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Aaron Watson JD ’09: Living the Dream

By Brandi Palmer

On Saturday, Jan. 17, 30-year-old Pensacola attorney Aaron Watson JD ’09 will be honored for Living the Dream.

The special honor is for individuals exemplifying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream. Eight of Pensacola’s rain-makers will accept the honor, named for the incomparable Martin Luther King Jr., Aaron among them.

“This award inspires me to continue to push forward,” said Aaron. “I know that the eyes of the younger generation of lawyers are watching. If I can inspire them to dream big dreams, it makes my hard work worthwhile.”

Aaron, who recently made partner at his firm, Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A., said that his dream has always been to become a lawyer, and to move back home to help the people who helped him.

“The fact that my hometown selected me for this prestigious award, lets me know that I made the right decision,” said Aaron.

Aaron is today a top advocate who gives back by mentoring students at Pine Forest High School, where he himself went to school. He talks with students about possibilities.

Aaron grew up in a modest home with five children. His father Larry Watson was a dedicated pastor who started off as a sharecropper and is today the senior pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Pensacola. Aaron is the second person in his family to earn a college degree.

Aaron said, “Remember this, every one of us has a spaceship. Our spaceships are fueled by our dreams. As long as you can dream, you can go travel as high as you want to go. One thing is for sure, nobody is going to stand in the way of a spaceship. If you want to be a lawyer, be a lawyer. You can do it.”

When Aaron Watson first tried out for Stetson’s legendary Trial Team in 2008, he did not make the cut. He had yet to find his voice as an advocate. An internship and working with two first-class mentors, Willie Gary and Fred Levin, helped Aaron to hone his individual voice. The next time he tried out for Stetson’s Trial Team, Aaron made it on the first pass. He went on to win regional, then national competitions with the team.

After graduating from Stetson with his law degree in 2009, Aaron immediately started making a name for himself in Pensacola.

His first high-profile case with the Levin Papantonio law firm was the case of Victor Steen, a young African-American teenager killed by a policeman. The case resulted in one of the largest civil rights settlements to date against the city of Pensacola. Aaron subsequently won a 12.6 million dollar verdict for his client last year, making it his second million dollar verdict in two years.

“I am still dreaming,” Aaron said. “I still have goals. I am only 30 years old. My definition of success is setting a goal, accomplishing it, and showing others how you did it.”

Stetson named Military Friendly School

Stetson University College of Law has been named a Military Friendly® School by Victory Media for 2015. The Military Friendly® Schools designation, now in its sixth year, is awarded to 16 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to help military students to succeed in the classroom and after graduation.

Stetson University, with campuses in DeLand, Celebration and Tampa Bay, has been recognized as a “Military Friendly School” for the past three years in G.I. Jobs. Military Times named Stetson’s School of Business Administration a “Best for Vets: Business Schools” in its annual 2014 rankings.

“The staff at Stetson helped me make the transition from military to student and then later to attorney,” said Trista Miller JD ’11, assistant director of clinical education and Veteran’s Law Institute Pro Bono Initiative supervisor. “The faculty, staff, and students were supportive and the academic rigor provided challenge and purpose.”

Participating in the G.I. Bill’s Yellow Ribbon Program helps active military and veteran students offset the cost of attending Stetson.

“Veterans have shown a commitment to serving others,” said Javier Centonzio JD ’12, LL.M. Elder Law ’14. “Like most veterans, when I left the military I was looking for a way to continue helping others. Scholarships and the G.I. Bill helped me attend Stetson, where I was able to develop the skills necessary to become a veterans advocate and an elder law attorney.”

Stetson dedicated its Veterans Law Institute in 2012, providing services to current and prospective students who are active or retired service members as well as free legal help to veterans with VA disability benefit appeals through its Veterans Advocacy Clinic.

Through its Veterans Pro Bono Initiative, Stetson helps provide legal services to the growing population of military members, veterans and their families in the Tampa Bay area.

Recently, Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida joined forces to help Florida veterans through supportive clinical services, collaborative student training and joint research.

For more information about the methodology used in making the Military Friendly® Schools list, visit
http://militaryfriendly.com/methodology.

For more information about resources for student veterans and members of the military at Stetson University College of Law, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/admissions/veterans/index.php.

To learn more about veterans services at Stetson University, visit https://www.stetson.edu/other/veterans-services/.

Lunch, evening sessions introduce part-time law school at Stetson

Stetson University College of Law will host information sessions in January and February about the admissions process for part-time law school applicants. Prospective students may attend lunchtime or evening sessions.

Prospective law students interested in attending should RSVP for either one of the lunchtime sessions on Jan. 28 in Tampa or for the evening session on Feb. 11 in Gulfport:

Stetson is offering four 20-minute lunchtime sessions: Wednesday, Jan. 28, between 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St.
Students can register for a 20-minute session at either 11:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 12:30 p.m., or 1 p.m.

Stetson is also offering an evening session: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S.

Prospective students interested in the full-time program are also welcome to attend.

RSVP https://www.stetson.edu/law/admissions/jd/open-house.php or e-mail [email protected].

Free wills for veterans program at Stetson Law

Stetson University College of Law is again partnering with the Community Law Program and the St. Petersburg Bar Foundation in February to prepare free simple wills and advance health care directives for veterans and their spouses.

The Feb. 17, 2015, program is designed to assist veterans or their spouses who have limited assets and low incomes and who are age 60 or older. Volunteer attorneys from the Community Law Program will assist Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law and Veterans Law Institute with this project.

Walk-in appointments are not available. Individual appointments must be scheduled in advance by calling 727-562-7393 by Jan. 23.

Individuals owning real estate outside the state of Florida will not be eligible to participate.

Stetson among nation’s best law schools for pro bono

Stetson University College of Law has been ranked seventh in the nation among the 2014 Super Lawyers Top 10 Law Schools for Pro Bono Graduation Requirements.

Stetson Law students donated 31,719 pro bono service hours to more than 400 organizations in the 2013-2014 academic year. Stetson is one of the first law schools in the U.S. to require pro bono service of its students.

“Stetson Law led the way in promoting the pro bono requirement in law schools,” said Dean and Professor of Law Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “Today, we remain dedicated to instilling a passion for public service in our students and graduates.”

All J.D. students at Stetson are required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of pro bono service and the law school offers a public service scholarship.

Stetson students serve the community in a variety of pro-bono roles, as court-appointed advocates for children in the dependency system, as Spanish-speaking translators assisting with immigration cases, as researchers investigating consumer finance abuse and workplace/school religious discrimination or harassment, and as advocates working in a variety of community law programs. Stetson also offers a Pro Bono Service Initiative to help veterans find free legal representation through its Veterans Law Institute.

To learn more about Stetson Law alumni serving in public interest roles, watch a series of video features on “Alumni serving the public interest.”

Fall degree candidates recognized

Students celebrated December graduation in the Great Hall on Stetson's Gulfport campus. — Students celebrated December graduation in the Great Hall on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

Stetson University College of Law students celebrated their completion of law school on Dec. 18 on the Gulfport campus. A total of 77 degree candidates, including 35 full-time and 30 part-time J.D. students, attended the celebration. The full-time J.D. class included a J.D./M.B.A. and a J.D./Grado student.

Two LL.M. in Advocacy, eight LL.M. in Elder Law and two LL.M. in International Law students also were recognized.

Stetson offers certificates of concentration in advocacy, environmental law, international law, and social justice advocacy. Stetson students can also work on the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy, Stetson Journal of Advocacy and the Law, and the Stetson Law Review.

Stetson’s advocacy program has been ranked the best in the nation 16 times by U.S. News & World Report. Stetson’s legal writing program consistently places among the top six in the U.S.

» View Photo Gallery – Fall Graduate Celebration

Photos from the Fall Graduate Celebration on Dec. 18 can be viewed in the photo gallery linked above. To download image(s), click “Select Photos” and then click “Download”.

Stetson’s student life director honored

Stetson University College of Law Director for Student Life Tammy Briant has been selected as an Outstanding Professional in Graduate and Professional Student Services by the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, NASPA.

Tammy Briant directs student life at Stetson Law.

Briant, JD ’06, will be honored with her award on March 24 during the annual NASPA conference in New Orleans. The honor is presented by the Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services Knowledge Community in NASPA, the premier organization for student affairs professionals.

Briant is a member of the Student Support and Emergency Team, strategic planning and master planning committees at Stetson University. She recently coordinated Stetson’s “It’s On Us” campaign in November to raise awareness about guarding against sexual assault on college campuses. Briant is also an adjunct professor at Stetson, teaching an experiential learning course on constitutional law and the civil rights movement. She speaks on transformative learning, leadership, and the connection of civil rights movement history with social justice issues.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award, which to me, recognizes the diligent work of my entire team to create an innovative, dynamic, and supportive living/learning community focused on developing our students to be future leaders of the legal profession,” said Briant.

Active in the Tampa Bay area community, Briant serves on the board of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and volunteers with Bay Area Legal Service’s Family Forms Clinic, Wills for Heroes, and Crossroads for Kids, where she has served as an attorney ad litem for a teenager in foster care.

Stetson’s Legal Writing Academy for lawyers is January 30

Stetson University College of Law’s Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication is offering its inaugural Legal Writing Academy on Jan. 30, 2015, at the Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St. The 2015 Academy will offer presentations and workshops on Persuasive Legal Writing: What Every Lawyer Should Know.

The Academy is an advanced legal writing training program for lawyers that will be taught by Stetson Law faculty experts in the area of legal communication. The program includes interactive training on how to use applied storytelling techniques for writing legal facts, a session on using editing techniques to improve written advocacy, and a session addressing current advances in the science of persuasion that are applicable to legal writing. Attendees will also participate in breakout sessions with faculty for hands-on persuasive writing experience.

“The academic study of persuasive legal writing is translating into new and better writing techniques for lawyers in practice,” said Dr. Kirsten Davis, director of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication. “The Academy has been developed for lawyers who want to become better advocates for their clients and to write persuasive documents more effectively and efficiently.”

The Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication is a home for the study of legal communication, particularly legal writing, and provides training programs for lawyers, judges, students and other professionals to improve their legal communication skills. Stetson’s legal writing program for its law students is ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The Academy begins with breakfast at 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 30, and training begins at 9 a.m. The program concludes at 3:45 p.m.

For more information, call 727-562-7312 or email [email protected]. An application for CLE credits has been made to the Florida Bar.

To see more information about the Academy and its faculty and to register, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/lrw/legal-writing-academy.php.

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

Title IX critical topic at National Conference on Law and Higher Education

Title IX compliance is a critical topic at Stetson University’s National Conference on Law and Higher Education Feb. 12-16, 2015, in Orlando, Florida.

Colleges and universities scramble to formalize promising practices in Title IX compliance in the wake of campus rape and sexual assault scandals. Stetson’s definitive annual conference, now in its 36th year, will bring national leading experts in higher education to Orlando to discuss critical developments in higher education law and policy.

Conference participants will participate in rigorous boot camps, workshops, intensive sessions and collaboration with peers and experts.

“Every educator in America should be concerned with making college and university campuses safer learning environments, and protecting the campus community from sexual predators. Anyone who works in higher education can benefit from this year’s conference, focused on developing the tools to respond,” said conference chair and Professor of Law Peter F. Lake. Professor Lake is the Charles A. Dana Chair and director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.

For more information, call 727-562-7793 or email [email protected].

To register, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/conferences/highered/home/index.php.

For more information about the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson, visit https://www.stetson.edu/law/academics/highered/home/.

Stetson Law assistant dean joins Leadership St. Pete

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete named Stetson University College of Law Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Planning Laura Zuppo among 40 local executives participating in a six-month community leadership program.

The mission of Leadership St. Pete, one of the oldest leadership programs in the U.S., is to identify, recruit and develop leaders who represent the diversity of the community and who will assume future leadership roles in the Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations.

Zuppo joined Stetson University College of Law’s Admissions Office in 2001 and today oversees both admissions and financial planning, where she manages a team of seven. For more than 13 years, Zuppo has guided thousands of law school applicants through the process of applying and enrolling at Stetson University. She has two master’s degrees: an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management and an M.S. from Drexel University, as well as a B.A. from Cedar Crest College.

Participants in Leadership St. Pete get an in-depth introduction to social, economic, business and political issues and help promote and enhance community leadership in the St. Petersburg area.
Leadership St. Pete’s class of 2015 includes executives from a range of both private companies and nonprofits.

To read more, visit the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Alumni serving the public interest

According to a September/October 2014 National Jurist article, a recent job satisfaction survey of 6,200 lawyers in four states has revealed that factors like personal satisfaction, autonomy and making a difference in people’s lives rank highly in lawyers’ happiness.

Editor Mike Stetz wrote in the article “What makes a lawyer happy?” that “Lawyers working in public service–such as those in legal aid, public defenders, prosecutors, government lawyers and in-house counsel for nonprofits–fared better than most.”

The referenced study, What Makes Lawyers Happy? Transcending the Anecdotes with Data from 6200 Lawyers, was conducted by Florida State University College of Law professor Lawrence S. Krieger and University of Missouri psychology professor Kennon Sheldon.

This semester, we sat down with several Stetson Law alumni working in public interest fields to ask each their definition of success. While the responses varied, one theme was consistent among each: making a difference in people’s lives. As varied as their day-to-day jobs may be, each of the graduates we spoke with serves the public interest in their professional careers.

We invite you to visit our Stetson Law YouTube channel to watch some of the short interviews conducted in our new series, Serving the Public Interest, launched this fall.

You will hear from recent alumni new to the profession as well as graduates who have dedicated decades of their lives to public service.

We hope you enjoy hearing from our passionate alumni as much as we enjoyed talking with each of them, and learning a bit about what inspires them to do what they do.

You are invited to continue watching as the series continues to grow with more interviews.

To submit an idea for an interview, please send a note to [email protected].

Thank you for watching.

Stetson Law Review honors Ellen Podgor

Professor Ellen S. Podgor, a nationally recognized legal expert in the area of white collar crime, was honored with the J. Ben Watkins Award at the Stetson Law Review banquet on Nov. 21 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

Professor Podgor is the Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor at Stetson University, the co-author of numerous books on white collar crime and criminal law, and has authored more than 70 law review articles and essays in the areas of computer crime, international criminal law, lawyer’s ethics, criminal discovery, prosecutorial discretion, corporate criminality and other white collar crime topics. The editor of the highly-ranked White Collar Crime Prof Blog, Professor Podgor chairs the advisory committee of the NACDL White-Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson, serves on the board of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, and is the president of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS). She is chair of the AALS Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity issues, an honorary member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and a member of the American Law Institute.

Professor Ellen S. Podgor is this year's J. Ben Watkins Award recipient. — Professor Ellen S. Podgor is this year’s J. Ben Watkins Award recipient.

The J. Ben Watkins Award is presented annually in honor of the 1949 Stetson Law graduate who helped create the Stetson Law Review, a premier academic journal published three times per year.

“It is an honor to be chosen by the students for the Ben Watkins Award because as Ben said ‘you don’t have a great law school without a law review,’” said Professor Podgor.

The next Stetson Law Review symposium is scheduled for March 6, 2015, in Gulfport. The symposium topic, “Inequality, Opportunity, and the Law of the Workplace,” will explore growing economic inequality in the U.S., opportunities for upward mobility, and the proper role of labor and employment laws in ensuring adequate opportunities for mobility.