(Front Row L-R): Julia Richmond, Samantha McIntyre, Max Holzbaur, Erin Okuno, Carly Ross, and Amar Agha. (Back Row L-R): Bob Biasotti and Matt Conigliaro. Click for high-resolution image.
For the past 14 years, law students at Stetson University College of Law have had an opportunity to sharpen their advocacy skills before practicing judges and attorneys at the Carlton Fields First-Year Appellate Advocacy Competition, held this year on April 16.
This year, Stetson students Amar Agha and Max Holzbaur won first place in the competition; students Erin Okuno and Julia Richmond won second place; and Carly Ross and Samantha McIntyre won third place.
“This competition showcases the top student oralists in Stetson’s research and writing II classes,” said Professor of Legal Skills and Moot Court Advisor Brooke Bowman. “Students also have an opportunity to continue to develop their oral advocacy skills by arguing in front of attorneys and earn a chance to interview with Stetson’s award-winning Moot Court Board.”
Carlton Fields attorneys Bob Biasotti and Matt Conigliaro and former Carlton Fields attorney Stephanie Zimmerman, now of the Solomon Law Group, judged the competition.
“Carlton Fields was honored to once again sponsor this event,” said Biasotti. “It is always gratifying to us as appellate lawyers to recognize the talent, ability, and hard work exhibited by these aspiring young lawyers.”
Students on Stetson’s award-winning Moot Court Board compete year-round, and topics include bankruptcy, criminal procedure, tax law, veterans law, international law, information technology and privacy, and state and federal constitutional law. To learn more, visit Stetson’s Moot Court Board online.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson Law faculty discussion — Aug. 20, 2010
Part two of their conversation can be viewed here.
Today marks one year since an explosion erupted in the Gulf of Mexico and the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform sank off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers were killed, and 17 sustained injuries. A damaged well on the ocean floor began gushing oil into the Gulf.
Once the oil stopped flowing into the Gulf, lawsuits began to surface. People, animals, industries and the environment in four states along the Gulf coast were facing the possibility of lasting impacts from the offshore accident.
In August, just four months after the oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, Stetson Law gathered a roundtable of legal experts on the Gulfport, Fla., campus to discuss how the law had responded to similar disasters in the past, what to expect this time, and what legal experts should be talking about to prevent this type of disaster from happening again in the future.
The panel of Stetson’s legal experts included visiting professor Christine Cerniglia, who began her legal career in New Orleans practicing maritime law and offshore drilling personal injury defense; professor Blake Hudson, who has a master’s degree in environmental science, a law degree and teaches property, natural resources and environmental law; Dr. Tim Kaye, who teaches torts and product liability and is originally from the U.K.; and professor Ellen Podgor, a former deputy prosecutor and criminal defense attorney who teaches white collar crime, criminal law, international criminal law and edits the White Collar Crime Blog.
The panel addressed questions regarding BP’s liability; methods of environmental regulation; environment and natural resource management; and parallels to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Oil Pollution Act, passed after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1990 as a legislative response to create a national contingency plan and disaster fund.
While differing in their approach to the tangle of legal issues surfacing in the wake of the oil blowout in the Gulf, in one matter, the roundtable of Stetson Law professors agreed. A proactive, educational approach, they concluded, is better than taking the traditionally reactive stance. While accidents always happen, Dr. Kaye said, “I think that trying to prevent them — regulating and educating to prevent them — is definitely the way to go, rather than saying well, it’s likely to happen and we’ll try to fire-fight it as best we can after the event because we can never do it as well.”
Stetson University College of Law students won a series of awards at the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong.
The Stetson Law team of Cristina Cambo, Katelyn Desrosiers, Jake Hanson and Christina Unkel won first place for the best claimant’s memorandum.
“Our team earned high awards in every award category, distinguishing us from any other university in the competition,” said team coach Professor Joseph Morrissey.
(L-R): Jake Hanson, Cristina Cambo, Katelyn Desrosiers and Christina Unkel. Click for high-resolution image.
Team member Jake Hanson also received an honorable mention for best oralist at the competition. The team received an honorable mention for the respondent’s memorandum.
Students from 87 universities from around the globe, including Indonesia, India, China, Japan, Mexico, Germany and the U.S. competed this year in Hong Kong.
A second Stetson Vis team will be competing in Vienna April 16-17 at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Stetson Law professors Marco Jimenez, Stephanie Vaughan and Joseph Morrissey coached both Vis teams. Professor Brooke Bowman is Stetson Law’s Moot Court advisor.
Last year, a team of Stetson Law students won first place for the best respondent’s memorandum at the Vis (East).
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist spoke to more than 200 Stetson Law students on Tuesday, April 12, in his new role as Distinguished Professorial Lecturer at Stetson University.
Charlie Crist, former governor of Florida and a distinguished professorial lecturer at Stetson Law, speaks at the Gulfport campus on Tuesday, April 12.
Crist served as the prestigious Nichols Foundation Prominent Speaker. Previous speakers have included Supreme Court Justices and prominent leaders in the legal community and government.
Crist reflected on his experiences as Florida’s governor, attorney general, and education secretary. When asked about his greatest accomplishment as Florida’s governor, he replied “I think it was a new tone that we brought about in Tallahassee, a spirit of cooperation if you will.”
Crist greets a first-year Stetson Law student. The former governor spoke with students before and after his lecture.
He added that greater civility is critical in politics. “I have always found that in politics and in government, that if you work with others and show them respect, and listen, it is amazing what you can get accomplished.” He told students to carefully evaluate and watch for those candidates in the next national election “who will make you proud. I believe in my heart and soul that’s exactly what Floridians and Americans want.”
Crist speaks with media at the event.
After ending his term as Florida’s governor in January, Crist went into a private law practice. He said that he enthusiastically enjoys the opportunity to work with students in a professorial role at Stetson.
Law students visiting the Tampa area in May, June and July can take advantage of a wide spectrum of daytime, evening, weekend and condensed courses offered at Stetson University College of Law. Classes are offered at campuses in Gulfport and Tampa. Online courses are also being offered. The application deadline is two weeks prior to the start of classes.
“A large number of visiting law students have requested weekend and evening classes at Stetson this summer,” said Associate Dean for Academics Kristen Adams. “We’ve created a summer curriculum that matches academic requirements with interest levels among our own and visiting students.”
Weekend Courses:
• Voir Dire, May 19-22
• Expert Witnesses, May 20-22 or June 24-26 (two separate sections)
• Depositions, June 10-12 and July 8-10 (two credits; must attend both weekends)
• Introduction to the Physical Exam, June 17-19
• Financial Advocacy, June 3-5
Condensed Courses:
• International Law, May 16-June 6
• Criminal Procedure, May 16-June 6
• Professional Responsibility, June 13-July 12
• Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: Scottish, Civil, and Common Law
• Interviewing & Counseling, June 20-June 30
• Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement, May 23-June 10 (this course must be taken concurrently with the travel course; the dates include the travel course)
Evening Courses:
• Evidence (Gulfport)
• Advanced Tort Law Seminar (Tampa)
• Arbitration (one section; a second section will meet during the daytime; both sections in Gulfport)
• Children and the Law (Gulfport)
• Family Law (starts at 4 p.m.; Gulfport)
• Florida Administrative Law (Gulfport)
• Florida Constitutional Law (Tampa)
• Florida Criminal Procedure (Tampa)
• Florida Practice (Gulfport)
• Interviewing and Counseling (Tampa, one section; another section will meet during the daytime in Gulfport as a condensed course)
• Negotiation and Mediation (starts at 4 p.m.; another section will meet in the morning; both sections in Gulfport)
• Professional Responsibility (condensed course; Gulfport)
• Trial Advocacy (two sections; another section will meet during the daytime; all three sections in Gulfport)
Day Courses:
• Advanced Legal Research (Gulfport)
• Animal Law (Gulfport)
• Federal Income Taxation (Gulfport)
• Legal Drafting (Gulfport)
Online classes are also offered this summer including Reproductive Technology and the Law, Legislation, and Advanced Legal Research.
For more information, visit www.law.stetson.edu/summer or contact the Registrar’s Office at Stetson Law at 727-562-7803.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
A.J. Nicholson discusses human rights with Stetson Law students.
A.J. Nicholson, a long-time member of the Jamaican Senate, is serving as a Distinguished International Fellow at Stetson Law through spring 2012. In this honorary role, he taught a course on Human Rights in the Caribbean through April 15 and gave a presentation to the Stetson Law community about the creation and role of the recently formed Caribbean Court of Justice.
Senator Nicholson has greatly influenced democratic change within the Jamaican government. In addition to his position within the Senate, Nicholson has also held roles of attorney general and minister of justice, leader of opposition business, parliamentary secretary, and member of the House of Representatives.
Nicholson is a familiar face at Stetson University College of Law, having twice taught courses on the Gulfport campus and in the Caribbean during Stetson’s Cayman Islands Winter Break Program.
“A.J. brings a vast wealth of legal experience with him to the Stetson campus,” said John Cooper, associate dean for international programs. “He is an engaging speaker, and the Stetson faculty and students are quite fortunate to have him spend time on our campus.”
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson University in Central Florida is now accepting applications for its new Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute, a rigorous, six-week course in which undergraduate college students will be chosen to prepare for law school and a career in the legal field.
Students enrolled in the unique program will spend four weeks on Stetson’s DeLand, Fla., campus, taking a critical thinking course designed for pre-law students, and two weeks at the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport in an immersion program designed to introduce students to the law school experience and the practice of law. Pre-law students, from a variety of majors, can develop their critical thinking, writing, problem-solving, and interpretation skills, preparing them for the competitive law school admissions process and creating a vision for themselves as law students and lawyers. The program will cost about $6,000, which includes campus housing. This year’s Summer Pre-Law Institute will be held June 6 to July 15.
Faculty for the program are full-time Stetson University faculty:
Dr. Rebecca B. Watts, assistant professor of communication studies at Stetson University, earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Her research interests center on the application of rhetorical theory and criticism to public culture. Her book, Contemporary Southern Identity: Community through Controversy (University Press of Mississippi, 2008), reflects her research and teaching interests in the application of rhetorical theory and criticism to understanding Southern culture specifically and public discourse in general.
Dr. David L. Hill, associate professor of political science at Stetson University, teaches courses in the areas of American politics and research methodology. His research focus is in political behavior with a specific interest in the interaction between institutions and political participation. He has published articles in American Politics Research, Electoral Studies, State and Local Government Review, American Review of Politics, and Politics and Policy. He published the book American Voter Turnout: An Institutional Perspective (Westview Press, 2006), which explores the impact of governmental and electoral institutional arrangements on turnout in American elections. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Kirsten Davis is an associate professor of law and director of the Legal Research and Writing Program at Stetson University College of Law. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, and she writes on the topics of legal writing, law and rhetoric, professional responsibility and work/life balance. Her doctoral dissertation, in progress, focuses on the rhetorical construction of work and family issues in the regulatory context. Davis teaches Professional Responsibility and Legal Research and Writing.
To apply for the Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute, undergraduate college students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and have completed at least two full years of university study. Applications are now being accepted for summer 2011, with admissions beginning immediately and continuing until the program is full.
For more information and to apply online, visit: Stetson University Summer Pre-Law Institute.
Stetson University College of Law hosted six jurists and law professors from St. Petersburg, Russia, the week of March 26 as part of the Open World Program. While at Stetson Law, they toured the law school’s seven courtrooms, visited classes, and spoke with faculty, students and staff.
A delegation of Russian jurists and law professors visited the model elder-friendly Eleazer Courtroom at Stetson Law on March 31. Click for hi-res version.
While in Tampa, the visiting delegation attended federal and state court proceedings, cultural events and met with judges and civic leaders. Judicial hosts for the visit included U.S. Magistrate Judges Elizabeth A. Jenkins and Anthony E. Porcelli.
The Open World Program enables emerging leaders from Russia and other Eurasian countries to experience American democracy in action. It is the first and only exchange program in the U.S. legislative branch. Congress established the program in 1999.
Yale Law School Professor Jules Coleman and retired Delaware Supreme Court Justice Andrew G.T. Moore II will address Stetson University College of Law’s graduating class on May 14 at 9 a.m. in the outdoor courtyard on the Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S.
Scheduled to be recognized at Stetson Law’s May commencement are 259 students, including 22 students from the part-time program and 25 students from the J.D./M.B.A. program. Six students will receive an LL.M. in elder law, and eight students will receive an LL.M. in international law.
Coleman is the visiting Culverhouse Chair at Stetson Law this semester. As the Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence and Professor of Philosophy at Yale Law School, he teaches in the areas of torts and philosophy of law. He has written books that include Hart’s Postscript, The Practice of Principle, and has co-authored the Oxford Handbook of Jurisprudence and the Philosophy of Law. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Rockefeller University and an M.S.L. from Yale Law School.
Justice Moore is a Distinguished Professorial Lecturer at Stetson Law. Justice Moore served on the Delaware Supreme Court for more than 12 years. During his time on the court, he wrote opinions on several prominent takeover and corporate governance cases including Revlon and Unocal. Before being appointed to serve on the court, Justice Moore practiced corporate law in Wilmington, Del., for nearly two decades. The American Bar Association recognized Justice Moore with a Certificate of Appreciation in 1994 for his distinguished service in promoting lawyer recovery from addiction.
Among this year’s outstanding graduates are:
Tiffany Colbert, one of only three students elected from law schools across the country to be Student Delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, is also former 5th Circuit Governor for the Law Student Division including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico.
Aaron Swift, two-term president of the student organization Equal Justice Works who raised more than $30,000 for summer stipend scholarships for students doing public interest work, is also a national American Bar Association Law Student Division section liaison.
This year, Stetson Law is graduating a record number of five national ABA Law Student Division section liaisons.
Dr. Henry Lee discussed his legendary career as part of a
Dr. Henry Lee signs books for the crowd gathered at Stetson Law to hear him talk. Click for high-resolution image.
lecture series sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law on March 31. Watch the video of Dr. Lee’s talk here.
Dr. Lee uncovered clues in the JonBenet Ramsey case, investigated war crimes in Bosnia and Croatia, testified in the O.J. Simpson trial and served as an international expert on forensic crime.
He spoke to members of the public and Stetson community in the Great Hall at Stetson’s Gulfport campus. A book-signing immediately followed the presentation.
Dr. Lee led an engaging discussion about his career working on some of the most famous criminal cases of the past half-century. He has investigated more than 6,000 cases, co-authored 20 books, major chapters and scientific reports, and published hundreds of journal articles on subjects including DNA, forensic evidence, crime scene investigation and criminal justice.
Dr. Henry Lee spoke March 31 at Stetson Law in Gulfport. Click for high-resolution image.
The National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson Law is a nexus of scientific, technological and legal information for judges, lawyers, teachers, students, scientists and law enforcement that includes a database of hundreds of thousands of forensic articles and records.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
DeLand, Fla. – Get ready for the return of Hatter Football!
Stetson University is starting the process to join the prestigious Pioneer Football League with the first game in fall 2013. Long ago considered a pigskin powerhouse in Florida, Stetson has not had a football team since the 1956 season. The football announcement website is www.stetson.edu/football.
Stetson Hatter team, 1906. Click for high-resolution image.
A new NCAA Division I program in Women’s Lacrosse – which has become wildly popular since it started a year ago as a club sport at Stetson – will also be added at the same time.
The university currently has 15 intercollegiate sports, with most of those played in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Following approval by the Stetson University Board of Trustees last month, the next formal step toward a new football program was to establish a partnership with the City of DeLand for shared use of Spec Martin Football Stadium at Earl Brown Park.
The DeLand City Commission approved that partnership in a special meeting today, Monday, March 14. The agreement calls for the city to finance capital improvement needs for the stadium in return for an annual rental fee from Stetson and an agreement to share revenue from sponsorships and advertising, as well as a commission on concessions and parking. Stetson has a similar agreement with the city for use of Melching Field at Conrad Park for baseball.
“We are thrilled to work together with the city on the prospect of re-introducing Hatter Football,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby. “The city and Stetson have been bound together since the late 1800s, and our health and vitality go hand-in-hand.”
Stetson’s interest in beginning a non-athletic-scholarship football program began in the fall of 2009 with the reports of a number of on-campus committees suggesting that such a program along with NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse would:
Help meet Stetson’s strategic goal of enrolling 3,000 DeLand campus undergraduates by 2016;
Allow the university to join the prestigious Pioneer Football League;
Help Stetson attract students from outside Florida;
Make the campus environment more vibrant;
Increase the number of students staying on campus over weekends and contributing to life on campus and elsewhere in the City of DeLand;
Strengthen Stetson’s ability to attract and retain students; and
Enhance alumni engagement.
Increasing enrollment and retention would help strengthen finances at the DeLand campus of the university and provide funds to be invested in support of Stetson’s highest strategic priorities, Stetson officials said. Several strategies have already begun, including the dramatic improvements in classrooms and landscaping done this past year. In addition, a new Student Success Center to increase retention opened in fall 2010; that same fall, the university’s recruitment and financial aid strategies were revamped in ways that anticipate an increase of approximately 10 percent in the entering class for fall 2011.
Hatter team, 1956. Click for high-resolution image.
Over the past year and a half, much work went into exploring the feasibility and costs of re-introducing football. After a study by NACDA Consulting, Stetson staff worked to assure that the pro forma’s estimated revenues were financially conservative and that the expenses fully stated the cost of the programs. Based on those numbers, Stetson anticipates a significant revenue stream that would be devoted to the university’s highest priorities.
The goal of a renewed Stetson football program is join the well-respected Pioneer League. Stetson will now make application to be accepted by the league. League officials have made it known that they enthusiastically look forward to receiving the application.
The Pioneer Football League is comprised almost entirely of private universities that play at the NCAA Division I level in their other sports competitions. The league includes: Butler University, Campbell University, Davidson College, University of Dayton, Drake University, Jacksonville University, Marist College, Morehead State University, University of San Diego and Valparaiso University. Football players in the league do not receive athletic scholarships, but are eligible for the types of academic scholarships awarded to most Stetson students.
“The other institutions within the Pioneer League are similar to Stetson in size, academic rigor and integrity,” said Stetson Director of Athletics Jeff Altier. “Joining the league will create a continuation of athletic rivalries with schools such as Jacksonville, Mercer and Campbell, all of which are currently fellow members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.”
Bringing football back to Stetson will end a 57-year hiatus of a program that was tremendously successful in its early days.
“We are excited to see football return to Stetson after a 57-year hiatus. We believe it would generate excitement on campus, as well as among alumni and the community of DeLand,” added Altier.
Contact Cindi Brownfield
Director, News and Media Relations
(386) 822-7214 [email protected]
