Stetson University’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy honored NASPA executive director Gwendolyn Dungy with a Facilitator Award and Syracuse University Professor Gary Pavela with a William A. Kaplin Award at this year’s 33rd National Conference on Law & Higher Education in Orlando on Feb. 19. The conference brings national academic leaders and scholars to Orlando annually to discuss important changes impacting higher education.
Facilitator Award recipient Dr. Gwendolyn Dungy.
Facilitator Award recipient Dr. Gwendolyn Dungy has been executive director of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education since 1995. She was honored for her leadership at NASPA, for her contributions to higher education and student affairs scholarship, and for numerous collaborations with organizations including the Center for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa, the National Academy of Education Administration, and Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.
Kaplin Award honoree Syracuse University Professor Gary Pavela was honored for his work on the Governor’s Task Force on Campus Safety for Wisconsin, the Symposium for Managing At-Risk Students, and as a fellow for the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He was also recognized for his scholarship in the area of law and policy in higher education and for his dedication to protecting academic integrity at Syracuse University and Duke University.
Kaplin Award honoree Syracuse University Professor Gary Pavela.
Stetson created the Facilitator Award to honor educators who embody the values and principles articulated by Stetson Professors Peter F. Lake and Robert D. Bickel in their book, The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern University. The Facilitator Model urges educators to be proactive about safety and risk-management and to develop organizational environments that are reasonably safe, educationally relevant and developmentally sound.
The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson established the William A. Kaplin Award for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy Scholarship to recognize scholars who have published works on education law that embrace the intersection of law and policy.
Stetson University invites individual members of the community and area businesses to help support scholarships for students from the Tampa Bay area at the 10th Annual Mad Hatter Golf Classic on April 20. The classic is sponsored by Carlton Fields.
WHAT: The Golf Classic raises funds for scholarships for Stetson University students from the Tampa Bay area. Last year’s golf classic delivered more than $15,000 in scholarship funds to law and undergraduate students.
WHO: Members of the community and area businesses are invited to join Stetson University for the Golf Classic fundraiser at the Emerald Greens Golf Resort and Country Club. Participants will compete in teams of four and prizes will be awarded for top scores including the coveted Esquire Cup. Sponsors will be recognized for supporting the golf classic.
WHERE: Emerald Greens Golf Resort and Country Club, 13903 Clubhouse Dr., Tampa.
WHEN: Tee-time begins at 1:30 p.m.
For more information about participating in the golf classic and sponsorships, contact John Oakley ’75 at the Principal Financial Group at 813-872-5869 or [email protected].
U.S. Court of International Trade Senior Judge Judith M. Barzilay presented the last Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture of the semester at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport on Feb. 21.
(L-R): Law Interim Dean Royal Gardner, Judge Judith M. Barzilay and Bonnie Foreman, the biodiversity lecture series’ namesake.
Judge Barzilay spoke to students, faculty and staff at Stetson about the role of the court in environmental protection.
She discussed her 20-year career practicing in both the public and private sectors of international trade, as well as key cases including the Shrimp/Turtle and Tuna/Dolphin.
The lecture was co-sponsored by the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, the Environmental Law Society and the Maritime Law Society at Stetson.
The NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson has announced the recipients of the inaugural White Collar Criminal Defense Award. Jan Lawrence Handzlik and Janet Levine have both been selected by the NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College advisory board to receive the award, which honors individuals who have made a profound impact on the field of white collar criminal defense advocacy.
Jan Handzlik is a partner in Venable’s national SEC/White Collar Criminal Defense Group and a nationally recognized trial lawyer specializing in white collar criminal defense and complex business litigation. He has represented individuals and companies across the country in business crime investigations and prosecutions. Earlier, Handzlik served as a federal fraud prosecutor in Los Angeles and was one of the first independent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance monitors.
Mr. Jan Handzlik
Janet Levine is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Los Angeles office and chair of the firm’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group. As a trial and appellate attorney with extensive experience in securities, health care, tax fraud and public corruption matters, she has represented politicians, judges, directors, officers and executives and licensed professionals in several industries. Before entering private practice, Levine served as a Deputy Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles.
Ms. Janet Levine
Handzlik and Levine recently successfully defended Lindsey Manufacturing Company and two of its executives on FCPA charges. Following a nearly six-week trial, and as the result of Handzlik and Levine’s tenacious and steadfast efforts, the judge threw out the convictions and dismissed the FCPA indictment with prejudice. Among other notable aspects of the case, for the first time in the 30-plus year history of the FCPA, Handzlik and Levine launched a full-scale challenge to the meaning and application of several key terms in the statute. In addition, Lindsey was the first corporate defendant to challenge the DOJ at trial and submit its fate to a jury. As a result, Handzlik and Levine are two of a few select lawyers who have tried a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case.
The White Collar Criminal Defense Award recipients will be presented their awards during the “White Collar Criminal Defense College” legal education program on March 15-20, at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.
Practitioners and those new to white collar criminal defense will gain key advocacy skills and learn substantive white collar crime law from masters in the field while attending the program, which covers practical training in handling a white collar case, including client retention, investigating a white collar case, handling searches and grand jury subpoenas, litigating pre-trial motions, seeking discovery and securing evidence favorable to the defense, and dealing with parallel proceedings.
For more information about the White Collar Criminal Defense College, contact NACDL Meetings Manager Tamara Kalacevic at (202) 872-8600 x641 or [email protected] or Stetson Law Professor Ellen S. Podgor at (727) 562-7348 or [email protected].
Stetson Law students learned more about the impacts of hydrofracking during a Feb. 16 presentation about “Natural Gas Development and Hydrofracking: Environmental Risks and Legal Responses.”
The fracking or hydraulic fracturing process involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand, and toxic chemicals hundreds of feet underground to break up rock and release tiny pockets of gas or oil. The extracted gas or oil is then used as an energy source.
Geologist Mauricio Roma co-presented the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture.Watershed Inspector General Philip Bein talked to students at Stetson Law Feb. 16.
Geologist Mauricio Roma and Watershed Inspector General Philip Bein discussed whether there is a need for a legal response to hydrofracking and natural gas development.
Read more in a news article about the presentation at Stetson on “Natural Gas Development and Hydrofracking: Environmental Risks and Legal Responses.”
The final presentation in Stetson’s lecture series takes place on Feb. 21 at 12 p.m. in the Great Hall on the Stetson Law Gulfport campus.
Judge Judith M. Barzilay of the U.S. Court of International Trade will discuss the Shrimp/Turtle and Tuna/Dolphin cases, and others involving the intersection of environmental protection and international trade. The Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Environmental Law Society and Maritime Law Society are co-sponsoring this lecture.
RSVP to attend the lecture to Marcela Bonells by Feb. 19 at [email protected].
Stetson University College of Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute will co-present the36th annualJudge Alexander L. Paskay Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Practice on March 15-17, at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, Fla.
Attorneys may register now to learn about the latest developments in commercial and consumer bankruptcy at continuing legal education sessions taught by prominent national speakers.
The seminar includes a primer course, “Bankruptcy Fundamentals: Nuts & Bolts for Young and New Practitioners,” presented by the sitting judges in the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, a plenary session featuring “Views from the Bench” with eight Florida judges, and an optional Friday afternoon consumer workshop on effective trial techniques.
Approval is pending with the Florida Bar for 16 hours of CLE credits, including 3.25 hours of ethics.
Accommodations for seminar attendees are available at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa. The seminar includes optional networking events including a New York Yankeesspring training game and a private tour and dinner at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg.
The program begins with an opening reception at 5 p.m. on March 15. Sessions begin at 8:45 a.m. with registration and continental breakfast at 8 a.m. on March 16.
For more information, contact the American Bankruptcy Institute at 703-739-0800 or Stetson University College of Law’s Office of Conferences and Events at 727-562-7312.
Doctors and lawyers can learn more about emerging issues in health law at a seminar entitled “Medical School for Lawyers and Law School for Physicians” on March 3 at Stetson’s Tampa Law Center.
WHO: Lawyers and physicians can attend the one-day seminar. Faculty members include leading experts in health law, white-collar crime and fraud, public health and medicine.
WHAT: Seminar attendees will learn more about healthcare reform and legislation, accountable care, health information exchange and records, confidentiality, and non-compete agreements.
WHEN: March 3, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
WHERE: Stetson’s Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St., Tampa.
Application has been made to the Florida Bar for 9 hours of general CLE credit.
For more information about CLE credits, please contact Irena Milasinovic at 727-562-7312 or [email protected]. For information about CME credits, contact Dr. Adam Levine at 727-512-1969 or [email protected].
Stetson University College of Law’s LL.M. in Elder Law offers attorneys a convenient, online program where they can excel and become experts in elder law.
Liz Allen, a partner in the Tampa law firm of Gibbons, Neuman, Bello, Segall, Allen and Halloran, P.A., who has been practicing for more than 20 years, recently graduated from the program at Stetson.
“The LL.M. program was critical for me,” Allen said. “I am a 20-plus year practicing attorney (insurance litigation background) who decided to switch areas of law. In my opinion, there was no way I could have done this transition with any sense of competency and confidence without the LL.M. program. The program has given me a strong academic, ethical and technical foundation to practicing in this area of the law. Because of my participation in this program, my firm now has the ability to offer another much needed area of legal services to our existing clients and our community.”
Professor Rebecca Morgan, director of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law, designed the program to be an advanced 25-credit program that can be completed online.
“Since most people in the program are practicing attorneys, the online format works very well,” Allen said. “Plus, the online format allowed participation of so many different people in different parts of the country. For others considering the program, I would tell them to expect excellent, nationally known professors teaching them. They will get practical advice and information about the area of elder law and how to be the best elder law attorney they can be.”
For more information about the program, contact Stetson at 727-562-7393, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.law.stetson.edu/elderlaw/llm. Applicants must have a law degree to be considered for admission.
On Thursday afternoon in Gulfport, Gary Lytton, the director of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples, Fla., talked with Stetson Law students in the Great Hall about the struggle to protect the coastal environment and one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries.
Lytton discussed the tug-of-war between coastal development and environmental preservation.
“It really is like managing a balancing act,” Lytton told the audience. “One of the biggest challenges is managing water. Fertilizers and heavy metals in the water cause problems in the estuary.”
Lytton was visiting campus to deliver the first lecture of the semester in the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series at Stetson. He oversees the Rookery Bay, one of 28 estuarine reserves established by partnerships between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and coastal states in the U.S. The Feb. 9 event was co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Society and the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson.
(L-R): Law Interim Dean Royal Gardner, Rookery Bay director Gary Lytton and Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series namesake Bonnie Foreman.
“An estuary is among the most productive biological resources on the planet, and human land use has a direct impact,” Lytton shared.
Lytton explained how an important part of his work at the estuary is educating people. By training landscape professionals about fertilizer and pesticide pollution, directing boaters away from delicate sea grass beds, and enlisting a team of volunteer boaters to monitor the estuary, Lytton said that he hopes that the Rookery Bay can have an impact on improving water quality all along the coast.
“Education helps raise awareness about aesthetic, environmental, and quality-of-life values that come with protecting our natural resources,” said Lytton.
He also explained projects developed to protect wildlife and to restore the Everglades ecosystem, of which Rookery Bay is a part. Non-native Australian pines were removed to improve sea turtle breeding along the beach. Australian pines, uprooted easily because of their shallow root structures, frequently fell during storms and made the beach impassable to sea turtles attempting to nest there. Removing the non-native trees made it easier for the turtles to lay their eggs. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf, Lytton said that the Rookery Bay was able to provide a safe haven for rescued sea turtles.
Lytton explained that there is a direct connection between human use and behavior in respect to the environment. Water pollution from farming outside Chicago, for example, can have an impact on the Mississippi River, contributing to a massive “dead zone” hundreds of miles away.
Lytton also explained how humans can have a positive impact on native habitats. He told the students how conducting controlled burns in the Rookery Bay habitat mimics the natural lightning strikes that native trees have adapted to over hundreds of years.
Students gathered to hear the first Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture on Thursday in the Great Hall at Stetson.
“Some seeds only germinate after exposure to fire,” Lytton said.
Rookery Bay is home to a 16,500 square-foot Environmental Learning Center with four research laboratories, classrooms, a 140-seat auditorium, and a two-story visitor center. The visitor center is home to a 2,300-gallon aquarium and interactive exhibits addressing research and stewardship efforts ongoing within the Reserve, as well as a nature store, gallery and picnic area.
The Reserve works in partnership with local coastal communities for the promotion of coastal stewardship through land management, research and education.
Interim Law Dean Royal Gardner created the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series and serves as director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson. He is the author of the recently published book, Lawyers, Swamps, and Money: U.S. Wetland Law, Policy, and Politics.
Stetson offers an environmental law certificate of concentration, and is also the host of the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. Students edit articles submitted by academics, policy makers, and scientists.
Judge Patrice Moore spoke on a panel Feb. 2 at Stetson Law about finding justice for juveniles.
“A lot of juvenile decisions often end up with adult consequences,” Judge Patrice Moore told an audience of students, faculty and community members gathered in the Great Hall at Stetson Law last Thursday evening.
Judge Moore, of the 6th Judicial Circuit, joined a panel of experts on the Gulfport campus on Feb. 2 to discuss the impact of zero-tolerance law on juveniles. The panel included Lily McCarty of the Public Defender’s Office of the 13th Judicial Circuit; Stetson adjunct professor Judge Irene Sullivan; Trenia Cox of the Juvenile Welfare Board; Judge Moore of the 6th Judicial Circuit; Tim Niermann of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice; and Dr. Valerie Brimm, Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships in St. Petersburg.
The experts discussed the school-to-prison pipeline and shared statistics that showed that Hillsborough County leads the state with the amount of children in the adult court system. They proposed some solutions and stressed the importance of getting parents involved.
“The problem seen most often is fathers who have criminal records and are parents to these children,” said Cox. “An effort should be made to educate the parents along with the children.”
“One of the most important things that needs to be done is to encourage children to dare to be different, dare to dream and dare to break this cycle,” Judge Moore said.
L-R: Panelists Dr. Valerie Brimm, Tim Niermann, Judge Patrice Moore, Trenia Cox, retired Judge and Adjunct Professor Irene Sullivan, and Lily McCarty.
French exchange student Jenna Coudin said that the presentation opened her eyes to the juvenile justice system in the U.S.
“The juvenile system here in the U.S. is structured very differently than in France,” Coudin said. “In France, juveniles less than 13 years of age cannot be held responsible for their actions and cannot go to jail. Children 13 to 16 years of age are put under judicial control in very limited circumstances. Since 2007, however, juveniles that are older than 16 are treated as adults. In general, juveniles are protected just as much as those who are disabled.”
First-year law student Tiara Greene said, “What was most surprising to me was the average age of juveniles currently in the system. Hopefully, some of the solutions suggested will assist with this problem.”
The Juvenile Justice Initiative and Black Law Students Association at Stetson University College of Law and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida co-sponsored the panel discussion.
The Juvenile Justice Initiative at Stetson is a new group launched last semester with goals to improve legal representation for children through education, legislative reform, and courtroom advocacy. Stetson students and Professor Judith Scully are developing a Street Law pilot educational program for middle school students in the Pinellas County region.
Professor Judith Scully introduces the panel on Feb. 2 at Stetson Law in Gulfport.
Students from Stetson University College of Law won the Florida Bar Chester Bedell Mock Trial Competition on Jan. 26 at the Florida Bar meeting in Orlando, Fla.
(L-R): Coach and Professor Lee Coppock, students Morgan Anderson, Julian Catala, Kristin Johnson, Jared Williams and Coach Matthew Easterwood.
Stetson has won the competition 19 out of 29 times, and is consistently ranked as a top law school for trial advocacy by the U.S. News & World Report.
The student team of Morgan Anderson, Julian Catala, Kristin Johnson and Jared Williams beat a team from Florida State University in the final round to win the competition. Julian Catala won the Best Advocate Award.
“While every time we go out and compete the outcome is important, there is something truly satisfying about doing well at Florida’s premier mock trial event,” said Stetson Law Professor and team coach Lee Coppock.
Alumnus Matthew Easterwood, whose team won the competition in 2007 while he was still a student, also coached the winning Stetson team.
Twenty-two teams from 11 Florida law schools competed.
John Thompson spent 18 years in prison and 14 years on death row before being exonerated of a crime he did not commit. On Jan. 26, Thompson shared his experiences with Stetson University College of Law students and spoke about the importance of responsibility and accountability.
John Thompson spoke with Stetson Law students on Jan. 26 in the Great Hall.
“Now is the time for you to decide what you will stand for,” Thompson told the students. Thompson explained how he was accused and convicted of murder and the subsequent years he spent fighting the conviction and death sentence.
“His story tells us about what can go wrong with lawyering, from prosecution to defense,” Professor Judith Scully explained. Scully, the Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, directs the Innocence Initiative at Stetson, which assigns students to research potential cases for the Innocence Project of Florida and to work on legislative reform and educational outreach.“John’s story illustrates the importance of confronting injustices and having courage as attorneys.”
After Thompson was exonerated of his crimes, a lower court ruled in a civil case that prosecutorial evidence occurred in his case and awarded him millions of dollars. However, the Supreme Court reversed that decision, explaining that it saw no pattern of prosecutorial misconduct, and the $14 million jury verdict was reversed.
Thompson said the attorney in his civil case risked his own finances and ambitions to follow his conscience to do what was right. He told the students that lawyers have a responsibility to ask questions, to address issues, to listen to their clients and to do the best that they can do at the end of the day.
“When you hear the word ‘exoneree,’ you should hear the word ‘victim.’ Are we ready to stand up and represent victims?” Thompson asked.
Howard Williams, a third-year law student, said that he was inspired by Mr. Thompson’s story.
“I would like to go into criminal law upon graduation, and Mr. Thompson’s words resonated very strongly with me because he may be the type of client that I have one day as an attorney,” Williams said. “To think that he almost died because of dishonest and ineffective lawyering reminds me of the power that attorneys possess and that is something that I will not take lightly. Mr. Thompson’s message reaffirmed the whole reason that I came to law school, which was to try and be a voice for those who need the most.”
Student Gabe Neibergall, who works with the Innocence Initiative at Stetson, said, “In my opinion, Mr. Thompson’s most powerful point was that we all choose to become lawyers, and by making that choice, we are now obligated to stand up for what is right- no matter the personal and professional costs. This seemed to be Mr. Thompson’s idea of true ‘honor,’ and it is something we should all strive to embody.”
After leaving prison, Thompson said that he had an unusually smooth transition. He said he worked with lawyers at the Death Penalty Resource Center to help people on death row. Habitat for Humanity built him a house and a writer worked with him on a book about his experiences. The story of Thompson’s wrongful conviction is told in the book, Killing Time: An 18-Year Odyssey from Death Row to Freedom.
Today, Thompson is the founder and director of Resurrection After Exoneration, a supportive residential program that provides exonerees and long-term prisoners reentering society a transitional home and work environment.
Thompson presented this year’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture at Stetson Law’s annual Inns of Court, an adopted tradition that brings together prominent lawyers, experienced teachers and law students to exchange ideas.
