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.
Stetson University College of Law hosted its first Law and Rhetoric Colloquium on March 9-10 in Gulfport. Professor Kirsten Davis, Ph.D., the director of Legal Research and Writing at Stetson, spearheaded the colloquium, which included a dozen professors of law, communication arts, and the humanities.
Scholars gathered at Stetson for the first Law and Rhetoric Colloquium.
Davis said that the goal of the colloquium was to build a community of scholars on the topic.
The colloquium brought together professors from across disciplines to discuss the relationship between law and rhetoric and the value of introducing rhetoric into the legal writing curriculum.
“Rhetorical theory influences how you read and write and speak the law,” Davis said.
Davis explained that the goal of legal writing is to persuade, and understanding rhetoric can help lawyers become better readers and writers and ultimately more persuasive communicators.
“Lawyers need to be masters of language,” she said.
In addition to courses on legal research and writing, Davis teaches a seminar on legal discourse and rhetorical theory at Stetson.
She is the author of several law review articles on the subject. Her article, “Building Credibility in the Margins: An Ethos-Based Perspective on Commenting on Student Papers,” was published in the first volume of the Legal Writing Institute’s online monograph of “important articles” on student feedback.
She said that she hopes the colloquium will expand, start a listserv and begin a law and rhetoric blog.
Photo caption: Front Row, L to R: Kristen Tiscione, Professor of Legal Research and Writing, Georgetown University School of Law; Colin Starger, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law; Dr. J. Clarke Rountree, Chair and Professor of Communication Arts, University of Alabama, Huntsville; Dr. Jeff Todd, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida Coastal School of Law (Co-organizer); Dr. Jennifer Andrus, Assistant Professor, University of Utah, College of Humanities; Dr. Kirsten K. Davis, Professor of Law, Director of Legal Research and Writing, Stetson University College of Law (Co-organizer). Back Row, L to R: Dr. Katie Rose Guest Pryal, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law; Julie Oseid, Associate Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis School of Law; Francis J. Mootz, Dean and Professor of Law, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; Nick Scuillo, Graduate Assistant, Georgia State University Department of Communication; Dr. Greg Pingree, Professor of Law, Florida Coastal School of Law; Jack Sammons, Professor of Law, Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University.
The students will prepare and present an environmental case before a mock international court. The case concerns the burning of peatlands, which lead to species extinction and transboundary haze.
Teams of students participated in regional rounds in Africa, Australia, East Asia, India, Ireland, Latin America and North America for the chance to compete in the international finals at Stetson. The competition gives students around the world an opportunity to hone their skills as environmental advocates.
Live Webcast of IEMCC Final Round
A live webcast of the IEMCC Final Round will be streamed on Saturday, March 23, starting at approximately 2:00 p.m. EST.
Stetson University College of Law’s Black Law Students Association was honored with the National Most Improved Chapter Award during the 45th annual National Black Law Students Convention in Atlanta, Ga., March 6-10. Out of more than 200 chapters in BLSA, Stetson’s BLSA was the only chapter to receive the coveted award.
Stetson BLSA member Andrenette Sullivan was installed as Advocacy Specialist for the BLSA Southern Region Executive Board.
Sullivan attended the convention along with Stetson BLSA member Pavielle Bookman, and BLSA chapter delegates Charis Campbell, Brannon Gary, Angelica Jones, Valeria Obi, and BLSA president Lakeisha Simms.
“Our accomplishments over this past year make me extremely optimistic about the future of Stetson’s BLSA,” said Simms.
Last month, Stetson’s BLSA was named Chapter of the Year for the Southern Region for outstanding community activism from a pool of 43 law school chapters in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Stetson University College of Law students won the American Association for Justice Regional Mock Trial Championship on March 10 in Miami, Fla.
AAJ Regional winners (L-R): Charles Strauss, William Gower III, Erica Emas and Andona Zacks-Jordan. Photo by Austin Miniard.
Sixteen teams competed in Miami. Stetson students Erica Emas, William Gower III, Andona Zacks-Jordan and Charles Strauss won the regional and a chance to compete against 13 teams from around the country in the AAJ nationals, April 4-7, in New Orleans.
“These competitions give our students the opportunity to learn and practice the exact same skills that will serve them, and even more importantly their clients, well in years to come,” said Stetson Trial Advocacy Fellow Lee Coppock. “The prestigious American Association for Justice competition is one of only two mock trial events that starts with more than 200 different squads and ends with one champion.”
Coppock, Judge David A. Demers and St. Petersburg College paralegal studies dean Susan Demers coached the team.
Stetson University is one of 14 universities named a Presidential Award Finalist in the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Stetson’s selection to the Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.
“Stetson has a long history of service learning and educating students to be significant, as both leaders and participants in an ever changing world,” said Wendy B. Libby, president, Stetson University. “We’re honored to receive this prestigious award, and owe much of it to the students themselves. They are the energy driving our commitment.”
There were 810 applications submitted for the awards, and 690 were chosen to be recognized. Of the 690 schools recognized in this year’s Honor Roll, there are 571 Honor Roll designees; 100 Honor Roll with Distinction; 14 Presidential Award Finalists and 5 Presidential Award winners.
“Our mission at Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement is to promote lifelong commitments to social responsibility that embrace volunteerism and encourage service learning,” said Kevin Winchell, assistant director of community engagement. “This award shows that our students, faculty and staff have the ability to directly engage in activities that foster all of our values and improve the campus, community, and world.”
Some of the projects that Stetson students, faculty and staff participated in which were considered for the award include:
Stetson University’s Bonner Scholars and Leaders Program: provides 60 students with scholarships in exchange for their commitment to at least eight hours of community-based work each week. This resulted in more than 20,000 hours of work for more than 30 different community partners last year.
Stetson College of Law: requires all of its students to complete at least 60 hours of legal and non-legal pro-bono work prior to graduation. This resulted in more than 19,000 hours of highly skilled assistance to legal aid societies, local nonprofits and government agencies last year.
Stetson University and the United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties: engages students in many ways, including as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) facilitators at no cost to local families, as fundraisers, as budget allocation committee members, and as volunteers for many other United Way intitiatives. This resulted in $182,092 in tax refunds for local families and more than 6000 hours of volunteer assistance last year.
“Congratulations to Stetson University, its faculty and students for its commitment to service, both in and out of the classroom,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency which administers the program. “Through its work, institutions of higher education are helping improve their local communities and create a new generation of leaders by challenging students to go beyond the traditional college experience and solve local challenges.”
More information about Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement can be found here. More information on eligibility and the full list of Honor Roll awardees, can be found at nationalservice.gov.
Stetson University College of Law students will compete at some of the largest international competitions in the world in March and April. Stetson students will compete in the international finals of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the largest moot court competition in the world, March 31-April 6, in Washington, D.C. Stetson students will also compete at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, March 23-28, in Vienna, Austria.
The Vis competition includes more than 290 teams from over 65 countries around the world. The Jessup competition includes student advocates from 550 law schools and more than 80 countries.
“In a few weeks, our students will showcase their advocacy skills on the international stage,” said Stetson Law professor and moot court advisor Brooke Bowman. “These competitions give students opportunities to present their arguments before top international judges and attorneys.”
Stetson’s Vis team of Paul Crochet, Meagan Foley, Michael Rothfeldt, Lisa Tanaka and Alex Zesch won the Florida Bar International Law Section Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot in Miami, Fla., on March 2. Foley was named the best oralist in the competition, for an unprecedented second year in a row. The team travels to Vienna to compete in two weeks.
Stetson’s Vis team: Back row L-R: Michael Rothfeldt, Alexander Zesch, Paul Crochet. Front row L-R: Lisa Tanaka, Meagan Foley.
Stetson’s Jessup team of Sharon Galantino, Caitlein Jammo, Bradley Muhs and Carly Ross finished second at the South Super-Regionals of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in New Orleans, La., on March 1-3, and won the runner-up memorial award. The team heads to Washington, D.C., in a few weeks to compete in the international finals with law students from around the world.
Stetson’s Student Veterans Organization and Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter co-sponsored a film presentation on Feb. 28 about using dogs in the military.
Stetson Law professor Peter Fitzgerald’s dogs attended the film presentation about the use of dogs in the military. Photo by Bianca Guerrier.
Stetson Law students, along with dogs “James” and “Dora,” attended a screening of Always Faithful. “Dora” is a registered therapy dog trained by animal law expert Peter Fitzgerald, a professor at Stetson.
The documentary, directed by cinematographer Harris Done and produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Moll, tells the story of U.S. Marine Corps dog teams serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Stetson recently initiated a popular therapy dog program to help students manage stress during exam time, which includes visits from therapy dogs trained by Stetson faculty and alumni.
As a young lawyer in his 20s working for the Florida attorney general in Tallahassee 50 years ago, a Stetson University College of Law graduate named Bruce Jacob was assigned to represent the respondent in a Supreme Court case that made history.
Bruce Jacob, professor and dean emeritus at Stetson.
The Court’s landmark decision on March 18, 1963, regarding the right to a fair trial in Gideon v. Wainwright was the impetus for the idea of public defenders. Jacob, now a professor and dean emeritus at Stetson University College of Law, was inspired to dedicate the next 50 years of his life to handling cases for indigent clients.
Shortly after the decision in Gideon, Jacob said he signed up as a volunteer public defender, one of the first in the state.
“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” Jacob explained.
After joining the faculty at Emory University School of Law in 1965, Jacob established the Legal Assistance for Inmates Program at the Atlanta Penitentiary. In just the first two weeks after its launch, more than 750 inmates approached the program for assistance. Jacob supervised the program and 53 students who volunteered to work on cases. In 1969, Jacob took a federal prisoner’s case to the Supreme Court and won the case for the petitioner in Kaufman v. United States.
While studying at Harvard Law School, Jacob helped start the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project. Through the Community Legal Assistance Office in Cambridge, Mass., Jacob supervised law students defending criminal cases and representing indigent people.
Jacob fought for the rights of the indigent throughout his teaching career. He has taught 20 different law school courses over the past 48 years. Jacob currently teaches courses on constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law and criminal procedure at Stetson University, where he has received hundreds of letters from inmates and lawyers through the years requesting his expertise.
Jacob is taking one inmate’s case, the case of Dwight Roberts, to the Florida Supreme Court. That case involves a sentence that was imposed on the basis of an unconstitutional statute, Jacob said.
Recently, Jacob also took the clemency case of Jerome Davis, referred to him by the Public Defender’s Office. A non-violent offender, Davis was convicted multiple times for selling cocaine or fake cocaine and sentenced in 1991 to life in prison, the highest penalty allowed. Jacob estimated that the combined sum of money Davis made from all drug sales was $70 and that tax-payers have spent approximately $30K a year on Davis’ prison stay over the past 20 years.
“Sentences in the U.S. are longer than in any other country in the world,” Jacob said.
Jacob is asking Florida’s clemency board to consider whether Davis’ life-sentence fits his crime, the same sentence defendants convicted of sexual battery, child molestation, and murder have received. Ultimately, the state attorney general, Commissioner of Agriculture and governor will review the clemency application that he filed on May 30, 2012, Jacob said.
One obstacle to shorter prison sentences for non-violent offenders like Davis, Jacob said, could be opposition from the prison industry itself, which supports employees who are caretakers of long-term prisoners. Another obstacle is the struggle to provide indigent people with adequate counsel.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of Gideon, Jacob said that public defender offices are underfunded and lawyers are overwhelmed with cases.
“The justice system requires ethical prosecutors and solid defense lawyers,” Jacob said “Without criminal defense lawyers, the justice system disintegrates.”
Stetson University College of Law professor, graduates, have been appointed to lead efforts to protect wetlands in Florida and around the world.
Professor Royal Gardner and recent graduate Marcela Bonells have recently been appointed to leadership positions on the Ramsar Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP).
Stetson professor Royal Gardner (second row, fourth from the left) and recent graduate Marcela Bonells (second row, fifth from the left) are both working with the Ramsar Convention’s STRP, shown here meeting with the STRP group in Switzerland.
Bonells, a May 2012 Stetson Law graduate, started work this month for the Ramsar Secretariat in Switzerland as the STRP Technical Officer. A former Biodiversity Fellow at Stetson, she completed an externship at the Ramsar Secretariat in Switzerland in summer 2011 and presented a paper at a Ramsar Pan-American Meeting in Jamaica in December 2011.
Alumna Anna Holt Upton was appointed to serve as outside general counsel for the Everglades Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s Everglades, in 2011. She is a 2006 graduate of Stetson Law. Upton also represents the Florida Audubon Society in water quality litigation throughout the state.
