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Babe Ruth’s daughter returns to Stetson Law campus

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.

According to an article in the 2001 St. Petersburg Times, the Rolyat officially closed a little over a decade later. It is now the home of Stetson University College of Law.

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.
(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.
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.

>>View more photos from Stevens’ visit to Al Lang Stadium and Stetson Law>>

Read more about Stevens’ historic visit to St. Petersburg in The New York Times.

View an article about Ruth signing his famous Yankees contract in the Evening Independent.

 

Stetson again ranked #1 in trial advocacy by U.S. News

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 has been recognized as the top law school for trial advocacy 16 times since the category ranking began in 1995. Stetson recently expanded these programs with the start of a new online journal and LL.M. degree program in advocacy.

“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.”

More information is available online at www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy and www.law.stetson.edu/academics/lrw.

For more information on the U.S. News 2015 “Best Graduate Schools” visit www.usnews.com/grad.

Law student honored at military appreciation banquet

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.

Associate Dean and Professor of Law Michael Allen, William Mitchell and Dean and Professor of Law Chris Pietruszkiewicz.
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’s ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition team to compete in national finals

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.
(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 ABA Law Student Division chapter, student leader honored

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.
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.

To learn more about the ABA Law Student Division, visit Stetson University College of Law.

Daylong symposium at Stetson Law tackles political corruption

More than 80 people attended a daylong symposium on Feb. 28 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., on the topic of political corruption. Taking Stock of Citizens United: How the Law Has (and Has Not) Changed Four Years Later, drew leading national journalists, legal scholars and public interest advocates to the Stetson law school campus for a series of discussions on the threat of political corruption and the importance of an active citizenship.

Professor Lawrence Lessig addresses the symposium audience at Stetson Law.
Professor Lawrence Lessig addresses the symposium audience at Stetson Law. Photo by Kevin James.

Symposium keynote and Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig presented on the need to address corruption in politics in order to maintain a democracy committed to equality.

He constructed a timeline of some of the battles for equal rights in the U.S., from the historic struggle for the right to vote fought by women and blacks to the present-day threats to democracy from corrupt money in politics.

Speaking on the issue of money in politics, Professor Lessig told the audience of scholars, members of the legal profession, and law students, “I am incredibly optimistic that we have a way to get people to see that there is something they can do.”

Symposium panels addressed “Quantifying the Problem of Money in Politics,” “The Risk of Corruption Collides with Free Speech,” and “Making New Rules that Help Taxpayers, Voters, Investors, Employees and Members.”

The Stetson Law Review, the Corporate Reform Coalition, and the American Constitution Society co-sponsored the event.

Stetson hosts public lecture on improving Florida’s water

Stetson University College of Law invited members of the public to the Gulfport campus in March to learn more about how water quality trading can improve the Florida water supply. The Edward & Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series presented a talk by David E. Bailey of the Electric Power Research Institute on March 6 on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.

David Bailey of the Electric Power Research Institute.
David Bailey of the Electric Power Research Institute. Photo by Kayla Minton.

The free public lecture addressed ways to help improve Florida’s water quality. Water quality trading can result in efficient pollution reduction, by allowing one pollution source such as a utility to pay another source such as a farmer to make pollution reductions.

Bailey explained how creating incentives results in the reduction of pollutants. He described how reducing pollutant output generates credits which may then be sold to power companies.

Bailey pointed to the Ohio River Basin Water Quality Trading Project, potentially one of the world’s largest water quality trading programs, designed to pay farmers for environmental improvements.

Bailey is a senior project manager at the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. EPRI conducts research, development and demonstration relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public.

Stetson’s Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series brings leading experts to campus to speak on a range of environmental topics. Professor Royal C. Gardner directs the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson law school.

To learn more about becoming an environmental advocate at Stetson Law, watch a video interview with faculty and students.

Stetson announces Carmen R. Gillett PLLC Top Grade Award in Family Law

Stetson University College of Law will award the Carmen R. Gillett PLLC Top Grade Award in Family Law to several students in the spring.

The award, named for lifelong Sarasota resident Carmen R. Gillett J.D.’81, recognizes and provides financial support to Stetson Law students who have demonstrated academic excellence by receiving the highest grade in their section of the family law course.

“It is very appropriate that this prestigious award is named for Carmen R. Gillett, one of the College of Law’s most distinguished alumnae, and one of Florida’s top family law attorneys,” said Stetson Law Executive Director for Development and Alumni Relations John Knowles. “Carmen continues to support her alma mater and to represent Stetson’s values as a leader in the profession.”

In 2007, Gillett established her own law firm in Sarasota specializing in marital and family law. She is trained in the collaborative family law process and is certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a family law mediator. Gillett is a member of the Sarasota County Bar Association, serving as co-chair of the Family Law Section. She is a founding member of the Sarasota Collaborative Family Law Professionals Group, the first group of its kind in Sarasota, made up of attorneys, mental health professionals and financial experts.

Stetson Law part-time student Elisabeth Fontugne honored for excellence in writing

Stetson University College of Law student Elisabeth Fontugne was recently honored with two awards for excellence in writing. Fontugne won the Mollie and Paul Hill Student Writing Competition in Medical-Legal Interprofessional Collaboration, hosted by Florida State University. She took second place in the American College of Legal Medicine Student Writing Competition in Law, Medicine and Bioethics.

Elisabeth Fontugne
Elisabeth Fontugne

Fontugne’s writing addresses the intersection of law and medicine. She is a third-year student in Stetson law school’s part-time program.

The Mollie and Paul Hill Student Writing Competition recognizes outstanding original papers submitted by a law student and a medical student or medical resident in response to a question regarding the collaboration between the medical and legal professions.

Fontugne received second-place in the American College of Legal Medicine competition for her paper, “To Treat or Not to Treat: End of Life Care, Patient Autonomy, and the Responsible Practice of Medicine.”

Fontugne is a graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, where she obtained a degree in nautical science. She also received a master’s in library science from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.

Stetson’s legal writing program has consistently ranked among the top five programs nationwide in U.S. News & World Report. Stetson Law is home to the Institute for Advancement of Legal Communication, launched in the fall of 2013.

Stetson Law announces this year’s William A. Kaplin and Facilitator Award recipients

Stetson University College of Law announced the recipients of this year’s William A. Kaplin Award and Facilitator Award at the National Conference on Law and Higher Education, Feb. 13-19, in Orlando, Fla.

William Thro
William E. Thro. Photo: University of Kentucky.

William E. Thro, constitutional law scholar and general counsel of the University of Kentucky, received the William A. Kaplin Award for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy Scholarship. Thro is an accomplished attorney, academic and appellate advocate. He provides proactive advice on critical legal and policy issues at the University of Kentucky.

The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University established the award in honor of Professor William A. Kaplin to recognize scholars who have published works on education law that embrace the intersection of law and policy.

Jen Day Shaw, the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at the University of Florida, received the Facilitator Award. Dr. Shaw oversees Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, the Disability Resource Center, New Student and Family Programs, and Student Veterans Success Center at the University of Florida. She also provides assistance to students in distress, manages the 24-hour crisis/emergency duty for campus, and serves as chair of the Behavioral Consultation Team, the Crisis Response Team, the Protest Team and the Emergency Deans. Dr. Shaw serves as the Campus Safety Knowledge Community National Chair for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and has been appointed to the national panel of experts for the Virginia Tech Victims Family Foundation. 

Jen Day Shaw
Jen Day Shaw. Photo: University of Florida.

Stetson created the Facilitator Award for educators who embody the values and principles articulated by Professors Peter F. Lake and Robert P. Bickel in their book, The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern University. The Facilitator Model urges educators to be proactive about safety and risk management and to develop organization environments that are reasonably safe, educationally relevant and developmentally sound.

Stetson’s National Conference on Law and Higher Education, now in its 35th year, is a week-long event designed to provide attendees with the vision, motivation, and intensely practical tools needed to return to campus to meet the dynamic law and policy challenges of the day. The conference features the top thinkers, lawyers, and authors in the field and focuses on some of the biggest challenges in higher education today.

Stetson’s law school hosted panel, film “Defending Gideon”

Members of the public were invited to a panel discussion and showing of the film, “Defending Gideon,” on Feb. 11 at Stetson University College of Law’s Gulfport campus. Approximately 70 people attended the showing of the 30-minute documentary and Q&A discussion about the history and future of public defender work and criminal justice in the U.S.

(L-R): Christopher Durocher, Professor Ellen Podgor, Bob Dillinger and Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob.
(L-R): Christopher Durocher, Professor of Law Ellen Podgor, Bob Dillinger ’76 and Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob ’59.

Christopher Durocher of the Constitution Project moderated the panel discussion.

“Getting young lawyers to care about these issues is the number one way to see change,” Durocher told the audience of law students, professors and members of the public.

Stetson Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob, who presented the historic Gideon case in 1963 before the high court, presented on the panel with Public Defender Bob Dillinger and Professor of Law Ellen Podgor.

The Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright ruled that states are required to provide counsel to defendants who cannot afford representation in criminal cases. The panelists discussed the state of the justice system more than 50 years after Gideon, and described a prison system overcrowded with nonviolent offenders and homeless people.

“We’re the top jailer in the world,” Jacob said. “Defendants are herded through the system–it is assembly line justice.”

Professor Podgor explained that overcriminalization results in the processing of people.”There are more than 4500 criminal statutes,” Professor Podgor said.

“People facing criminal charges can’t take the risk of going to trial,” said Podgor. “It is less time served to plea than to go to trial. These people are being betrayed by the system designed to protect them.”

“The system could be a lot better if we train our young lawyers,” Dillinger told the audience.

Students celebrate World Wetlands Day in the Everglades

First-year students in professors Royal Gardner and Lance Long’s Legal Research and Writing class had an opportunity to study environmental issues up close during a recent trip to the Florida Everglades.

Students in professors Lance Long and Royal Gardner's class visit the Everglades.
Students Alex Nicodemi, Beach Brooks, Tommy Mingledorff, Andrew Long and Professor Royal Gardner visit the Everglades. Photo courtesy Kayli Keough.

Students camped and hiked through Big Cypress National Preserve in the Western Everglades.

The trip coincided with World Wetlands Day, held annually on Feb. 2, which celebrates the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Professor Gardner, who directs Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law & Policy, is chair of the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel.

In 2010, Stetson University College of Law became the first law school in the world to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Ramsar Secretariat, to assist the international group in protecting wetlands. Stetson Law alumni and the National Audubon Society worked together on the application for the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in the Naples area to be designated as a Wetland of International Importance in 2009. Last year, Stetson Law 2012 graduate Marcela Bonells was appointed technical officer with the Ramsar Convention’s Secretariat in Switzerland.

To learn more about researching environmental issues at Stetson, visit the Institute for Biodiversity Law & Policy. >>Watch a short video about environmental advocacy with students and professors here.