. students in the areas of advocacy, elder law, environmental law, international law and social justice advocacy.

Stetson team heads to international competition after Miami win

(L-R): Front row -- Brien V. Squires, Leon J. Innerkofler, Kaelyn Steinkraus, Sadiya Hashem, Jonathan Diamond, Taylor Ryan, alumnus Tom Yaegers; Back row -- Elizabeth Buchwalter, Associate Dean Stephanie Vaughan, alumnus Alex Zesch and Reshma Pharsi. — (L-R): Front row — Brien V. Squires, Leon J. Innerkofler, Kaelyn Steinkraus, Sadiya Hashem, Jonathan Diamond, Taylor Ryan, alumnus Tom Yaegers J.D./M.B.A. ’05; Back row — Elizabeth Buchwalter, Associate Dean Stephanie Vaughan, alumnus Alex Zesch and Reshma Pharsi.

Stetson University College of Law’s Vis International Commercial Arbitration team is heading to Vienna in March after placing first in the pre-moot in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 27. Stetson’s team will compete with more than 300 teams from around the world in the international competition in Austria.

Stetson’s team of Jonathan Diamond, Sadiya Hashem, Leon J. Innerkofler, Taylor R. Ryan, Brien V. Squires and Kaelyn Steinkraus, and shadow team members Elizabeth Buchwalter and Reshma Pharsi, competed against the top teams from across the state of Florida. The team argued a case dealing with international commercial arbitration, attorney’s fees, and the right to discovery.

Stetson law school professor Joseph Morrissey, associate dean Stephanie Vaughan and alumnus Alex Zesch J.D. ’13 co-coached the team. The pre-moot competition was sponsored by the International Law Section of the Florida Bar.

Last year, Stetson won an Honorable Mention Best Oralist Award in Vienna, Austria. Stetson’s team was named World Champion and won several Honorable Mention Best Oralist awards at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition in 2005 in Vienna.

Stetson law school professor reinvents the law book as a website

Stetson University Professor of Law Tim Kaye has reinvented the law book in the form of an interactive website. This month, Kaye publicly launched his Law of Torts book on the Webby Books website that he designed to bridge the gap between traditional law books and modern legal research.

Kaye’s Webby Books is a responsive website where law students and professors may interact with law books published online. Dissatisfied with restrictions from publishers, Kaye created the Webby Books website to encourage class discussion directly within the text, as well as free online scholarly research.

“I want people to think that online books are more than just an electronic version of a hard copy text,” said Kaye.

Kaye’s Law of Torts on the Webby Books website features live forums for interactive class discussion, a method on each page for students to add notes and highlight text, hypotheticals and multiple choice quizzes for every book chapter, hyperlinks to Google Scholar and free legal research, a searchable glossary with pronunciation and definition of terms, and expandable diagrams.

Kaye developed the website over a two-year period, and used Webby Books to teach the Law of Torts to three of his classes. Kaye said that a colleague has also used the book to teach two of his classes.

“I initially had reservations about using an online textbook. I even printed out the first two chapters in an attempt to cling to what was comfortable,” said Stetson law student Hannah Ibañez. “However, after my first year of law school, it is my opinion that Dr. Kaye’s book is the best textbook I have used for any course in law school so far.”

“Hopefully, other professors will want to use this method,” said Kaye.

To view a demo on how Webby Books works, visit https://webby-books.com/news/demonstration-video/.

Law professors interested in learning more about using or publishing the Webby Books website should visit https://webby-books.com/faculty/. To try out the Webby Books method, professors may also sign up for a free three-month trial of the Law of Torts.

Judith Areen and Cynthia Love presented with Stetson University awards

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, presented Judith Areen with this year’s William A. Kaplin Award. Cynthia Love was presented with the Facilitators Award. Both awards were presented during the 37th annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education on Feb. 11-15 at the Hilton Orlando Resort.

Judith Areen is the executive director of the Association of American Law Schools. The Kaplin Award recognizes scholars who have published works on education law that embrace the intersection of law and policy.

Areen’s second edition casebook on Higher Education and the Law exemplifies this intersection of law and policy. Areen served as executive vice president for law affairs of Georgetown University and as dean of the Law Center for 15 years. She has served as director of the Legal Representation Project, was general counsel to President Carter’s Reorganization Project, and served as special counsel to the White House Task Force on Regulatory Reform.

Cynthia “Cyndi” Love is executive director of the American College Personnel Association- College Student Educators International. The Facilitator Award honors educators who are proactive about safety and risk management and develop organization environments that are reasonably safe, educationally relevant and developmentally sound.

Cynthia Love.

Love consults on developing advocacy cultures on campuses. She was recognized by three U.S. presidents for her advocacy work with underrepresented populations and is a member of the Working Advisory Group to the U.S. Secretary of State on Religion & Foreign Policy. Love also serves as one of 92 content experts from around the world with the Diversity Collegium Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmarks project. She spoke at the United Nations UUO Compass Coalition for LGBT Human Rights and has served as a thematic country specialist for LGBT human rights with Amnesty International.

Stetson’s five-day national conference, now approaching its 40th year, provides sessions for college attorneys, in house and private counsel, and higher education administrators, provosts and presidents.

Visit the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson for more information about the Center’s work to advance the field of higher education law and policy at https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/highered/home/.

Free CLE webinar on Crime Scene Essentials launches in March

Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law has partnered with the Law Enforcement Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service to launch a new webinar series as part of the “Capital Litigation Initiative: Crime Scene to Courtroom Forensics Training.” Attendees who complete the series will be eligible for free CLE credits.

The first in a series of eight webinars, “Crime Scene Essentials,” launches on March 2, and covers identifying, documenting, processing, preserving and collecting of evidence.

The eight webinars, funded by the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Capital Case Litigation Initiative, are designed for prosecutors and defense attorneys working on capital cases and will offer step-by-step forensic science training from evaluating the crime scene to defending or prosecuting death penalty cases in court.

“In an era in which the Supreme Court has scrutinized the death penalty, this course will educate lawyers about how forensic science plays a crucial role in the most serious of crimes,” said Stetson Professor of Law Carol Henderson, the course leader.

Professor Henderson, recognized as an international authority on forensic science and law, co-chairs the Life & Physical Sciences Division of the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Law Section and is the former president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. She is the founding director of the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson.

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

Visit https://stetsonuniversitycollegeo.regfox.com/crime-scene-webinar-1-bja to register for the free webinar.

Choosing expert witnesses: New online course developed by Stetson, University of Tennessee

Stetson University College of Law’s National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law has partnered with the Law Enforcement Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Public Service to launch a new online legal course, available now, on how to select and evaluate expert witnesses.

The three-hour course, designed for lawyers, judges and law enforcement, will offer training on interviewing and selecting expert witnesses, assessing expert credibility, challenging expert credentials, and evaluating board-certifying organizations.

“Expert testimony can make or break a case,” said Professor of Law Carol Henderson, founding director of the National Clearinghouse for Science Technology and the Law at Stetson University. “This course provides a roadmap for evaluating an expert’s credentials and outlines the new policies and standards that impact expert testimony in the courtroom today.”

Professor Henderson is recognized as an international authority on forensic science and law. She co-chairs the Life & Physical Sciences Division of the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Law Section and is the former president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Participants who complete the full three-hour course will receive either 3.5 general CLE credits and .5 CLE ethics credits, or 3.5 Peace Officer Standards and Training credits (P.O.S.T.) or one American Board of Criminalistics reaccreditation credit. They will also be trained to use National Clearinghouse’s free NCSTL.org scientific evidence research database.

Special rates for the course are available for law enforcement, non-profit and government employees.

For more information, contact Stetson’s Office of Professional Education at 727-562-7898 or visit NCSTL.org or http://leic.tennessee.edu/expertwitness to register.

Stetson hosts 20 teams at National Trial Competition

Stetson University College of Law hosted 20 student teams from 11 law schools for the National Trial Competition, Region 6 regional, on Feb. 5-7.

Stetson's advocacy teams bring home multiple accolades. — Stetson’s advocacy teams bring home multiple accolades.

Teams from Alabama, Florida and Mississippi competed in the regional round of the NTC at the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater, Florida.

The team of Elliott Smith and Haley Steelman from Faulkner Law, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law placed first and the team of Stewart Alvis, Collin Hatcher, and Andrew Panella from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University placed second in the competition.

The team of Brandon Breslow, Joshua Harris, and Zachariah Wade from Stetson law school placed third, and the team of Joseph Lee Taylor Jr. and Brittany Watson from Faulkner Law, Cumberland School of Law placed fourth.

The NTC mock trial competition, co-sponsored by the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers, was established to increase law student interest in developing trial advocacy skills. The top two teams from each of the 14 regional rounds advance to the national finals in Dallas, Texas, March 30-April 3.

Have the Stetson experience: attend an open house at the law school

Students, faculty gather at the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library. — Students, faculty gather at the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library on the Gulfport campus.

Stetson University College of Law invites future law students to attend an open house, “The Stetson Experience,” on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 10 a.m.- 2p.m. at 1401 61st St. S. in Gulfport.

“If you ever wondered what law school is like, visit us for a few hours on a Saturday and don’t miss this open house,” said Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Planning Laura Zuppo. Dean Zuppo added that attendees can learn about the increasing number of scholarship opportunities at Stetson and the benefits of applying to law school early.

Future law students may enjoy lunch and tour Stetson’s Gulfport campus, meet with Stetson law school professors, and learn more about studying abroad or specializing their studies in advocacy, environmental law, or elder law.

Stetson law school professors and admissions staff will lead workshops and presentations on “The First Year Experience,” “Awakening the Advocate Within,” and “Applying to Stetson.”

To register for this free event, visit http://lawadmissions.law.stetson.edu/attend-the-stetson-experience or contact admissions and student financial planning at 727-562-7802 or [email protected].

Stetson Law is consistently ranked no. 1 in the nation by U.S. News for trial advocacy and is designated as a military friendly law school.

Stetson’s moot court wins best oralist award at national championship

(L-R): Students Kasey Feltner, Sterling Lovelady and Adriana Foreman.

Stetson University College of Law’s moot court team of Kasey Feltner, Adriana Foreman and Sterling Lovelady won a best oralist award at the Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship this past weekend in Houston, Texas. It is the third best oralist award that Stetson’s advocacy teams have won in three months.

The students participating in the national championship argued an issue related to terrorism before assistant U.S. attorneys, state and federal judges and prominent attorneys from around the country. Sixteen teams compete in this invitation-only challenge. Feltner tied for the best oralist.

Foreman Biodiversity Fellow Erin Okuno co-coached the team with professor Brooke Bowman, associate director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and moot court advisor at Stetson.

Stetson’s trial advocacy program is nationally ranked no.1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Graduate honored for helping children with Florida Bar Pro Bono Award

Alumna Jennifer Anderson J.D. ’02 was among 21 lawyers who received a Florida Bar Pro Bono Award during an awards ceremony on Jan. 28 at the Florida Supreme Court. 1982 Stetson Law graduate and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Catherine Peek McEwen was also honored at the Florida Supreme Court as the first recipient of the Chief Justice’s Distinguished Federal Judicial Service Award.

Jennifer Anderson. Photo courtesy the Florida Bar.

Anderson, who was recognized in the Seventh Judicial Circuit for working on behalf of poor and indigent clients, is an attorney with AndersonGlenn LLP in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

She represents children who have been abused or neglected. Anderson dedicated hundreds of hours to the case of a child who was abused by her father. Today, with Anderson’s help, that child has grown into a talented musician at a school for the arts in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards were established in 1981 to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing lawyers who make public service commitments.

The awards recognize pro bono service in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits as well as service by a Florida Bar member practicing outside the state.

The Florida Supreme Court ceremony also recognized the winners of the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Award, as well as awards in the categories of Distinguished Judicial Service, Distinguished Federal Judicial Service, Law Firm Commendation, Voluntary Bar Association and Young Lawyers Division.

According to a news release from the Florida Bar, in the most recent 12 months reported, Florida lawyers dedicated more than 1.7 million hours of pro bono service to people in need.

Stetson’s Inns of Court honors disability champion

(L-R): Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Maryellen McDonald and Professor Judith Scully.

Maryellen McDonald, the executive director of Disability Rights Florida who has improved the conditions of institutionalized disabled Floridians, was presented with Stetson University College of Law’s prestigious William Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award during the annual Inns of Court banquet on Jan. 26 in St. Petersburg.

Michael Perlin, an internationally recognized expert in mental health law who has spent his career championing the rights of people with mental disabilities, presented the William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture. Perlin is Professor of Law, Emeritus at New York Law School.

Stetson established the William Reece Smith Jr. Award in 1990 to honor outstanding contributions to public service, the justice system and the community. The late legendary Florida lawyer William Reece Smith Jr., a member of Stetson’s Hall of Fame who served Stetson for decades as a distinguished professorial lecturer, member of the Board of Overseers and university trustee, was the award’s first recipient and its namesake.

The Inns of Court banquet has its roots in the English mentoring program for barristers. Today’s Inns of Court program presents students at Stetson law school with an opportunity to interact with prominent lawyers on current topics in the law and ethics.