Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney who has mediated some of the nation’s most challenging and widely known disputes, met with honors students, visited a class, and presented the Nichols Distinguished Lecture to more than 100 students on March 29 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.
Kenneth Feinberg speaks at Stetson University College of Law during his presentation of the Nichols Distinguished Lecture.
Feinberg presented “Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes: Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges.”
Professor Michael Allen introduced Feinberg by saying, “Lawyers are problem-solvers. We help people resolve issues … Our speaker today may be the king of problem-solvers.”
An expert in mediation and alternative dispute resolution who has been appointed to two presidential-level commissions, Feinberg is perhaps best known for his roles with the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund, and the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund following the tragic Virginia Tech shootings.
“Every once in a while, a tragedy captivates the public,” Feinberg explained. He said that a tragedy or meltdown that galvanizes the public and officials to think outside the box requires an unconventional response. Feinberg has worked to help victims of the 911 terrorism attack, the 2008 financial meltdown, the Gulf oil spill environmental catastrophe, Virginia Tech shootings and Agent Orange claims.
He cautioned that while compensation programs are largely a success and the right thing to do under the circumstances, it is important to be cognizant of the problems that arise when small segments of the population receive special treatment.
Kenneth Feinberg, left, offers career advice to Stetson Law second-year student Frank Y. Leung. “For me, it was exciting and refreshing to meet someone who has done so much and yet who is also so approachable,” said Leung about Feinberg.
“Bad things happen to good people every day in this country,” Feinberg explained, “and there are not programs put in place to compensate everyone.”
Feinberg stressed that lawyers serving the public interest do vital work. “I think we are all here at Stetson engaged in the most noble of professions,” he said.
“If you want to mediate, arbitrate, problem-solve, get as much experience as you can,” Feinberg told the law students in the audience. “Get involved with CLEs, clinics, pro-bono and get exposure.”
The Nichols Foundation Prominent Speakers Series was established at Stetson in 1995. The series’ namesake is Perry Nichols, who was 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 Supreme Court Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara J. Pariente and Peggy A. Quince spoke with students at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport on March 26 about the role of the judicial system and Florida’s merit retention system. All three justices formerly served as chief justices of Florida’s highest court. Stetson Law Professor Theresa Radwan moderated a noon-time panel discussion with the three justices.
Professor Theresa Radwan led a panel discussion with (L-R) Justice Peggy Quince, Justice Fred Lewis and Justice Barbara Pariente.
Next November, voters will decide whether the justices will keep their jobs for another six-year term.
The process of merit selection of appellate judges was added to the Florida Constitution decades ago at the initiation of Florida then-Governor Reubin Askew and an amendment was added to the Florida Constitution in 1976 requiring appellate judges to stand for merit retention by vote.
Before merit retention, judges were chosen in partisan elections in which candidates ran as nominees of the Republican or Democratic parties. Campaigning judges sometimes used money donated by attorneys who practiced before them in court and several Florida judges were charged with ethics violations.
“If we want to keep a fair judicial system, it’s up to us,” Justice Quince told the Stetson Law students. “I think we have a good system where people have to be vetted to get on the court, and every six years we decide if these judges are doing their jobs.”
Quince said that the judicial system is intended to be a fair and impartial part of a functioning democracy. The one-time zoology major described how watching the Civil Rights Movement unfold piqued her interest in the law and inspired her to pursue a legal career.
“The essential role of any judge is to uphold the constitution and interpret the constitution,” Justice Pariente said, adding that judges cannot allow opinions to be influenced by the politics of the day.
Justice Lewis, a veteran of the U.S. Army, said that he believes firmly in the judicial branch’s ability to resolve human disputes through fairness. He told the law students in the audience, “By offering to participate, you will make the system better.”
The public is invited to a screening and discussion of the documentary film, Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity, at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport. The film tells the story of human rights abuses during the military dictatorship in Argentina between 1976-1983, and several grandmothers’ 35-year search for their missing children.
WHEN: Monday, April 2. Doors open at 5 p.m.
WHERE:Mann Lounge, Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport.
WHAT:Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity describes the human rights abuses that were a result of Argentina’s “Dirty War” and the group, Las Abuelas, who have located more than 100 missing children, many of whom were captured as infants and did not know their true identities. More than 400 are still missing.
“Today, Argentina is confronting this horrible past through the rule of law and the undying devotion of family members for their missing loved ones,” said Professor Nagle. “The story of the ‘disappeared’ and the pursuit of the truth is a lesson of fortitude, honor, and faith in justice that all law students and lawyers should learn, because what happened in Argentina demonstrates the fragility of the rule of law and the need to be ever vigilant against tyranny.”
RSVP recommended: Stetson University College of Law International Programs Office, 727-562-7849 or [email protected].
Stetson University College of Law’s Juvenile Justice Initiative will host a reenactment on March 27 of two pending U.S. Supreme Court cases, Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs.
“These cases are pivotal because the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion will either endorse the concept that children are capable of being rehabilitated or they will reject this notion. In either instance, the opinion will have broad ramifications for the future of juvenile criminal law,” said Professor Judith Scully, faculty advisor for Stetson’s Juvenile Justice Initiative and Innocence Initiative.
“By working with the Juvenile Justice Initiative, we hope that law students at Stetson will learn the lesson that the law by itself does not create equality,” said Professor Scully. “Equality is achieved through consciousness raising and prolonged advocacy on behalf of society’s most vulnerable populations. The law without advocacy has very little impact.”
WHAT: Sixth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bernie McCabe and Sixth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Bob Dillinger will present the “McCabe – Dillinger Debate: Life Behind Bars,” to reenact the Court’s oral arguments for students at Stetson Law on March 27.
WHO:McCabe will be arguing for the state, while Dillinger will be arguing for the defendants, in Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs. Miller and Jackson were convicted of homicide offenses for crimes they committed as juveniles, and both received mandatory life without parole sentences. Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Judith Scully will introduce the program. Retired circuit court Judge Irene Sullivan will play the role of chief justice and professors Brooke Bowman, Stephen Everhart, Roberta Flowers, Timothy Kaye, Lance Long, Susan Rozelle and Judith Scully will serve as justices.
WHEN: March 27, 5-6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Great Hall, Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport.
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, students in Professor Robert Batey’s spring seminar class at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., crack open their books to discuss the latest assigned readings. It is a typical law school seminar, except instead of pouring over case law, Professor Batey’s students are reading Kafka and watching Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.
Students review aspects of justice in the latest film and novel in Professor Robert Batey's spring seminar.
“The course draws people who are natural readers, and hungry to read something more than cases and textbooks,” Batey said. Professor Batey explained that through the lenses of film and pages of classic fiction and philosophy, students get another perspective on crime and the social response to crime. “Literature and film create a textured setting for dealing with ethics and jurisprudence,” Professor Batey explained. “The focus in a standard course is on teaching doctrine. This kind of course is more about thinking about what criminal law is there for and how different actors in legal systems play their roles.”
Professor Batey’s course in Law, Literature & Film began in 1992 as part of a winter term cross-disciplinary program on the Stetson University campus in DeLand. Professor Robert Batey initially co-taught the course with the late Professor Michael Raymond for undergraduates at Stetson University.
In 1993, the first course in law and literature on Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus was offered as a two-hour seminar. Interest in the intersection of law and literature had expanded in the 1980s into course offerings across the country, Professor Batey explained. Scholars like Richard Weisberg, author of The Failure of the Word: The Protagonist as Lawyer in Modern Fiction, and James Boyd White, who wrote The Legal Imagination, had helped incubate an interest. The course at Stetson Law later developed into a popular three-hour course with the addition of film, to complement the reading assignments.
Professor Ann Piccard, an English Literature major in college who studied international human rights at the University of London, also teaches the course at Stetson. “The Law, Literature & Film seminar allows students to focus on a theme that might be fiction but that has very real applications and implications in the law. There are endless possibilities, and students are not limited in choosing their topics,” Professor Piccard said. “Writing a seminar paper for this class might be a completely different experience from writing for a more traditional seminar, because literature and film know no limits.”
Student Jared Williams said that he is focused on criminal law and trial work and took the course in part because he would rather write a paper on a good novel than on an obscure section of the law.
Student Jennifer J. Conway is focused on bankruptcy, property law and mortgage law. “I enrolled in the Law, Literature & Film seminar because it combines three of my favorite subjects,” Conway said. “Having studied television and film production, screenwriting and literature in both my undergraduate courses and following academic endeavors, there was no way that I could pass up an opportunity to explore how these concepts interact with law.” Conway, who first worked in the legal field as a paralegal in a small bankruptcy firm in Dallas, Texas, is focused on becoming a consumer protection advocate.
“Attorneys, especially those involved in litigation, must create a narrative that connects with the judge and jury, persuading them to reach a desired conclusion. Literature and film are stunningly similar,” Conway said. “Neither have the goal to win over a judge or a jury, nor to seek or prevent a punishment; but both literature and film seek to create a story that wins over the audience and influences the way they think and perceive. When studying how literature and film portray the law, there is a sense of experiencing a story being created within another story.”
“We start the course with William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure and focus on the law’s ability to deter crime,” Professor Batey said. In Billy Budd, the class explores the role of judging. In reading Crime and Punishment, students discuss why people confess to crimes. Titles like Native Son, Menace II Society and Malcolm X help students focus on contemporary issues like race in American society. Professor Batey explains how the social and behavioral sciences intersect with criminal law, and how law intersects with history and philosophy.
Professor Robert Batey opens the discussion in the Law, Literature & Film seminar with a question about the assigned readings.
In class, Professor Batey complements literary readings with films that explore similar concepts. “We read The Scarlet Letter and watch Dead Man Walking, or read Kafka and watch a documentary about the legal struggles of the film director Roman Polanski,” Professor Batey said.
Students choose books, often with film components, to focus on for seminar research papers. Recent seminar research projects have included The House of Sand and Fog, Lolita, Watchmen, Heart of Darkness, ThePicture of Dorian Gray and Fahrenheit 451.
“The value of a seminar class like this is giving students a new perspective. If you learn to step back and think about something, later in life and in practice, when lawyers find themselves struggling, they may be able to better perceive how the system is failing and what to do,” said Professor Batey, who’s taught the course at Stetson for almost two decades. “By continually exposing people to ethical questions, I think they learn to think ethically.”
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.
