Stetson University College of Law students in professor Lance Long’s environmental advocacy class organized a bicycle rally with Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson and a two-mile challenge to raise awareness about alternative transportation.
Bicycle rally participants prepare for the ride on Stetson’s Gulfport campus on May 3.
On May 3 at 6 p.m., the students joined the mayor and community members to ride as a group from the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S., to the Gulfport Casino, 5500 Shore Blvd. S.
“I think this will be a great opportunity for Stetson students and the Gulfport community to get excited about bicycle commuting,” said third-year Stetson Law student Elise Pautler. “It is fun, and in a smaller city like Gulfport, it is completely feasible.”
“The class teaches students that environmental advocacy, or any type of advocacy for that matter, is not limited to using legal avenues for addressing problems,” said Long, whose students have recently planted an organic vegetable garden on Stetson’s Gulfport campus. “Sometimes, collaboration is better than litigation.”
(Seated L-R): Stetson University President Wendy Libby signs the new 3 + 3 agreement with University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft. Photo by Aimee Blodgett for the University of South Florida.
Students seeking a JD degree typically complete a four-year undergraduate program followed by three years of law school. The new 3+3 accelerated path allows qualified students to earn both their bachelor’s and JD degrees within six years. Students spend three years at USF and three years at Stetson Law. Students’ first year in the full-time JD program at Stetson also serves as their final year of study at USF. Interested students must enroll in USF’s Honors College and meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
“Through our agreement with the USF Honors College, students can graduate with an undergraduate degree and a law degree in six years, save a year of tuition, and attend the top ranked advocacy program in the country — a program that blends foundational law with the legal skills necessary to succeed in today’s marketplace,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. “Together, Stetson and USF will help to create not only the next generation of lawyers but also the next generation of leaders.”
The 3+3 program also provides partial scholarship support for students once they start at Stetson. Once admitted into the 3+3 program, students will be paired with a student, graduate, and/or faculty member mentor from the College of Law.
“The partnership between the University of South Florida and Stetson University College of Law is a great opportunity for highly-motivated and focused students to achieve their goals. Our brightest students are eager to take on the challenges of advanced degrees, and we are confident the excellent undergraduate education they received at USF will prepare them for the rigors of Stetson’s exceptional program. These talented students will move more quickly through their education – incurring less debt – and be on their way to reaching their goals,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft.
The agreement between the two institutions was officially signed today during a ceremony attended by Genshaft, Stetson University President Wendy Libby, as well as several other top administrators from each institution.
Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through its academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson prepares lawyers as ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.
The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF ranks 50th in the nation for federal expenditures in research and total expenditures in research among all U.S. universities, public or private, according to the National Science Foundation. Serving more than 47,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.
Among first-time takers of the Florida bar exam in February, 93.9 percent of Stetson University College of Law graduates passed. Stetson Law placed second among Florida law schools on the exam, according to the Supreme Court of Florida’s recently released exam scores and statistics.
Only Florida State University had a higher first-time bar passage rate with a total of 96 percent of graduates passing the exam. Among the 819 first-time test takers, 80.2 percent of all candidates passed the exam.
The bar passage rate at Stetson has increased over the past decade. Stetson’s bar preparation program is staffed by a full-time professor and two staff members who provide individual and group counseling and help students build personalized study plans.
Stetson University College of Law is accepting nominations for its Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their professions and have affected a profound, positive influence on the law school.
The annual event is held each October. The 2012 inductees were law professor Suzanne R. Armstrong, Denis M. deVlaming ’72, John A. Guyton Jr. ’59, former Stetson University College of Law Dean Thomas F. Lambert Jr., Mada Fraser McLendon ’32, and U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore ’77.
For biographies and videos about past winners, please see Stetson’s Hall of Fame website.
To submit a nomination, please use the Hall of Fame Nomination form 2013 (PDF) and send by April 26 to Patricia Toups in the College Relations Office at Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport, FL 33707. E-mails are also accepted at [email protected].
Homeland security expert and former Pentagon official Michael James Barton presented “@WhiteHouseDrone is Now Following You: A Constitutional Discussion on Modern Warfare” as this year’s Nichols Foundation Prominent Speaker Lecture on April 11 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.
Michael James Barton spoke at Stetson on April 11.
More than 100 members of the Stetson community attended Barton’s topical discussion.
Barton spoke about the use of drones in times of war and the policies surrounding their use.
“In wartime, we need to be focused on these policy arguments,” said Barton.
Barton is director of energy and natural resources at ARTIS Research, former deputy director of the Middle East Policy Office for the Secretary of Defense, and former member of the Homeland Security Council staff at the White House.
The Nichols Foundation Prominent Speakers Series was established at Stetson in 1995. The series’ namesake is Perry Nichols, among the nation’s most successful trial lawyers and past president of both the American Trial Lawyers Association and the International Trial Lawyers Association.
Florida’s first female attorney general, Pam Bondi, presented the commencement speech at Stetson University College of Law at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18. Commencement took place in the courtyard on Stetson’s Gulfport campus. See more of the commencement experience.
Pam Bondi, Florida’s first female attorney general, gave commencement address.
Bondi received her law degree from Stetson University in 1990 and a bachelor’s in criminal justice from the University of Florida in 1987. Watch the commencement video.
“As Florida’s first female attorney general, I’m here to tell you that you can do anything you want to do, and don’t let anyone stand in your way,” said Bondi.
A Tampa native and fourth generation Floridian, Bondi worked as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office for 18 years before being elected in November 2010 to serve as Florida’s 37th attorney general.
Bondi is a member of the State Board of Administration and the Florida Cabinet, is vice chair of the southern region of the National Association of Attorneys General, and serves on Florida’s Special Olympics board of directors. She was recognized by the Tampa Bay Review as a “Lawyer of Distinction” and received the “Women of Excellence in Government” award.
“You never know what’s around the corner,” Bondi told the graduates. “It’s only important that you take it.”
This year’s graduating class included:
Jamie Combee and Erik Johanson, both co-editors of Stetson’s new Journal of Advocacy and the Law and members of the Moot Court Board. Combee is also a member of Stetson’s Trial Team.
Caitlein Jammo, president of the American Constitution Society, editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Aging, Law & Policy, Stetson Law Review editor and Moot Court Board member.
Frank Leung, representative to the Florida Bar YLD–Law Student Division board of governors, deputy chief student ambassador, national law student liaison to the ABA Section of Real Property, Trust & Estate Law, editor of the Journal of International Aging Law & Policy, and Alternative Dispute Resolution board member.
Nicole Martingano, a member of Stetson’s Alternative Dispute Resolution board and future prosecutor who turned a near-fatal car accident into determination to help victims.
Erin Okuno, a Biodiversity Fellow, president of the Environmental Law Society, Stetson Law Review editor-in-chief, Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy editor, and member of Stetson’s Moot Court Board.
Stetson University College of Law students Paul Crochet, Meagan Foley and Alexander Zesch all received Honorable Mention Best Oral Advocate Awards at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. The Stetson students were among a group of 40 advocates selected for the awards. More than 1800 students from 67 countries competed.
Stetson’s Vis team (L-R): Michael Rothfeldt, Paul Crochet, Meagan Foley, Alex Zesch and Lisa Tanaka.
Stetson’s team of Crochet, Foley, Michael Rothfeldt, Lisa Tanaka and Zesch competed against students from Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Germany, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and the United States during the five-day competition, March 23-28, in Vienna.
The Vis Moot was started by the United Nations Trade Commission 20 years ago as a global educational initiative in international commercial law and dispute resolution.
This year, 296 teams from around the world competed. Forty-nine of the teams competing this year in Vienna were from highly ranked U.S. law schools.
The Stetson team was one of only two U.S. law schools to advance to finish in the quarterfinals of the competition. City University of Hong Kong won first place overall.
Professors Joseph Morrissey and Interim Director for International Programs Stephanie Vaughan coached the Stetson students.
Stetson’s Center for Excellence in International Law is the nexus of international advocacy at Stetson, housing academic programs, the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy and the Institute for Caribbean Law and Policy, hosting international advocacy competitions and offering study abroad opportunities around the world.
Stetson University College of Law third-year students Valeria Obi and Rebekah Tucci organized the inaugural Women of Achievement Gala to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. The Florida Association for Women Lawyers, National Organization for Women, American Bar Association, and the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Florida Bar hosted the gala at Stetson Law in Gulfport on March 14.
Women of Achievement honorees (L-R): Shivani Alamo, Gwynne Young, Cathy Stanton and Marcia Cohen.
The gala honored women in the Tampa Bay community doing outstanding work. Four women were honored for their dedication, persistence and passion in helping others. The honorees of the evening included Shivani Alamo, a second-year Stetson Law student who was honored for her dedication to community activism; Marcia Cohen, a 1984 Stetson Law graduate, attorney and advocate for gender equality; and Gwynne Young, president of the Florida Bar, who was honored for her leadership and the tremendous strides she has made for other women lawyers. The keynote speaker was Cathy Stanton, granddaughter of prominent women’s rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who helped women obtain the right to vote.
More than 80 people attended the event, including attorneys and judges from the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Pinellas Chapter of the National Organization for Women, St. Petersburg Bar Association and Hillsborough County Bar Association.
Obi and Tucci, the gala organizers, said that they are working to ensure that the gala becomes an annual event honoring inspiring women every year.
Obi is president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers at Stetson and Tucci is president of the National Organization for Women at Stetson.
Pepperdine University School of Law won the 17th annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition on March 23 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.
Pepperdine University School of Law won the 17th annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition.
Pepperdine defeated the Law Society of Ireland, Dublin, in the final round for the international championship. China University of Political Science and Law received the best memorial award, and Pepperdine student Austin Ward was named best final-round oralist.
The team from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, received the Spirit of Stetson Award, a peer-nominated honor that recognizes civility, justice and fair play.
Eighteen teams from around the world competed at Stetson this weekend after advancing from eight regional rounds across six continents. The teams presented arguments about a transboundary haze and species protection issue before a mock international court.
Nick Davidson, Deputy Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, presented “Natural Solutions for our Water Security” on March 21 at Stetson Law in Gulfport. The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Nick Davidson spoke at Stetson on March 21.
“The amount of water we have on the planet is finite,” Davidson said. Davidson explained that we continue to destroy wetlands despite the fact that we depend on water for our life, livelihoods and sustainable businesses.
His lecture described how protecting wetlands and natural systems can provide solutions to threats to water security.
“There’s a need for a paradigm shift in thinking, in water governance, in decision-making,” Davidson said. “We’ve got to place water at the heart of a green economy. We’ve got to realize that wetlands are part of our water management infrastructure, not something competing with it.”
Davidson’s lecture was the last in the series this semester at Stetson. Stetson’s Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series brings leading experts to campus to speak on a range of environmental topics.
On March 19, the Innocence Initiative Reform and Education Division at Stetson hosted Derrick Williams, a man who was falsely convicted and sentenced to serve a life sentence in the state of Florida. He spent 18 years behind bars for crimes he did not commit.
Derrick Williams talked with Stetson Law students about being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life behind bars.
Exonerated in 2011 with the help of the Innocence Project of Florida, Williams talked with Stetson Law students on Tuesday night about the importance of seeking justice. Williams explained that the Attorney General of Florida took an interest in his case.
Williams’ wrongful conviction in 1993 was the result of eyewitness misidentification and government misconduct. His talk was entitled, “A Tainted Lineup: The Exoneration Story of Derrick Williams.”
“Have you ever been accused of doing something, you know you didn’t do it, and you beg people to believe you, but they tell you, you did it?” Williams asked the law students gathered to listen to his talk.
His story stressed the importance of solid, ethical legal advocacy.
The Innocence Initiative at Stetson was co-founded in 2009 to coordinate efforts with the Innocence Project of Florida. The Innocence Initiative Reform and Education Division at Stetson advocates for reform and hosts educational programs for students, case workers, and the community on wrongful conviction issues. Judith Scully, the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, directs the Innocence Initiative at Stetson and co-directs Stetson’s new Social Justice Advocacy concentration program.
Stetson University College of Law students won the National Professional Responsibility Moot Court Competition on March 17 in Indianapolis, Ind. Stetson students also won all six of the possible awards, sweeping the competition.
Stetson Law teams shown here with the competition judges at the Indiana Supreme Court. Photo by Brooke Bowman. (See caption information below)
Two teams of Stetson students beat teams from around the country to compete against each other in the final round, presented at the Indiana Supreme Court. The Stetson team of Kevin Crews, Erin Okuno and Morgan Vasigh won the final round, competing against the Stetson team of Adriana Corso, Erin Dolan and Michelle Reilly.
Stetson students Corso, Dolan and Reilly won the Best Petitioner Brief Award. Crews, Okuno and Vasigh won the Best Respondent Brief Award. Okuno was also named Best Oralist in both the preliminary and final rounds.
This is the second year in a row in which a Stetson team has won top awards at this competition. Last year, the Stetson team won the Best Oralist Overall, the Best Respondent Brief, as well as the entire competition.
“At Stetson, we focus on preparing and developing the whole advocate, and our students were remarkably prepared, thanks to the assistance of numerous attorneys and alumni who came to judge the teams’ practices,” said Stetson’s moot court adviser and professor Brooke Bowman. “The judges recognized that the Stetson students were the best advocates—in writing and orally—at this competition. These judges also commented on the students’ impressive level of professionalism.”
Stetson professors Bowman and Roberta Flowers coached the Stetson teams.
(Front row, L-R): Stetson students Morgan Vasigh, Kevin Crews, Erin Okuno, Michelle Reilly, Adriana Corso and Erin Dolan. (Back row, L-R): Executive Director of the National Art Museum of Sport at Indiana University Elizabeth Varner, Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven H. David, Presiding Judge of the Court of Appeals of Indiana Fourth District Patricia A. Riley, retired Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan Jr., Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumnus and public defender Sean Row.
