News Archives - Page 53 of 138

Is armed conflict making people vulnerable to human trafficking? Professor among invited international experts at U.N. conference

Professor Luz Nagle, a leading international voice in the fight against human trafficking, was part of a select group of experts invited by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons Nov. 29-30 in Amman, Jordan. Professor Nagle joined experts from around the world to assess the impact of armed conflict on making people vulnerable to human trafficking. Professor Nagle teaches courses including International Law, International Criminal Law, Transborder Criminal Law, as well as an Advanced Seminar on Terrorism and Global Security, National Security at Stetson law school.

Professor Luz Nagle (third from left) joined world experts at the U.N. conference in Jordan on human trafficking.

“There is so much armed conflict in the world and so many people become displaced due to forces completely beyond their control and beyond their ability to cope, ” said Professor Nagle. “Displaced women and children especially become particularly and uniquely vulnerable to becoming trafficking victims, which can take the form of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, organ trafficking, and forced recruitment into armed groups. Some victims are even trafficked by the very peace keepers mandated under international legal commitments to protect them.”

Professor Nagle joined experts from organizations including the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, La Strada International, Save the Children, Anti-Slavery International, and Nigerian Victims Support Fund.

Professor Nagle was a key legal analyst describing the intersection of human trafficking, international humanitarian law and armed conflict at the U.N. conference. She illustrated how international legal instruments can be used to convince nations to protect vulnerable individuals during times of conflict. Professor Nagle, currently vice-chair of the International Bar Association Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking and a member of the IBA’s Human Rights Institute Council, spoke about the IBA’s efforts to become more actively engaged in the fight against trafficking in persons.

Dr. Anne Gallagher, an Australia-based human trafficking researcher who serves with Professor Nagle on the IBA Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking, drafted recommendations which the U.N. Special Rapporteur will further refine to create strategies and build partnerships to help people caught in armed conflict who are vulnerable to traffickers.

Stetson wins best brief, advances to NYC Bar National Moot Court Competition

Stetson University College of Law students Marissa Cioffi, Ryan Hedstrom, and Greg Pierson won the best brief award and finished second in the Region V round of the New York City Bar’s 66th Annual Moot Court Competition on Nov. 21 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Attached is a picture of the entire Stetson group--top row--Professor Lou Virelli and Associate Dean Allen (the teams' coaches); second row: Ryan Hedstrom and Greg Pierson; front row: Natalie Yello, Marissa Cioffi, Anna Kirkpatrick, and Brittany Cover. — (L-R): Back row: Professor Louis Virelli and Associate Dean Michael Allen (the teams’ coaches); second row: Ryan Hedstrom and Greg Pierson; front row: Natalie Yello, Marissa Cioffi, Anna Kirkpatrick, and Brittany Cover.

By placing second, the Stetson team will advance to the National Finals of the New York City Bar National Moot Court Competition in February 2016.

Stetson won the National Finals of the competition in 2012. More than 120 law schools from around the country compete annually in regional rounds for a chance to advance to the National Finals. The New York City Bar Association and American College of Trial Lawyers have sponsored the competition, one of the most prestigious in the nation, for 66 years.

“Stetson is consistently one of the contenders in this regional,” said Professor Brooke Bowman, associate director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and moot court advisor at Stetson. “In the last five years, Stetson teams have advanced to the National Finals four times and have won the best brief award at the regional four times.”

The second Stetson student team of Brittany Cover, Anna Kirkpatrick, and Natalie Yello advanced to the quarterfinals of the Region V competition, which included 13 teams from law schools in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Associate Dean Michael Allen and Professor of Law Louis Virelli III co-coached the Stetson teams.

For more information about Stetson’s award-winning advocacy program, visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Campaign Finance South of the Border: Professor Torres-Spelliscy invited to address Mexican Electoral Tribunal

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy addressed the Mexican Electoral Tribunal in Mexico City on Oct. 16-17, at the invitation of the University of Texas at Austin and the Mexican government.

Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was invited to speak at the Mexican Electoral Tribunal.

She spoke about the unraveling of Watergate era money in politics reforms and the enforcement of campaign finance laws in New York City, New York State and American federal elections.

Professor Torres-Spelliscy also recently authored an article on campaign finance in Mexico for the Brennan Center for Justice.

“Essentially, the big difference in the Mexican and U.S. approach to elections is conceptual,” Torres-Spelliscy wrote in Campaign Finance South of the Border. “Mexican law places a high value on equality, while our law does not–at least when it comes to campaign funding. Here, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment privileges, quite literally, the ability to spend as much money as possible.”

Stetson’s Moot Court wins multiple awards at national competitions

(L-R): Taylor Ryan and Correy Karbiener won the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition.

Stetson University College of Law’s Moot Court teams took home multiple awards this past weekend at national competitions.

Stetson students Correy Karbiener and Taylor Ryan won the sixth annual National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. It is the fourth time Stetson has won the competition. Two teams of students from Stetson Law advanced to the final rounds of competition, beating teams from around the country to compete before a panel of judges from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Twenty-six teams competed. The Stetson students beat teams from Georgetown Law Center and Arizona State.

Student Erin Brennan was named best oralist and Karbiener and Ryan were awarded best respondent brief. Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute director and associate dean Michael Allen co-coached the Stetson teams with alumnus Jason Stearns.

Also over the weekend, Stetson Law student Darnesha Carter tied to win best advocate at the Mercer University College of Law Legal Ethics and Professionalism Moot Court Competition in Macon, Georgia. It is the second year in a row that a Stetson student has won the prestigious award. Carter and her teammates Evan Dix and Adriana Foreman were quarterfinalists at the competition. Stetson professors Brooke Bowman and Roberta Flowers co-coached the team.

“Moot Court competitions allow students to further develop their real-world skills. When our students have the opportunity to argue in front of actual judges, like those on the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, it is an amazing experience for them and the students learn so much from the interaction with the judges,” said Bowman, who is associate director for the Center for Excellence in Advocacy and Moot Court adviser at Stetson.

Judges Margaret Bartley, William Greene, Chief Judge Lawrence Hagel with students Correy Karbiener and Taylor Ryan. Photo courtesy National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition.

For more information about Stetson’s award-winning advocacy program, visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Stetson’s trial team wins FJA mock trial competition

Stetson University College of Law students Brandon Breslow, Colby Connell, Kaitlyn Dugas and Tamara Williams won the Florida Justice Association Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition in Orlando, Florida, this past weekend.

Breslow, Connell, Alexa Kline and Courtney Olivier were recognized as outstanding advocates in their preliminary round trials, and Connell was named overall outstanding advocate of the competition.

“Our success at this competition is a testament to the long green line of Stetson students, faculty, staff and alumni who make such victories possible. The team was coached by former trial team members Colby and Trina Hearn, who shared their passion for the profession and their commitment to excellence. They are a shining example of our Stetson family’s promise to the future, paying it forward – exactly as others did for them,” said Charles H. Rose III, director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Stetson.

The Stetson team beat St. Thomas University School of Law in the final round. Stetson trial team alumnus Julian Catala coached the St. Thomas team.

Stetson students Colby Connell, Tamara Williams, Colby Hearn, Trina Hearn, Brandon Breslow and Kaitlyn Dugas won the FJA Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition. — (L-R): Stetson students Colby Connell, Tamara Williams, coaches Colby Hearn and Trina Hearn, students Brandon Breslow and Kaitlyn Dugas won the FJA Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition.

For more information about Stetson’s award-winning advocacy program, visit www.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Are you ready for your career? Stetson’s BLSA hosts Survival of the Fittest

Stetson’s Black Law Students Association hosted its popular annual Survival of the Fittest program on Nov. 7 to help law students prepare for their legal careers.

Stetson's BLSA presented Survival of the Fittest on Nov. 7. — Stetson’s BLSA presented Survival of the Fittest on Nov. 7.

The program featured a panel on Balancing Life and the Law and Maintaining Your Personal Style, as well as breakout sessions on Building Your E-Brand, Making the Most of Your Internship, and Financial Management Post-Graduation. Students also learned from demonstrations on interviewing, networking tips, and presentations by attorneys and judges from local bar associations.

“When I attended the Survival of the Fittest program over 10 years ago, several attorneys reviewed my resume and destroyed it with a red pen. I made the suggested revisions and submitted my resume to a number of law firms. I am now a shareholder at one of those law firms, ” said Stetson Law alumna Meredith Freeman J.D. ’04, shareholder at Bush Ross. “Through the Survival of the Fittest program, I also made valuable connections to mentors to whom I turn today when I need guidance or support.”

Stetson again named military friendly school

Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, has again been designated a Military Friendly School by Victory Media.

Stetson launched its Veterans Law Institute in 2012.

“At Stetson, we are dedicated to making sure that those who served receive the benefits and respect they deserve,” said Professor Stacey-Rae Simcox, director of the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at Stetson. “We also take pride in the large number of military veterans who make up our student body. The insight and experience these students bring to the law school experience make them valuable and dynamic members of the Stetson family.”

Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, launched in 2012, was designed to increase legal services available to the growing population of military members, veterans and their families in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area.

“Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute is making strides in its effort to serve veterans both in the community and in law school,” said Michael Allen, associate dean and director of the Institute.

Last year, Stetson University and the University of South Florida joined forces in a first-of-its-kind partnership combining supportive clinical services, collaborative student training and joint research to help Florida veterans secure disability benefits.

Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic, an arm of the Institute, is designed to provide veterans with legal help. Stetson’s clinic recently helped a veteran obtain $200,000 in benefits owed as well as a monthly benefit.

Stetson is also home to the Yellow Ribbon scholarship program to help all eligible veterans pay for law school, as well as an active Student Veterans Organization.

For more information about Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/veterans.

For details on the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship program at Stetson, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/admissions/veterans.

The complete list of Military Friendly schools may be found at https://militaryfriendly.com/.

Stetson’s Elder Law Inn honored at Supreme Court

The Thomas E. Penick, Jr. Elder Law American Inn of Court at Stetson Law was honored at the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 24 during the American Inns of Court Celebration of Excellence.

(L-R): Professor Roberta Flowers and Rebecca Morgan at the Supreme Court in October.

Professors Roberta Flowers and Rebecca Morgan, co directors of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law, accepted the platinum designation for the Penick Inn at the Supreme Court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hosted the celebration.

The Penick Inn was founded in 2014 to honor retired Judge Thomas E. Penick, Jr. J.D. ’72, a distinguished jurist, military veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star, whose contributions to probate and guardianship are legendary. Judge Penick was inducted into the Stetson Law Hall of Fame in 2009.

The American Inns of Court Celebration of Excellence is held annually at the Supreme Court to honor individuals who have contributed their talent, time, energy, and resources to furthering the ideals of the American Inns of Court.

The American Inns of Court Foundation was organized in 1985 to promote the goals of legal excellence, civility, professionalism and ethics on a national level.

Florida Bar President Visits Stetson Law

FlaBarPres-web — **Pictured (L-R):** Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division President Gordon Glover, Dean Pietruszkiewicz, Florida Bar President Ramon Abadin, and Florida Bar President-Elect William Schifino Jr.

Florida Bar President Ramón A. Abadin visited with students, faculty and staff at Stetson University College of Law on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Abadin is a partner in the Miami office of Sedgwick LLP, where he focuses on complex commercial, insurance and corporate litigation. As president of the state bar association, his focus is on technology and challenging Florida lawyers to recognize the transformation revolutionizing the legal services marketplace.

Abadin joined the Bar’s Board of Governors in 2006. He has chaired the Legal Education Committee of the Vision 2016 Commission, an in-depth study of the future practice of law.

His family immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1961, when he was two years old. His father, who was a lawyer in Cuba, worked odd jobs in this country to support his family.

As a young man, the Florida Bar president worked his way through college with jobs that included laboring on a dredge boat in the Mississippi River. As an adult, he has had a taste for adventure, trying anything from rafting to cave diving.

He is married to Kimberly Cook, who is managing partner in the same Miami office of Sedgwick LLP, and they have three children.

FEC Chair Discusses Campaign Financing with Students

Ann Ravel, chair of the Federal Election Commission (pictured center) with student organization leaders (l-r): Allison Dhand, Elizabeth Britzke, Jessica Maugeri, and Kristina Hartman.

The 2016 presidential campaign is expected by many political insiders to generate a record $10 billion in spending. Congress created the Federal Election Commission after “Watergate” to regulate campaign financing.

On Nov, 3, Ann Ravel, chair of the FEC, spoke to law students at Stetson University College of Law about campaign financing and the rise of super PACs.

Ravel said that Americans are losing faith in their ability to create change by using the election process. “A major concern for our representative democracy is that the youth is not voting, contributing or involved in politics,” said Ravel.

The chair of the bipartisan FEC commission blames the struggle in part on the balance in power between the wealthy and the middle class, citing a major decline in what she calls “smaller pocket donors.”

Ravel said that her major concern in the election process is that few people are being heard and only a select portion of society is making new policy. “Ultimately we will end up with a permanent class of outsiders who are not involved in government and that is problematic for the country.”

Ravel was nominated to the FEC by President Obama on June 21, 2013. She has served as an elected governor on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, member of the Judicial Council of the State of California, and chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. In 2007, the State Bar of California named her “Public Attorney of the Year” for her contributions to public service. Ravel received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Stetson hosts “Lawyers Without Rights” international history exhibit on impact of Nazi regime on Jewish lawyers

Stetson University College of Law is hosting the international historical exhibit “Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich” on the third floor of Stetson’s Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library on the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S. The traveling exhibit has been shown in close to 100 cities in Germany, the U.S. and around the world.

Professor Ann Piccard addressed a crowd of more than 30. Photo by SeanCarlo Lopez.

Stetson Law Professor Ann M. Piccard, secretary of the Leadership Board for the Florida Holocaust Museum, discussed the exhibit on Nov. 5 on the third floor of Stetson’s law library in Gulfport. More than 30 people attended.

Professor Piccard teaches international poverty law; a seminar on law, literature, and film; and research and writing. Professor Piccard joined Stetson’s faculty in August 1999. She completed an LL.M. degree, with distinction, from the University of London, concentrating in the area of international human rights law.

The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular hours through Nov. 19.

Stetson’s Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Visitor parking is available adjacent to the library and in Stetson Law’s main parking lot located at 61st St. S. and 22nd Ave. S. in Gulfport.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to bring this incredible exhibit to Stetson,” said Stetson Jewish Law Student Association President Patrick Iyampillai. “We hope that members of the public will have a chance to visit the exhibit as it stops in Tampa Bay during its travel around the world.”

Stetson Law students tour the exhibit, "Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich." — (L-R): Stetson Law students (background) Andi Kasimati, Patrick Iyampillai and (foreground) Samantha Grizzle tour the exhibit, “Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich.”

The exhibit was researched and produced by the German Federal Bar based in Berlin, Germany.

It features a series of canvas panels printed with photographs and text chronicling how Jewish lawyers and judges lost their jobs and rights as German citizens during the Nazi dictatorship. Some of the lawyers featured in the exhibit left the country after the Nazis came to power, and others were incarcerated or killed.

The Jewish Law Student Association at Stetson Law brought the exhibit to Stetson, sponsored by the American Bar Association and German Federal Bar.

27 Years: From wrongful incarceration to exoneration

Norris Henderson spent 27 years behind bars at one of the country’s most violent prisons in the country, the notorious Louisiana State Prison at Angola, which sits on the site of a former slave plantation.

Norris Henderson, exonerated after more than 27 years in Angola prison, spoke with Stetson Law students Oct. 28. Photo by Karun Rivero. — Norris Henderson, exonerated after more than 27 years in prison, spoke with Stetson Law students Oct. 28. Photo by Karun Rivero.

In 1977, Henderson was wrongly accused and convicted of second-degree murder. After his case was appealed, Henderson was released in 2003. He has since dedicated his life to helping others.

On Oct. 28, Henderson shared his incredible story with students in Stetson University College of Law’s Innocence Initiative.

Henderson was introduced by Professor Judith Scully, the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law and co-director of Stetson’s Social Justice Advocacy program. “There are good people in this world and then there are extraordinary people. Our speaker today is extraordinary.”

In one breath, Henderson summed up his experience in Angola, “Bad experience, good results.” While incarcerated, he was the prison librarian for two decades, learning the law while helping fellow inmates with similar legal challenges. He also earned a degree in computer technology while behind bars.

Henderson shared his first-hand experience of racism and brutality in the criminal justice system. He urged the law students to never give up and never lose hope. He encouraged them to work within their communities and to fight against any type of injustice.

Today, Henderson continues his role as an advocate for criminal justice reform. He has created a number of non-profit organizations to provide a variety of services, including programs to help families of incarcerated individuals. He has been honored nationally for his community and civic service.