Students at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., had an opportunity to develop and practice their trial advocacy skills at an intramural trial competition sponsored by the American Association for Justice March 9-11 on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.
(L-R): Carmen Johnson, Austin Miniard, Julie Ann Embler and Ashley Donnell won the AAJ competition at Stetson Law. Photo by Bradley Muhs.
Stetson students Ashley Donnell, Julie Anne Embler, Carmen Johnson and Austin Miniard won the competition.
A total of 14 teams of Stetson Law students competed. The competition was open to all students.
“Judges and attorneys came from all over the region to help score this annual competition,” said Grant Gillenwater, the tournament director and a member of Stetson’s award-winning Trial Team. “Scoring judges consistently reported back to me that this year the competitors were more prepared and had more control over their advocacy skills than many practicing attorneys that they see in court.”
Gillenwater, who graduates in May, also spearheaded the Expert Direct Examination Competition, the first of its kind, in the fall at Stetson.
The Black Law Students Association at Stetson celebrated the performing arts at its annual Night of Soul event on Saturday, March 10.
Students celebrated talent with the Black Law Students Association Night of Soul on March 10. Photo by Meagan Randle.
Night of Soul is one of the biggest events BLSA hosts during the school year.
The evening talent showcase provided students with creative release from the rigors of law school, with a night of fun, fellowship and relaxation.
Talented performers expressed themselves through poetry, dance and song. This year’s theme, “A Hollywood Red Carpet Affair,” provided a glamorous backdrop.
BLSA leadership said that the group anticipates making the popular event even better next year.
The public is invited in April to a program at the Stetson University College of Law Gulfport campus to learn about consumer protection, with a focus on scams and fraud targeting the elderly.
WHEN: Thursday, April 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
WHO: Hubert “Skip” Humphrey III, assistant director of the Office for the Financial Protection of Older Americans in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will lead a keynote presentation and town hall session from 10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. during Stetson’s Elder Consumer Protection Law Day.
Editor’s Note: Humphrey will be available for one-on-one interviews with members of the media between 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. prior to his town hall session. Tours of the elder-friendly Eleazer Courtroom will take place at 12:30 p.m. during the lunch and exhibitors’ session.
WHAT:The Elder Consumer Protection Law Day will provide consumer protection services, including an on-site document shredding drop-off, Do-Not-Call/Opt-Out registration, and credit reporting services. Presenters and exhibitors from local, state and federal organizations and agencies will be on hand to provide information and answer questions during the event. Attendees will be treated to a continental breakfast, boxed lunch and door prizes, as well as a tour of Stetson’s elder-friendly Eleazer Courtroom, the first of its kind and a model for other courtrooms around the country.
WHERE:Great Hall and Mann Lounge, Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport. Attendees may be dropped off in the horseshoe drive.
Doors open, and continental breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration is required and limited, available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register or request more information, contact Elder Consumer Protection Fellow Slade V. Dukes at 727-562-7888 or [email protected].
U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Stetson University College of Law as the top law school in the nation for trial advocacy and number three for legal writing, in its 2013 “Best Graduate Schools” issue.
Stetson Law has been ranked the top school in the United States for advocacy 14 times and has consistently ranked among the top programs for legal writing by U.S. News.
“Stetson has again been recognized as a leader in creating exceptional advocates and communicators,” said Stetson University President Wendy Libby, Ph.D. “We take great pride in preparing our students to make significant contributions, both to their communities and to their professions.”
“At Stetson, we live, work and play in an environment that nurtures excellence,” said Charles H. Rose III, professor of excellence in trial advocacy at Stetson. “Our students, faculty and staff are committed to achieving excellence by working ethically, studying hard and doing the right thing even when no one is watching. This bedrock belief is the core of the Stetson advocacy experience.”
“The legal writing curriculum and faculty scholarship at Stetson addresses head-on the communication challenges facing new lawyers in an increasingly complex practice environment,” said Professor Kirsten K. Davis, Stetson’s director of legal research and writing. “Being recognized by our peers for this dedication to legal communication is a great honor.”
To read more about the graduate school rankings, visit usnews.com. To learn more about Stetson’s advocacy program, visit Stetson’s website at www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy.
Stetson University College of Law won the National Professional Responsibility Moot Court Competition this weekend in Indianapolis.
(L-R): Professor Brooke Bowman, Darcie Mulay, Chad Burgess, May Smith and Professor Roberta Flowers.
The championship team of Chad Burgess, Darcie Mulay, and May Smith also won the Best Respondent Brief Award and two oralist awards at the competition. Burgesswas named the best oralist overall and Smith was named the third best oralist. Professors Brooke Bowman and Roberta Flowers coached the team.
“We could not be prouder of our students,” said Professor Brooke Bowman, moot court advisor. “This has been an extraordinary year for the Moot Court Board thus far—we have won six competitions, five best brief awards, and six best oralist awards, and our students are not done competing yet. We expect to be sharing more news in the next two months.”
Stetson also advanced to the National Finals of the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition after winning their final round at a regional qualifier in Boston, which attracted 40 law school teams from around the U.S. The co-champion team of Jason Lambert, Scott Stevenson and Jamie Combee was one of five teams to advance to the National Finals in Chicago in April. Stevenson won the best oralist award, and the team was coached by Professor Michael Allen and Stetson graduate Jason Stearns.
Jamaican Senator A.J. Nicholson, on campus at Stetson University College of Law in March teaching a class on International Human Rights in the Caribbean, has recently been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Jamaica, the largest English-speaking Caribbean island.
Senator A.J. Nicholson is teaching at Stetson Law in March.
Senator Nicholson will teach at Stetson Law through the spring of 2012, when he will leave for a worldwide tour beginning in Canada to discuss Jamaica’s role in the global community. He began his class this semester at Stetson with a discussion of the history of and importance of the constitution, the court and government in the Caribbean.
“Stetson is truly blessed to have one of Jamaica’s most highly and historically esteemed political figures take time to share with faculty, staff and students,” said Professor Darryl Wilson, who co-directs the Institute for Caribbean Law and Policy with Professor Dorothea Beane. “Counselor Nicholson’s presence here provides our students and the greater Tampa Bay community with a truly unique opportunity.”
Nicholson has taught a variety of courses at Stetson Law as a Distinguished International Fellow, including human rights in the Caribbean and comparative Caribbean constitutional law. He has annually presented to the Stetson Law community on developments in the area of justice in the Caribbean. Last spring, he discussed the creation and role of the recently formed Caribbean Court of Justice.
“Senator Nicholson’s recent appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is a testament to his reputation as a leader in the Caribbean basin. We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Senator Nicholson’s status share his thoughts on human rights in the Caribbean with our students,” said John Cooper, Associate Dean for International Programs at Stetson Law.
Nicholson told the Jamaica Observerin January that in his new role, he will be focused on restoring Jamaica’s place in the international arena, setting the stage for increased foreign investments, and bringing attention to Jamaica’s leading role in the Caribbean community.
Jamaican Senator A.J. Nicholson is teaching a class on International Human Rights in the Caribbean.
Nicholson traveled from Jamaica to London to pursue his education at London University and to advance in the London Bar before returning to Jamaica to begin a distinguished practice. Nicholson has been a member of the Jamaican Senate since 1998 and the legal advisor to the People’s National Party since 1996. He was Jamaica’s minister of legal affairs from 1995-1998, minister of justice from 2001-2007, and attorney general for 12 years.
“Senator Nicholson is a champion of struggle for greater rights for the Jamaican people and the greater Caribbean as a whole,” said Professor Luz Nagle, international law expert at Stetson Law. “He has persevered through episodes of adversity in his life that would have made other people falter and give up. His sense of duty to the rule of law and a lawyer’s code of personal conduct are exemplary.”
Stetson’s Institute for Caribbean Law and Policy, co-directed by professors Dorothea Beane and Darryl Wilson, regularly brings distinguished legal scholars from the Caribbean to the Stetson Law campus. The Institute facilitates educational exchanges, training, development and internship opportunities with the Caribbean and grows partnerships between Stetson Law, the law schools of the Caribbean, the Caribbean Council on Legal Education, the various Caribbean bar associations, and other professional legal organizations.
In 2008, the Institute’s co-directors joined a faculty consortium to help draft the U.S. Virgin Islands constitution.Stetson also offers a winter study abroad program for students in the Cayman Islands, with course topics ranging from the death penalty in the Caribbean to offshore tax havens.
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.
New members are inducted into Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame each year in the fall. The 2011 inductees were Professor Robert Batey, who joined the Stetson Law faculty in 1977; Albert Farrah, the inaugural dean of Stetson Law from 1900-1907; and distinguished alumni General Roy Stanley Geiger ’07; Judge Amelia G. Govan ’80; Judge Kenneth A. Marra ’77; Judge Irene H. Sullivan JD ’77; and C. Allen Watts BA ’67, JD ’71.
For biographies and videos about past winners, please see the Hall of Fame website.
To submit a nomination, please use the 2012 Hall of Fame Nomination Form (PDF) and send by April 13 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]. See Nominations for more information.
(L-R): Claudette Goyanes, Brandon Blake, Julian Catala and Erica Emas won the regional round of the AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition.
Stetson students Brandon Blake, Julian Catala, Erica Emas and Claudette Goyanes will travel to Las Vegas for the national competitiononMarch 22–25. Professor Roberta Flowers is the team coach.
“Winning this competition and others reaffirms Stetson’s excellence in advocacy,” said Trial Advocacy Fellow Lee Coppock. “We are especially pleased to have won this regional event for the fourth year in a row.”
Over its history, Stetson’s trial team has won first place in more national-level trial competitions than any other law school in the nation. Trial competitions require students to demonstrate their trial advocacy skills in a simulated jury trial, where they are evaluated by experienced lawyers and judges and have the opportunity to perfect trial skills to a degree not possible through classroom instruction.
Stetson University College of Law students volunteered time in February at “Raising the Bar,” a community service event organized by law students, lawyers and members of the legal profession. The Stetson Law students helped feed residents of the Pinellas Safe Harbor homeless shelter in Clearwater on Feb. 11.
Members of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division and Students Division, Moot Court Board, American Bar Association Law Student Division, and Black Law Students Association at Stetson co-sponsored the project in Clearwater. Law schools across the state of Florida participate annually in “Raising the Bar.”
This year, the goal of the Stetson student volunteers was to help the residents of Pinellas Safe Harbor, a shelter for the chronically homeless and those in need of services. The Safe Harbor serves as a transitional center, providing services for homeless people who are or were in the criminal justice system, and assists them in reentering society.
“It was both a humbling and eye opening experience to see the sheer number of people in our community who were living at the shelter,” said student Katelyn Mae Desrosiers, one of the event organizers and a member of Stetson’s Moot Court Board. “We are all so wrapped up in our own lives and so blind to the fact that there are so many living among us who are in need of just the basic necessities. I feel blessed to be a part of the Stetson community because of its willingness to appreciate what it has and give back to those less fortunate.”
More than 20 volunteers assisted in making sandwiches at Stetson’s Gulfport campus and then transported them to Safe Harbor. The Stetson Law students delivered and handed out approximately 350 bagged lunches to the residents at the shelter.
“It was really amazing to see the overwhelming amount of thanks that both the shelter personnel and residents showed us for the simple act of providing lunch,” said Frank Leung, representative of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. “Many of them appreciated the fact that law students and lawyers took the time and energy to not only prepare the lunches, but to personally hand them to each and every resident.”
Frederick Longmire, chief of Stetson’s Moot Court Board, said he was humbled by the experience. “Pro bono gives me the opportunity to not forget where I came from and an opportunity to help those who are less fortunate,” said Longmire. “But for God’s grace, that could have been me receiving that sandwich instead of giving it.”
Next year, the same organizations will collaborate with other student organizations to continue to grow the Raising the Bar event.
Stetson Law students contributed 19,000 hours to pro bono service in 2009-2010, and Stetson Law is the first law school in the state to require pro bono service of its students and faculty.
“I want everyone to be engaged,” Professor Luz Nagle told a group of students gathered in the Mann Lounge in November at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.
Professor Luz Nagle specializes in international law and international criminal law.
Professor Nagle was introducing Luis Argueta, a documentary filmmaker and lecturer from Guatemala, who was visiting to talk with students about the plight of undocumented workers and the need to reform immigration laws. Nagle, whose career before teaching included serving as a judge in her native Colombia, is dedicated to raising Stetson students’ awareness about international human rights.
Professor Nagle serves as a mentor to third-year student Silvia Manzanero, who has worked as the professor’s research assistant and is taking her fourth class with the professor during her last semester at Stetson in the spring. As student president of Stetson’s International Law Students Association, Manzanero helped bring the filmmaker Argueta and other speakers to campus to explore a broad range of human rights topics. From genocide in Rwanda, to the latest revolution in the Arab world, to the ongoing struggle for the protection of women’s rights around the world, Manzanero described organizing the events as “one way of contributing to Stetson’s academic experience.”
Manzanero said in a recent interview, “When we practice law, we practice beyond the state of Florida.” In much the same way, Professor Nagle teaches beyond the classroom.
Professor Nagle brings international visitors from as far away as Yemen, Iraq, China and Argentina to participate in class with her students and introduces media such as video news and film clips to give greater impact to legal subjects. She also asks her students to think about the impact of their choices. In February, approaching Valentine’s Day, she urged students to consider the plight of children enslaved in the chocolate industry in the Ivory Coast.
“Employing a broad range of educational tools allows Professor Nagle to illustrate both the issue and how the law can affect people’s lives,” Manzanero explained. “When you see a child mutilated, or images of genocide, you see what really happened, how people’s lives were torn apart, why the law failed, and what needs to be done.”
Manzanero, who is originally from Spain and grew up during the country’s transition to democracy, said, “I see a law degree not as an end, but as an instrument to help improve the lives of others.” She said that Professor Nagle’s lectures inspire students, and show them ways in which they can help. Professor Nagle has high expectations of her students, Manzanero related.
In the four classes she’s taken with Nagle, Manzanero said that class participation is integral. In addition to lengthy and often complex casebook readings, Manzanero said that students are expected to read news and research current events related to legal cases, and to have a dialogue about the subject matter. Professor Nagle has the same level of commitment to class preparation and participation, Manzanero explained. “She is extremely prepared and always three steps ahead,” Manzanero said.
Professor Nagle is actively engaged in ending human trafficking and modern-day slavery, an advocate who takes part in the conversation about international human rights at conferences around the world. In December, before the Supreme Court of Justice in Brazil, she presented the prestigious Instituto Innovare Annual Award for innovation in the fight against organized crime. It was fitting for Professor Nagle to present this year’s award on behalf of the International Bar Association, as she fought organized crime herself while serving on the bench in Colombia during the reign of the Medellín drug cartel. The award went to the Permanent Group of Proactive Practice of the Brazilian National Attorney General’s Office.
A month prior, Professor Nagle was in Dubai, participating in the annual International Bar Association Conference. Over the summer, Professor Nagle was in Argentina, where she taught a class on the “disappeared.”
“When I saw she was teaching a class in Argentina, I instantly signed up,” said student Nash Licona. Professor Nagle also brought London-born journalist Robert Cox to speak to her class. Cox was editor-in-chief of the English newspaper, the Buenos Aires Herald, during the dictatorship in Argentina.
Thousands of people disappeared in Argentina during the regime of a brutal dictatorship, were brought to secret detention centers, and suffered torture and unknown fates.
“He saw everything that happened with a critical eye,” Licona explained of Cox’s coverage of the “disappeared.” “He saw where the rule of law failed.”
Licona, who has completed three classes with Professor Nagle and is enrolled in a fourth in the spring, said, “Her classes are not just about getting everyone talking. They’re about getting everyone to realize that they have something intelligent to say.”
Stetson University College of Law moot court teams won two competitions, two oralist awards, and a best memorial award over the weekend.
Jessup team (L-R): Diana Evans, Carly Ross, Caitlein Jammo and Sharon Galantino.
The Stetson team of Diana Evans, Sharon Galantino, Caitlein Jammo and Carly Ross won the south regional round of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and the best memorial award this past weekend in Houston, Texas. Diana Evans also won the fourth-best oralist award. The team will advance to the international rounds of the world’s largest moot court competition in Washington, D.C., March 25-31. Professor Jason Palmer and attorney Logan Murphy coached the winning team.
The Stetson team of Jhenerr Hines, Christian Leger and Stephanie Sawchuk won the 11th Circuit Bankruptcy Competition, sponsored by the University of Miami and the Bankruptcy Bar Association, in Miami this past weekend. A second team, Amanda Chazal, Erik Johanson and Greg Ludtka, were semifinalists, and Johanson received the Best Oralist award. Students will compete in the 20th Annual Honorable Conrad Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York City, on March 10-12.
(L-R): Jhenerr Hines, Christian Leger and Stephanie Sawchuk.
Student Meagan Foley won the best oralist award at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Pre-Moot, sponsored by the Florida Bar International Law Section, in Miami this past weekend. Stetson students have consistently won the first or second place oralist awards in this competition, since its inception in 2005. Professors Stephanie Vaughan, Marco Jimenez, and student John Henley coached the team. Katelyn Desrosiers, Meagan Foley, Ron Hink, Max Holzbaur and Alex Zesch will compete in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration in Vienna, Austria, March 29-April 5.
BLSA honored Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry at a gala at Stetson Law on Feb. 25. Photo by Meagan Randle.
Justice Perry, who served in the U.S. Army before obtaining his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1972, spoke about the progression of African Americans in the legal profession.
“My goal in going to law school was to kick doors down,” Justice Perry told the Stetson Law students gathered to hear him speak. “There were moments when I didn’t want to move forward, but I would stop to think about others besides myself. I thought, it’s not about me, it’s about future generations.”
After running a successful legal practice, Justice Perry became the first African American to be appointed to the 18th Judicial Circuit in 2000. He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in March 2009.
“Having a Florida Supreme Court justice come speak to a student organization was a very humbling experience,” said Howard Williams, student president of BLSA. “To hear Justice Perry’s story and the sacrifices he made for others was extremely inspiring.”
Professors Dorothea Beane and Darryl Wilson, both BLSA faculty advisors, were honored at gala for their contributions to BLSA as well as for being the first African American professors at Stetson Law.
Justice James E.C. Perry and Professor Dorothea Beane at the gala. Photo courtesy Professor Beane.
“Professors Beane and Wilson are the reason for the growth and success of BLSA as an organization,” said Williams. “We can always count on them for guidance and support.”
BLSA co-sponsored the event with the George Edgecomb Bar Association, Fred G. Minnis, Sr., Bar Association and the law firm of Phelps Dunbar.
The gala also featured a historic visual exhibit entitled “Legacy of Courage, Vision & Hope,” celebrating the accomplishments of pioneering African American lawyers in the region. The exhibit was created by the Diversity Committee of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and has been on display in the Great Hall at Stetson for the entire month of February for students, staff and faculty to view.
“I felt as though the exhibit was a very important aspect of the gala,” said second-year student Elizabeth Ufot. “I think it’s important to not only recognize but also to celebrate the contributions of African Americans in Pinellas County since we attend school here.”
BLSA plans to make the gala an annual event during Black History Month with the hopes of continuing to honor the pioneers that paved the way.
