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Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricky Polston received the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession at Stetson Law

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricky Polston received the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession during the annual Stetson Law Review Banquet on Nov. 16 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.

Florida Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston received the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession — Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricky Polston received the J. Ben Watkins Award for Excellence in the Legal Profession during the Stetson Law Review Banquet

Chief Justice Polston was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in October 2008. He previously served with the First District Court of Appeal for more than seven years.

Polston worked in private practice in Tallahassee from 1987 to 2000 after earning his law degree from Florida State University in 1986 with high honors. Before beginning his legal career, Polston worked in Tampa as a certified public accountant from 1977 to 1984 with the international accounting firm, Deloitte Haskins & Sells. Born in 1955 and raised in the Panhandle town of Graceville, Polston earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in 1977, summa cum laude.

The annual award is presented in honor of J. Ben Watkins, who helped found the Stetson Law Review and is an honorary member of the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers.

Students learn about public service from practicing attorneys

A panel of attorneys spoke with Stetson Law students on Nov. 8 on the Gulfport campus at a banquet celebrating public service sponsored by the Public Service Fellows. Tampa Public Defender Keh’ara Hendrieth ’11, Pinellas County Public Defender Noah Kores ’10, and Assistant Attorney General Caroline Johnson Levine talked with students about the importance of being engaged in public service.

Attorneys Tampa Public Defender Keh'ara Hendreith, Assistant Attorney General Caroline Johnson Levine, and Pinellas County Public Defender Noah Kores ’10 talked with students. — Attorneys Tampa Public Defender Keh’ara Hendrieth ’11, Assistant Attorney General Caroline Johnson Levine, and Pinellas County Public Defender Noah Kores ’10 talked with students.

Lee Feldman, student president of Stetson’s Public Service Fellows, said that the students attending the banquet learned from practicing attorneys about how to get involved in law school and stay active in public service throughout their legal careers.

Feldman, who aspires to be a prosecutor, explained that the Public Service Fellows organization offers second- and third-year students an opportunity to receive a semester-long stipend while completing public service work. Public service work must be approved, and students are responsible for completing an application process including a proposal for the kind of work they wish to do. Feldman said that past projects have included working in the public defender’s office and volunteering to help veterans.

Stetson Public Service Fellows Meredith Harlow and Danielle Weaver-Rogers coordinated the event for students, with the assistance of Feldman, Lauren Christ, Bianca Guerrier and Vanessa Volkema.

The deadline for applications to work with the Public Service Fellows at Stetson during the spring semester is Dec. 20. For more information, contact Lee Feldman at [email protected].

Florida Campus Compact honors Stetson University

Each year, Florida Campus Compact (FL/CC) honors one institution of higher education as the Overall Engaged Campus of the Year, and one in each of three sectors, for advancing the public purposes of higher education, improving community life and educating students for civic and social responsibility. At the FL/CC awards gala held Nov. 8 in Tampa, Stetson University received the top Overall Award for the Most Engaged Campus in the state of Florida. In addition, a Stetson professor was awarded the Graham Frey Award for outstanding contributions to sustaining America’s participatory democracy; a recent Stetson graduate was recognized as an outstanding AmeriCorps member; and the university was also a finalist for the campus-community partnership award.

Stetson University’s mission statement describes the goal of fostering in students “the qualities of mind and heart that will prepare them to reach their full potential as informed citizens of local communities and the world.” Leadership and responsibility for this institutional commitment is spread throughout the university, with individuals in academic affairs and campus life working collaboratively towards this end.

Within the past academic year, Stetson University students volunteered more than 90,000 hours of curricular and co-curricular community service projects including: mentoring and tutoring economically-disadvantaged or at-risk youth, providing legal pro bono service, removing invasive plant species from the local national and state parks, teaching English to migrant farm workers, advocating for social justice and human rights and more. Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program students provided 98 mid-to-low income individuals and families with tax return assistance, securing refunds totaling $182,092. The Stetson community has also embraced the New Horizons Service Dogs Program where 50 Stetson students, faculty, staff and alumni raise service puppies until they are fully trained to be partnered with an individual that is disabled. Additionally, they raised over $53,000 for disaster relief, cancer research, student scholarships and non-profit organizations.

Along with direct service and fund-raising efforts, Stetson also donated blood; hosted professional development workshops for community partners; recycled over 234,000 pounds of paper, cardboard, aluminum and plastic; circulated petitions; marched, walked, danced, ran and fasted for a cause and made a significant difference on campus, in the community and around the globe.

The Stetson combination of academic excellence and attention to civic and social responsibility positions students to reach their full potential as informed citizens of local and global communities. Students graduate with a professional skill-set, independent judgment, a global perspective, a grounding in ethics and a strong sense of leadership. Frederick Buechner, famous American author and theologian, states, “vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Stetson University defines this as significance. The goal for Stetson’s students and graduates is to move beyond success to significance.

Graham Frey Award – Award Winner – Dr. William Ball – Named for the extraordinary civic legacy of U.S. Senator Bob Graham and Congressman Lou Frey, the Graham Frey Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of civic learning and engagement in sustaining our participatory democracy.

Stetson Professor of Political Science William J. Ball, known for his passion for local civic engagement, is the winner of the 2012 Graham Frey Award. A very active civic educator, Dr. Ball mentors his students to assume leadership roles in the community. Ball and his students engage members of the Stetson community, non-profit and local government partners and members of the public in non-partisan, public deliberations on important civic issues. He brings his Stetson students into partnerships with local governments to conduct research and action projects designed to increase public participation in local policy decisions, particularly in the areas of long-range planning and sustainability development. Ball is the director of Community-Based Research at Stetson, where he recruits and supports other faculty to collaborate with their students and community partners to raise the civic capacity of the region. He was published in academic journals on civic education, deliberative democracy, pedagogical innovation with new technologies, and evaluating political argumentation. He occupies leadership roles in the American Political Science Association in the area of undergraduate education. He has received numerous grants to conduct and evaluate participatory democracy projects, particularly through his long-term relationship with the Kettering Foundation. Ball is the 2008 recipient of the McGraw Hill Award for Teaching and Scholarship in Civic Education.

AmeriCorps Member Recognition – Award winner – Steven Carrillo ‘11 – This award recognizes outstanding AmeriCorps members who have demonstrated great success in addressing the needs of low-income or under-served individuals or communities while advancing the mission of FL|CC. Steven Carrillo, who graduated from Stetson in 2011 with a major in Psychology, and a minor in Marketing, is the winner of the 2012 AmeriCorps Member Award. Carrillo has served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Center for Community Engagement at Stetson University for the past year focusing on building the infrastructure of youth empowerment programs and developing community partnerships. He advises student service organizations, serves on the DeLand Unity Coalition and has presented at numerous conferences on youth empowerment and mentor-training.

Campus-Community Partnership Award – Stetson University is also a finalist for the award that recognizes one outstanding campus-community partnership that produces measurable improvements in peoples’ lives while enhancing higher education.

Stetson University has enjoyed a long history partnering with the United Way of Volusia-Flagler counties, specifically through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, allocations committee, internships, volunteer opportunities, and fundraising campaigns. Students have coordinated the VITA Program at Stetson, offering free tax assistance to community members, resulting in 94 completed 2011 tax returns and $182,092 in tax refunds.

Every year United Way raises money for their annual campaign, which is then distributed and allocated to Volusia and Flagler counties’ non-profit agencies. Stetson faculty and staff donate money to this campaign every year. In 2011 Stetson donated over $3,000 to the local United Way campaign. Through Stetson’s School of Business Administration, students volunteered on 11 United Way allocations panels, reviewed 58 programs and helped distribute $1.84 million to programs and services in Volusia and Flagler counties. This process allows students to use what they learn in the classroom and apply it throughout the allocations process. In addition to these programs, Stetson students participate in many of United Way’s events and volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Watch the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg5SFDbnEYc

Media Contact: Mary Anne Rogers, University Marketing

Phone: (386) 822-7215; main line (386) 822-8920; cell (386) 717-5836

E-Mail: [email protected]

Stetson students won Region V of the New York City Bar’s 63rd Annual National Moot Court Competition on Nov. 10

Stetson University College of Law students won Region V of the New York City Bar’s 63rd Annual National Moot Court Competition in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 10.

(L-R): Julia McGrath, Andrew Harris and Victoria San Pedro.

Stetson students Andrew Harris, Julia McGrath and Victoria San Pedro won the final round of the regional competition, earning an invitation to compete in the national finals on Jan. 28–31, 2013, in New York City.

This is the second year in a row that a Stetson team has advanced to compete in the national finals.

Nineteen teams, from law schools in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, participated in the competition, sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and hosted by Florida Coastal School of Law and the Jacksonville Bar Association.

Associate Dean Michael Allen and Professor Louis Virelli coached the Stetson students.

Students learn about Summer Law Student Volunteer Program

Representatives of the Office of the State Attorney, West Palm Beach, talked with students on Nov. 9. — (L-R): Reid Scott ’06 and Nelson Baez ’09 of the Office of the State Attorney, West Palm Beach, talked with students on Nov. 9.

Representatives of the Office of the State Attorney, 15th Judicial Circuit, traveled from West Palm Beach to Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus on Nov. 9 to provide an overview of the Summer Law Student Volunteer Program.

The representatives, Stetson Law alumni Nelson Baez ’09 and Reid Scott ’06, met with students to provide an overview of what to expect when volunteering.

The program is tailored to first and second-year law students.

Local high school students Jumpstart to College at Stetson Law

Story by third-year student Valeria Obi

The Black Law Students Association at Stetson hosted Jumpstart to College, an event to help high school students prepare for college, on Nov. 3 on the Gulfport campus.

Jumpstart to College BLSA students Willengy Ramos, Ashanti McBride, Stanton Fears, Michou Phenelus, Valeria Obi, Keyara Franklin and Michelae Hobbs. — BLSA students (L-R) Willengy Ramos, Ashanti McBride, Stanton Fears, Michou Phenelus, Valeria Obi, Keyara Franklin and Michelae Hobbs gather at Jumpstart to College.

Jumpstart to College was the follow up to another successful program. Last year, BLSA initiated a pro bono Drive to Strive Mentoring program at Boca Ciega High School matching high school students with Stetson Law student mentors and tutors.

“I think college is something everyone can accomplish if provided with the right tools,” said second-year Stetson Law student Ashanti McBride. “That is why we’re stressing the importance of college and hoping to provide an avenue for students to get those tools that they need.”

Local high school students in the St. Petersburg area were invited to attend Jumpstart to College at Stetson to receive college materials, learn about financing college, preparing college applications, and researching specialty programs at universities across the state.

All high school participants received an information booklet to help make the college application process easier. They also heard from a panel of current law students who shared their own personal experiences. The program ended with a college fair where various universities including the University of South Florida, Nova Southeastern and Eckerd College provided the students with information and resources.

“The Jumpstart to College event was an awesome opportunity for Stetson to get involved in the community and stress the importance of obtaining a great education,” said third-year Stetson Law student Charis Campbell, chair of the Drive to Strive Mentoring Committee.

For more information on BLSA’s Drive to Strive Mentoring Committee, contact Charis Campbell at [email protected].

Stetson Law students win awards for best brief, best cross-examination at weekend east and west coast competitions

Stetson University College of Law students won awards this past weekend for best appellate briefs in Washington, D.C., and best cross examination in San Francisco, Calif.

Stetson’s Moot Court teams won top awards for their appellate briefs at the National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition on Nov. 3-4 in Washington, D.C. Stetson students Amar Agha and Erik Johanson won the Best Petitioner’s Brief Award and the Stetson team of Michael Millett and Michelle Reilly tied with a team from South Texas College of Law to win the Best Respondent’s Award. Twenty teams competed. Agha and Johanson advanced to the final round of the competition to argue before a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Stetson Trial Team member Elizabeth Constantine was awarded Best Cross Examination at the Professor Bernie L. Segal Golden Gate University Criminal Mock Trial Competition on Nov. 2-4 in San Francisco, Calif. The Stetson team of Elizabeth Constantine, Barbra Goyanes, Diego Novaes and Jared Williams advanced to the final round of competition to present before a 12-person jury. Twelve teams competed.

Stetson’s Moot Court Board competes year-round throughout the U.S. and around the world. Competitions cover a wide variety of legal fields, including bankruptcy, constitutional (state and federal), criminal procedure, information technology, international, privacy and veterans law.

The Trial Team at Stetson has won first place in more national-level trial competitions than any other law school in the nation. Students perfect their trial skills at competitions that simulate jury trials, where they are evaluated by experienced trial lawyers and judges.

Students learned about the practice of family law from a panel of local experts

Stetson’s Family Law Society student organization and career development office co-hosted an event on Nov. 5 in Gulfport for students interested in learning more about the practice of family law.

A panel of local solo practitioners discussed the practice of family law in the Great Hall on Nov. 5. — A panel of local family law attorneys talked with students in the Great Hall on Nov. 5. Photo courtesy Alexa Revord.

A panel of three local family law attorneys, Maria Bates ’07, Christine Derr and Nilo Sanchez ’93, discussed running a successful solo practice. Assistant Director of Career Development Korey Henson ’09 moderated the panel.

Family Law Society student president Alexa Revord spearheaded the event along with Henson, Joann Grages ’08 and Jennifer McGinnis of Stetson’s career development office.

Students go behind-the-scenes at a working court during Shadow Day at the George Edgecomb Courthouse

Story by third-year student Valeria Obi

Valeria Obi is student president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers at Stetson.

Stetson Law students had an opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at a working court during Shadow Day at the George Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa on Oct. 23.

The Florida Association for Women Lawyers at Stetson and the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers co-sponsored the mentoring program for law students.

“Shadow Day was a great opportunity to become immersed in the practical application of the law,” said first-year Stetson Law student Alexandria Lewis. “Sometimes in school we lose sight of what the future holds, but touring the courthouse and sitting in on hearings reminded me of why I chose to become a member of the legal community.”

Students met with judges, visited courtrooms, and observed hearings and trials for cases ranging from wills and probate to domestic violence and juveniles, burglary and rape.

Shadow Day concluded with a panel discussion on judicial ethics, the career path to becoming a judge, and the positives and negatives of serving in the important role of judge.

Students also visited the Family Forms Clinic in the courthouse and learned of a valuable opportunity to do pro bono work.

For more information on programs and networking offered through the Florida Association for Women Lawyers at Stetson, contact the Office of Student Life.

Stetson Law inducts six into Hall of Fame

Stetson University College of Law inducted six new members into its Hall of Fame on Oct. 27 in Gulfport. Hall of Fame inductees are selected for having a profound and positive impact on Stetson Law and the legal profession.

» View photos from the Hall of Fame on Flickr

This year’s inductees include:

Professor Suzanne R. Armstrong

Professor Suzanne R. Armstrong was an influential member of the Legal Research and Writing faculty who played an instrumental role in bringing computer technology to the law school. Professor Armstrong died in 1990 after a long battle with cancer. After her death, Stetson established an annual writing award in her name.

» View video of Suzanne Armstrong

Denis M. deVlaming ’72

Denis M. deVlaming served as president of several legal organizations including the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Pinellas County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Pinellas County Trial Lawyers Association and the Clearwater Bar Association. He teaches Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy as an adjunct professor at Stetson and is a past recipient of Stetson’s William Reece Smith Jr. Award for Professionalism. DeVlaming has also been an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida and a guest lecturer at St. Petersburg College.

» View video of Denis deVlaming

John A. Guyton Jr. ’59

John A. Guyton Jr. had a positive impact on Stetson University as a long-serving member of the law school’s board of overseers. His fundraising support helped create many student scholarships and increased the law school’s financial security. Guyton was a member of the Florida Bar for more than 50 years.

» View video of John Guyton

Dean Thomas F. Lambert Jr.

In 1941, former Stetson University College of Law Dean Thomas F. Lambert Jr. was the youngest law school dean in the United States at the age of 26, and among the best educated with degrees from Yale, Oxford and UCLA. At the height of World War II, Lambert enrolled in the military and went on to become a prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. After the Nuremberg trials, Lambert taught law at Suffolk University and Boston University. Lambert served for 40 years as the editor-in-chief of the NACCA Law Journal, which later became the Journal of the American Trial Lawyers Association.

» View video of Thomas Lambert

Mada Fraser McLendon ’32

In 1938, Mada Fraser McLendon became Florida’s third female judge. After 10 years on the bench, she stepped down to resume her law practice until 1979. In 1989, she was awarded the Stetson Lawyers Association Ben C. Willard Memorial Award for her outstanding service to the legal profession. She was very active in her Lake Wales community, winning numerous civic awards.

» View video of Mada Fraser McLendon

James D. Whittemore ’77

U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore was nominated by former President Clinton in 1999, unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and has served in the Tampa division of the Middle District of Florida since May 2000. While in private practice in 1985, Whittemore successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that a defendant’s silence following a Miranda warning could not be used at trial to discredit an insanity defense.

Author, torture survivor spoke with students about social justice and exile

“It is the lack of opportunity to participate in social life that is the trauma of exile,” Ezat Mossallanejad, Ph.D., told Stetson Law students gathered to hear him talk in the Mann Lounge on Oct. 24.

Dr. Ezat Mossallanejad speaks with Stetson Law students on Oct. 24. — Dr. Ezat Mossallanejad spoke with Stetson Law students on Oct. 24.

The victim of torture in Iran, Dr. Mossallanejad fled to Canada in 1985 and helped found the Iranian Cultural and Community Centre. He illustrated the struggle for social justice through the experience of being a refugee and newcomer in Canada.

“In order to have a job in Canada, you have to have job experience in Canada, and in order to have job experience, you have to have had a job. It’s a Catch-22,” said Dr. Mossallanejad, who has a doctorate in political economy.

Dr. Mossallanejad is the settlement and trauma counselor/policy analyst and researcher with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and the author of the books, Religion and the Cruel Return of Gods and Torture in the Age of Fear.

The Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, Amnesty International and the Center for Inquiry helped sponsor Dr. Mossallanejad’s talk at Stetson Law in Gulfport on “Torture as a Strategy of Oppression.”

Impact of race and poverty on effective legal representation the topic of Oct. 24 talk at Stetson Law

Stephen Bright, the president and senior counsel of the Southern Human Rights Network, discussed “The Impact of Race and Poverty on Effective Assistance of Council” during a noontime lecture for Stetson Law students on Oct. 24.

Stephen Bright talked with students on Oct. 24 in the Great Hall.

Bright discussed the history of justice in the U.S. and inequalities in legal representation for the poor.

“The criminal justice system today is very much defined by the past,” said Bright.

He discussed the failure of the justice system after the Civil War to protect the victims of lynchings and punish the perpetrators. Bright also explained the importance of the historic Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright.

“The dream of Gideon is not a dream. It’s a constitutional requirement,” said Bright. “You must give people lawyers.”

Bright said that three months after the Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon, the legislature established public defenders in every judicial circuit. Florida became a model for its approach to public defender work. However, the need for public defenders quickly outgrew the resources available.

“Without necessary resources, case loads become crushing,” Bright explained.

He pointed to the recent example of the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office, where four years ago, less than 100 lawyers represented 40,000 noncapital felony cases.

“A big case load goes with the territory,” said Bright. However, he explained that there is a limit to the number of cases a public defender can effectively handle.

Bright urged the students considering work as public defenders to remember their responsibility to represent all clients equally. He reminded the law students that a commitment to professionalism and ethics should balance public service work.

Students at Stetson Law are required to complete pro bono work as a requirement of graduation. Stetson’s public defender clinic was one of the first of its kind in the nation.