Stetson University College of Law was honored in the nation’s capital by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity for helping diversify the legal profession. CLEO honored Stetson during the fall semester among 45 law schools, 45 law firms, corporations, associations and 45 individuals who played a critical role in the financial viability of CLEO since 2000.
Stetson was included in the inaugural group of William A. Blakey Diversity Pipeline Architects named in honor of CLEO’s esteemed late Council Chairman Emeritus William A. “Buddy” Blakey, who dedicated much of his professional life to ensuring that the educational “pipeline” was readily accessible to all promising students.
Professor Darryl C. Wilson accepted the honor on Sept. 26 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. during CLEO’s 45th anniversary celebration.
CLEO is a nonprofit entity of the American Bar Association whose mission is to diversify the legal profession. Established in 1968, CLEO has been at the forefront of helping minority, low-income and disadvantaged students gain access to law school, successfully matriculate and pass the bar exam.
Among Stetson Law’s entering 2013 J.D. class, 20% of students were minorities and 53.5% were female.
Stetson University has named Jeffrey A. Ulmer vice president for development and alumni engagement. Ulmer joins Stetson from the University of Central Florida where he serves as assistant vice president overseeing fundraising at multiple academic colleges. Prior to that Ulmer was responsible for setting the strategic direction for UCF’s Athletic Development Program.
Jeffrey A. Ulmer, vice president for development and alumni engagement at Stetson
“I am excited to join the distinguished community of faculty, staff and students at Stetson,” said Ulmer. “I look forward to working with President Wendy Libby and Stetson’s vibrant alumni community to advance the national and international prominence of this great university.”
Ulmer was selected following a national search. As vice president for development and alumni engagement, Ulmer will provide strategic vision, focus and direction for Stetson’s development and alumni relations efforts. He will also provide innovative leadership in annual and comprehensive campaigns, corporation and foundation relations, planned giving, major gifts, donor relations and stewardship, and prospect research and management.
“Jeff is coming to Stetson at an important time because of the rapid, positive trajectory the university is on,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “We were attracted by Jeff’s strong track record in relationship building with alumni, donors and friends, as well as his team-building capabilities.
“We are thrilled to have Jeff join our staff, and we are confident that he is the right person to lead the Development Office during this exciting time,” said Libby. “It is a real plus that he knows Central Florida and the greater Orlando business community. His varied experience in academics and athletics will serve us well.”
Prior to working with UCF, Ulmer was president of the University of Mississippi Athletics Association Foundation, executive director of development for athletics and the National Commodore Club at Vanderbilt University, and assistant dean for development and alumni relations at Vanderbilt University Law School. He also worked in development for the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, Fredric G. Levin College of Law, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. A 1985 graduate of the University of Florida, Ulmer is a former assistant strength and conditioning coach for the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ulmer begins his new position on April 28. He is replacing Vice President for University Relations Carol Julian, who is retiring.
Stetson University College of Law is bringing sea turtle conservation experts to the Gulfport campus in April and adding a new summer course for law students on sea turtle protection in May and June.
The new summer course runs May 27-June 6 for law students interested in learning about the threats to endangered sea turtles and legal and policy framework to protect them. Students enrolled in the course are invited to join sea turtle experts from Latin America and the Caribbean for the Consultative Committee Meeting of the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles, held on Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus.
Stetson will also host the Stetson Law Sea Turtle Symposium on April 10 between 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Members of the public are invited to learn about the threats facing endangered sea turtles and join the dialogue about protecting the species.
The symposium is free and open to the public and takes place in the Great Hall at Stetson Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport.
Stetson University College of Law’s trial team of Will Casey, Jean-Pierre Gilbert, Daniel Miles and Lisa Ungerbuehler won the American Association for Justice southeast regional mock trial competition in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on March 23. The team will advance to compete in the AAJ national championship competition in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 10.
(L-R): Will Casey, Elizabeth Finizio, Daniel Miles, Judge Gary Farmer Sr., Lisa Ungerbuehler, Jean-Pierre Gilbert and Gabriel F. Zambrano.
Stetson sent two teams to the regional competition.
The Stetson student team of Shaun Cummings, Chad Florin, Cayelan Loucks and Christina Vicari won second place in the final round against the winning Stetson team.
“This victory reinforces Stetson’s commitment to being the best law school in advocacy in the country,” said Professor Lee Coppock, who coached the Stetson teams. “Both of our student teams were exceptionally prepared and swept the competition.”
More than 200 law schools from around the country are invited to compete in 14 regional mock trial competitions for the chance to advance to the national championship.
On Saturday, March 22, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers presented both John Keker and Jan Nielsen Little with the 2014 White Collar Criminal Defense Award at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla. Keker and Little received their awards during NACDL’s White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson. The White Collar Criminal Defense Award is presented annually to individuals who have made a profound impact on the field of white collar criminal defense advocacy.
John Keker
Keker and Little are partners at the San Francisco, Calif., law firm of Keker & Van Nest LLP. They have worked together on numerous high-profile white collar criminal cases, including former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow who was charged with over 100 counts of securities fraud and other crimes. The pair has also represented Mississippi plaintiffs’ attorney Dickie Scruggs and investment banker Frank Quattrone. In 1995, they obtained an acquittal at trial for San Francisco attorney Patrick Hallinan, charged with RICO and drug conspiracy offenses.
Presenting the award, NACDL Executive Director Norman Reimer said, “This year’s recipients of NACDL’s White Collar Criminal Defense Award, John Keker and Jan Nielsen Little, partners at Keker & Van Nest LLP, are truly a dynamic duo. They are two lawyers of extraordinary talent and tenacious resolve who not only excel in advocacy for their clients, but excel also in setting the highest standards of professionalism and service to their colleagues in the defense bar and society at large.”
Keker co-founded Keker & Van Nest LLP in 1978. He represented cyclist Lance Armstrong in a case in which the Department of Justice terminated its investigation of Armstrong without filing any criminal charges. Keker is a graduate of Yale Law School and received his B.A. from Princeton University. He clerked with U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren and served as a Marine infantry platoon leader during the Vietnam War.
Jan Nielsen Little
Little has been a practicing criminal defense lawyer for more than 25 years. She represented a Silicon Valley executive in the country’s first stock options backdating prosecution, obtaining a dismissal of six of eight counts and a 60-day sentence on the remaining counts. Little earned her J.D. at Yale Law School and her B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley, completed a clerkship with Judge William W. Schwarzer of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, and worked with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division before becoming a defense attorney.
The NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson is an educational “boot-camp” program for legal practitioners from across the country wishing to gain key advocacy skills and learn substantive white collar law from masters in the field.
Editor’s Note: To download high-resolution images of Mr. Keker and Ms. Little, please click here and here, respectively.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ivan J. Dominguez, NACDL, 202-465-7662
Brandi Palmer, Stetson University College of Law, 727-562-7381
Stetson Law’s student Maritime Law Society sponsored a semi-annual beach and dive cleanup at Anna Maria Island on Saturday, March 8. Maritime Law Society president Tom Adams and vice president Brandon Robinson, Stetson Law professor Lance Long, and approximately 30 volunteers dedicated their Saturday to cleaning up pollution from area beaches.
Stetson’s volunteer team helps clean up the Anna Maria Island beaches. Photo courtesy Kayla Minton.
Half of the volunteers, certified scuba divers, dove to clean up known problem reef areas littered with large amounts of trash. Those who were not scuba certified combed the beach and the surrounding parks to collect debris including plastic bottles, straws and cups.
Stetson’s team of volunteers takes to the sea to cleanup the waters off Ann Maria Island. Photo courtesy Kayla Minton.
“Many residents in the area noticed the students and thanked them for helping to clean their beaches. Some onlookers even offered to help,” said student Kayla Minton, who volunteered for the cleanup.
“The Maritime Law Society plans to repeat this event in the fall for anyone interested,” said Minton.
In total, the volunteer team collected approximately 35 trash bags of beach litter.
Adam Liptak, lawyer, author and New York Times Supreme Court correspondent, addressed 260 graduates of Stetson University College of Law on May 17 in Gulfport, Fla. Stetson’s morning commencement took place in the courtyard on the law school’s Gulfport campus.
In his talk, Liptak focused on transitioning from legal counsel for The New York Times to his role as a popular columnist and journalist.
Liptak graduated from Yale with a law degree. While still in law school, he worked as a summer clerk for the legal department at TheNew York Times.
Liptak’s legal career includes a decade advising The New York Times on matters including defamation, privacy and newsgathering. He taught media law at Columbia University School of Journalism, U.C.L.A. Law School and Yale Law School.
Liptak was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his series “American Exception” and writes the popular “Sidebar” column on legal developments for The New York Times. Liptak has investigated topics including the rise in life sentences in the U.S. and the impact of campaign contributions on Ohio Supreme Court justices’ voting records.
Among the 260 students walking at Stetson Law’s commencement were 192 full-time students, 43 part-time JD students, six LL.M. in elder law students, eight LL.M. in international law students, two JD/Grado students, one JD/Master of International Economic and Comparative Law student, and eight JD/MBA students. Outstanding members of this year’s graduating class include:
Shivani Alamo, an advocate for children and education reform who won the prestigious New Generation Award, a special Lewis Hine Award for Service to Children and Youth.
In 1932, Julia Ruth Stevens was a teenager with the most famous father in the world ─ Babe Ruth.
Her parents stayed at St. Petersburg’s prestigious Rolyat Hotel, where the “Sultan of Swat” signed his legendary contract with the New York Yankees and stayed during spring training.
Now 97 years old, Julia Ruth Stevens returned to the Rolyat/Stetson campus for the first time in decades on March 10. She joined Stetson’s Dean Chris Pietruszkiewicz in the law school courtyard, in the exact location and at the same desk where her father signed his legendary contract. The desk has been safely housed at Stetson law school all these years.
Stevens was in Florida to kick off the City of St. Petersburg’s official Babe Ruth Day, celebrating the legacy of the “Great Bambino” and 100 years since the birth of spring training in Florida.
(L-R): Dean Chris Pietruszkiewicz visits with Julia Ruth Stevens at the site where Babe Ruth signed his historic contract at what is today Stetson University College of Law.Julia Ruth Stevens examines the historic photo of her father Babe Ruth signing his contract with the Yankees at what is today the campus of Stetson Law in Gulfport.
During an afternoon ceremony on March 10 at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg before a spring training game between the Baltimore Orioles and Team Canada, community organizations that benefited from Babe Ruth’s philanthropy and support gathered to honor the legendary player. Dean Pietruszkiewicz represented Stetson along with board members Joshua Magidson ’80 and Bill Weller ’04 at the event. Julia Ruth Stevens, who was presented with the keys to the City of St. Petersburg by Mayor Rick Kriseman ’87, threw out the opening pitch.
For the 16th time, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stetson University College of Law first in trial advocacy. Stetson also is ranked sixth in the nation for legal writing and is listed among the top 100 law schools in the country.
“It goes without saying that the advocacy program at our College of Law is outstanding and the best known of the many high excellence programs at the College,” said Stetson University President Wendy Libby, Ph.D. “We take great pride in graduating students who are courtroom-ready, who through their outstanding advocacy and communications skills need very little additional training in working and representing clients. We know that when you see a Stetson lawyer, you are seeing competency and professionalism in action.”
“Effective advocacy is one of a successful lawyer’s most important skills, and Stetson’s commitment to teaching advocacy is unmatched,” said Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “We are proud that this has always been one of our core strengths.”
“Stetson’s leadership in advocacy education is reflected in the accomplishments of our competitive teams, our ‘practice-ready’ approach to teaching the law, as well as our academic programs and conferences focused on advocacy,” said Charles H. Rose III, professor of excellence in trial advocacy at Stetson.”
“Our faculty is committed to equipping students with the in demand ability to be effective legal communicators,” said Kirsten K. Davis, Stetson’s director of legal research and writing. “And our new Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication builds upon that commitment by providing a home for both legal writing research and education. We are honored to be recognized for our dedication to legal communication excellence.”
Second-year part-time Stetson Law student William Mitchell was honored on March 4 at the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Military Appreciation Banquet in Tampa with the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year-Reserves award.
At the banquet: Associate Dean and Professor of Law Michael Allen, William Mitchell and Dean and Professor of Law Chris Pietruszkiewicz.
The award recognizes members of the military who show significant involvement in the community while excelling in the military.
Mitchell works full time with the Air Force Reserves and interns for 13th Judicial Circuit Judge Gregory P. Holder. He volunteers extensively as a patient advocate at Moffitt Cancer Center and is an outspoken proponent of Cancer Research.
Mitchell has also worked as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society (ACS) on several occasions, and has recently lead efforts to establish a South Tampa Young Professionals Board for ACS. Last year, Mitchell organized a four-person team to ride in the Cycle for Life-Cystic Fibrosis Annual Bike Ride, raising close to $1,000 for medical research. He attended and contributed to the annual fundraiser for Voices for Children Party in the Park, USO Tampa Bay’s G.I. Jive, and the Friends of Raymond James benefit. He also taught two classes at Bartles Middle School during the Great American Teach-In.
Mitchell is a member of several professional community organizations, including the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Tampa Bay Young Republicans, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, South Tampa Fellowship, and the Free and Accepted Masons. Mitchell served on active duty with the U.S. Air Force for four years before becoming a member of the Reserves in 2007.
Stetson University College of Law’s moot court team was named co-champions of the Washington, D.C., regional on March 1 and will advance to the National Finals of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
(L-R): Kayla Cash, David Wright, and Madison Kebler.
A total of 202 teams from 118 law schools are competing during a three-week period in six regional rounds of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. Only 24 of those teams will be invited to compete in the National Finals in Chicago, April 10-12.
The Stetson team of Kayla Cash, Yaffi Hilili, Madison Kebler and David Wright was selected to advance to the National Finals, along with a team from Charleston School of Law and two teams from the Georgetown University Law Center.
A second Stetson team of Adriana Corso, Michael Rothfeldt, and Scott Tolliver were finalists, but did not advance to the nationals.
“The ABA NAAC is one of the most prestigious and well-known moot court competitions in the nation,” said Moot Court Advisor and Professor of Legal Skills Brooke Bowman. “We are thrilled that our outstanding student advocates will have the opportunity to show their skills on the national stage. And we were proud that both Stetson teams advanced to the final rounds of the D.C. regional.”
Associate Dean Michael Allen and alumnus Jason Stearns J.D. ’08 coached the Stetson teams.
Stetson University College of Law’s ABA Law Student Division chapter was awarded the Bronze Key for Highest Membership during the 5th Circuit’s meeting on March 1 in Miami.
The Stetson Chapter of the ABA Law Student Division: (L-R): Shadi Fackih, Roxy Gbetibouo, Phylicia Pearson, Dan Kavanaugh, Brandy Pikus, Robert Klement, and Tyler Payne.
Stetson student Brandy Pikus was named governor-elect of the ABA Law Student Division 5th Circuit, which includes all law schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and Tennessee. Pikus is the Vice-Representative and Vice-President of Stetson’s ABA Law Student Division chapter.
“Stetson students are passionately engaged in service to the legal profession through the work of the American Bar Association,” said Stetson Director of Student Life Tammy Briant. “Accordingly, Stetson students enjoy a tradition of leadership with the ABA.”
Stetson Law students have served in national leadership positions as chair of the ABA Law Student Division and as ABA Law Student Division delegates. On the regional level, several Stetson Law students have served as 5th Circuit Governors of the ABA Law Student Division.
The Stetson chapter of the ABA Law Student Division is dedicated to diversity, public interest and professional programming on campus and in the community.
