Stetson University College of Law is accepting nominations for its prestigious 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 2010 inductees were Kay Eddy, the Firestone Family, philanthropists Edward and Bonnie Foreman, Professor Ruthann Robson ’79, Seminole Tribe of Florida general counsel Jim Shore BA ’76 and JD ’80, top-ranked Tampa attorney Gary Trombley ’73, and Judge Dan Warren ’52.
For biographies and videos about past winners, please see the Hall of Fame website.
To submit a nomination, please use the 2011 Hall of Fame Nomination Form (PDF) and send by April 29 to Leslie Weaver 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.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson University College of Law has named Ellen S. Podgor the inaugural Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor.
Professor Ellen S. Podgor. Click for high-resolution image.
A former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, Professor Podgor has written more than 50 articles and co-authored many books, including White Collar Crime in a Nutshell, Understanding International Criminal Law andMastering Criminal Law. She is also editor of the White Collar Crime Prof Blog, which boasts a readership of two million and counting.
Podgor is a member of the American Law Institute and serves on the board of directors of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. She also serves on the board of trustees of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools. Podgor is a former member of the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and past chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Association of American Law Schools. She is an honorary member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.
Podgor has served as Stetson’s Culverhouse Chair, LeRoy Highbaugh Sr. Research Chair, and inaugural Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Electronic Education. Before joining Stetson’s faculty in 2005, she was a tenured professor at Georgia State.
In September 2010, Podgor testified before Congress on the issue of overcriminalization. Also in 2010, Podgor received the Robert C. Heeney Award, the highest honor given by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Stetson Law alumnus Gary R. Trombley ’73, who established the professorship, is an award-winning white-collar defense and criminal defense attorney at Trombley & Hanes P.A. in Tampa, a member of the College of Law’s Board of Overseers, and inductee in Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame. Trombley received the Attorney General’s “Outstanding Performance in Trial Practice Award” while serving as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida. He has served as a member The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and Americans eat more than 50 million pounds of chocolate to celebrate. But according to the U.S. Department of State, more than 100,000 children are enslaved working in the cocoa industry. On Feb. 8, a group of students, faculty and experts gathered at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport to discuss the issue of child labor in the international cocoa industry.
Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle moderates a discussion between students and panelists about child labor in the chocolate industry.
Stetson Law student Amber Knight, an intern at the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, introduced the program, which included a screening of the documentary film, “The Dark Side of Chocolate,” by U. Roberto “Robin” Romano and award-winning Danish journalist Miki Mistrati.
International human rights expert Professor Luz Nagle moderated a panel that discussed the importance of consumer awareness, corporate responsibility and tougher labor laws to combat child slavery and exploitation. The panel included consumer advocate Carol Botbyl, Stetson Law Professor Clark Furlow, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer Justice Andrew G.T. Moore II, Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking representative Giselle Rodriguez, and nationally renowned labor lawyer Peter Robb.
Filmmaker Robin Romano joined the program via Skype. “Cocoa is to the Ivory Coast as the Ivory Coast is to cocoa,” Romano said following the screening of his film. He later shared that the Ivory Coast is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a human rights treaty advocating for children’s rights.
Rodriguez said she was saddened to know that children are forced to labor in the cocoa industry without access to adequate food, medical care, or even school.
Justice Moore said that he found not knowing even more disturbing.
In 2001, there was a force to implement legislation to give some teeth to the movement to stop child labor, Nagle said. Now a decade later, the issue remains. “Who will hold corporations accountable for enforcing the rights of the child?” Professor Nagle asked the panel.
The panel concluded with many questions. “Could we make it good business not to buy cocoa beans from companies using child labor?” Robb asked.
On one point, Professor Nagle was certain. “We all need to be involved,” she said.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Campus violence, challenges to academic freedom, free speech issues and the rise of virtual campuses will be reviewed at the conference.
Professor Amy Gadja, who teaches both law and journalism at Tulane University, will present the keynote address on “The Rise of a Litigation and Risk Management Culture on Campus.”
Professor Laura Rothstein, former dean of the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, will be honored with this year’s William A. Kaplin Award for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy Scholarship. The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson established this award to recognize scholars who have published works on education law that embrace the intersection of law and policy.
Professor Rothstein has written 14 books and dozens of book chapters, articles and other works on disability discrimination. She has also chaired the AALS Special Committee on Disability Issues from 1988-1990 and has served as co-chair of the AALS Section on Disability Law, chair of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education Diversity Committee, a member of the LSAC Minority Affairs Committee, and a member of the AALS Membership Committee. She currently serves on the Law School Admissions Council Pipeline Outreach Planning Committee. In addition to her work in disability law, Rothstein has worked to promote racial diversity within legal education and the legal profession, writing and lecturing frequently on those topics.
Ann H. Franke is this year’s Facilitator Award recipient. Franke is a national consultant for colleges and universities on issues ranging from academic freedom to student affairs. Stetson created the award to honor educators who embody the principles articulated by Stetson Law professors Robert Bickel and Peter Lake in their book, The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern University.
Franke founded her firm, Wise Results, LLC, in 2005, after holding senior management positions with United Educators Insurance and the American Association of University Professors. Franke is a nationally-sought speaker who has been published in Trusteeship, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Change magazine, Minerva, and The Review of Litigation. She is a fellow of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, a trustee of AAUP’s Academic Freedom Fund, and a member of the editorial advisory board for the “Educator’s Guide to Controlling Sexual Harassment.”
Stetson University College of Law’s Alternative Dispute Resolution board won the Liberty University National Negotiation Competition this past weekend in Lynchburg, Va.
The Stetson student team of James Garner and Skip Tylman negotiated a complicated Securities and Exchange Commission issue to win the competition. Twelve teams competed in the preliminary rounds, with only four teams advancing to the final round on Jan. 29.
“We couldn’t be prouder of how hard both Jimmy and Skip worked and how professional they were during the competition,” said Professor Kelly Feeley, who directs Stetson’s ADR board. “The ADR skills that the students are learning as part of these teams will be invaluable to their success in the practice of law.”
“Student competitions provide a great resource for students to further perfect skills and build self-confidence,” said Visiting Professor Christine Cerniglia, who coached the winning team.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Helaine M. Barnett presented the William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture. Click image for high-resolution version.
Stetson University College of Law honored John R. Blue with its 2011 Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award at its annual Inns of Court Banquet in St. Petersburg on Jan. 25. Helaine M. Barnett, who has led numerous legal service programs for the poor, presented the William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture at the event. Barnett said the nation’s economic condition is placing greater numbers of Americans at the poverty level without adequate access to justice.
“More and more Americans go to court unrepresented,” said Barnett. “Although some individuals may choose to go to court without counsel, most pro se litigants have no choice.”
Now an attorney at Carlton Fields, Blue is a 1963 Stetson Law alumnus who has served the legal profession for decades as an attorney, a mediator and a judge. As Chief Judge of the Second District Court of Appeal, Blue authored more than 500 appellate opinions. Blue served on The Florida Bar Board of Governors, chaired the Local Bar Liaison Committee, and served as president of the Manatee County Bar Association. In 1983, Blue directed the Division of Florida Community Colleges, overseeing 28 community colleges. He also coordinated a program for the 1983 legislative session on higher education. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956.
Watch Video – 53 sec
Helaine M. Barnett speaks at Inns of Court Banquet.
Barnett is the former president of the non-profit Legal Services Corporation created by Congress. She worked for decades providing legal services in New York, created the Legal Aid Society’s Homeless Family Rights Project, and oversaw the creation of a citywide health law unit. She mobilized the 9/11 Disaster Assistance Initiative and co-chairs New York’s Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services. Barnett is the only legal services lawyer to have held positions in the American Bar Association House of Delegates and ABA Board of Governors and Executive Committee. She was elected to the American Law Institute in 1984 and is past chair of the ABA Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and a member of the ABA Commission on Governance.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Stetson University College of Law’s main Gulfport campus at 1401 61st St. S. and Tampa Law Center at 1700 N. Tampa St. will be closed on Jan. 25 after __ p.m. as a precaution to inclement weather.
Both campuses will not reopen until at least __.
Those who have business with the Second District Court of Appeal should contact the court directly at 813-272-3430.
Additional information and updates will be posted online on the Stetson University College of Law Web site at www.law.stetson.edu .
Emergency contacts:
Contact: Frank Klim
Office: (727) 562-7889
Cell: (727) 510-1393
Or
Contact: Brandi Palmer
Office: (727) 562-7381
Cell: (727) 430-1580
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Claire Grove has joined Stetson University College of Law as assistant dean for administration. Grove will work on institutional research, policy and long-term planning initiatives at the college.
Claire Grove is Stetson Law's new assistant dean for administration. Click for high-resolution image.
At Indiana University-Indianapolis, Grove served as assistant dean for graduate studies from 2007-2010 and as director of the LL.M. program from 2004-2007. Previously, she clerked in the Indiana Court of Appeals and was legal counsel to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Grove has a law degree from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. She has a graduate certificate in non-profit management from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Administration in Indianapolis.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Hugh Wooding Law School of Trinidad and Tobago and American University Washington College of Law students qualified this Saturday to compete in Stetson University College of Law’s 15th Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition in March.
Hugh Wooding Law School team with Stetson Law Professor Royal Gardner (center). Click for high-resolution image.
Hugh Wooding Law School won the regional competition and American University Washington College of Law was runner-up and won the best memorial award at the North America-Atlantic Region International Environmental Moot Court Competition held Jan. 21-22 at Stetson Law in Gulfport. Tecla Duncan, student from Hugh Wooding Law School, was named best oralist in the final round.
The winning teams will both advance to compete in the prestigious international finals hosted by Stetson Law at the University of Maryland School of Law March 17-20. Students from Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, India, Ireland, Latin America, North America and Southeast Asia will compete in the finals.
American University Washington College of Law team with Professor Royal Gardner. Click for high-resolution image.
Eight teams from law schools across the country and two teams from the Caribbean competed in the regional competition this past weekend at Stetson Law. The students argued a moot case on the topic of oil pollution and the marine environment.
Stetson Law offers an advanced LL.M. degree in international law and is home to the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy. The institute is a nexus of education, research, and service activities related to global, regional and local biodiversity issues. Stetson Law is also home to the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy.
Hugh Wooding Law School student best oralist Tecla Duncan with Stetson Law Professor Royal Gardner. Click for high-resolution image.
Stetson’s international programs include a semester exchange and dual degree programs with the University of Granada, Spain; a semester exchange program with the University of Toulouse in Toulouse, France; an international law concentration; an international student exchange; as well as study abroad opportunities in Argentina, China, Netherlands/Switzerland, Spain, London and the Cayman Islands.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, is teaching a course at Stetson University College of Law on Advanced Comparative Legal Torts. On Jan. 12, Canada’s Chief Justice presented “Canada and the United States: A Comparative View of our Constitutional Traditions and Legal Professions” in the Mann Lounge on Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus.
You can download an audio cast of Justice McLachlin’s presentation here.
Chief Justice McLachlin chairs the Canadian Judicial Council, the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada and the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute. She has authored many publications and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees. She was named commander of the French Legion of Honor in 2007 and was presented with the International Jurists Award in 2008. Chief Justice McLachlin is a Distinguished International Fellow at Stetson Law along with Jamaican Senator A.J. Nicholson.
Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
727-562-7889 [email protected]
Students at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., volunteered more than 800 hours of community service on Jan. 10 as they participated in more than 100 community events throughout the Tampa Bay area.
First-year student Amar Agha joins other Stetson Law students to help build a Habitat for Humanity house in Clearwater, Fla., during Professionalism Day on Jan. 10, 2011. Click image for high-resolution version.
First-year Stetson Law student A.J. Josey was busy volunteering at the Enoch Davis Center in St. Petersburg on Monday interviewing community members facing the difficult decision of declaring bankruptcy. “It brings you back to reality. It puts things in perspective,” Josey said.
The day-long program, called Practicing Professionalism Day: Commitment, Competency and Character, is designed to help Stetson law students become responsible members of the legal profession. The program was created by professor Roberta K. Flowers and Stetson dean of student life Michael Farley.
Student Kim Hamill wore a hardhat Monday morning as she helped her team with a construction project for Habitat for Humanity in Clearwater. “I think it’s great to get out here and do something good for the community,” said Hamill.
“I picked this opportunity because it’s hands-on,” said student Amar Agha, another volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity project. “It’s also a good bonding experience with all the other 1Ls before we jump back into the swing of things.”
Spring classes began for Stetson Law students the following day.
Journalist and civil rights advocate John Seigenthaler Sr. addressed Stetson University College of Law’s commencement ceremony on Dec. 18. Freedom Rider Ernest “Rip” Patton Jr. was also honored at the ceremony, which took place at the Pasadena Community Church.
Ninety-one J.D. students, including 22 students from the part-time program and five students from the J.D./M.B.A. program, were presented as degree candidates at Stetson Law’s commencement. Seven students received an LL.M. in elder law, and one student received an LL.M. in international law.
Seigenthaler is an award-winning journalist who also played a pivotal role in Robert Kennedy’s Justice Department. He was the founding editorial director of USA Today and long-time editor of the The Tennessean. His civil rights work led to his service as chief negotiator with the governor of Alabama during the Freedom Rides. He founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. He reminded the memebers of the graduating class at Stetson Law to take their roles as advocates of justice seriously.
Ernest “Rip” Patton Jr., one of the original Freedom Riders, participated in the May 24, 1961 Greyhound Freedom Ride to Jackson, Miss., where he was arrested and sent to the Parchman Farm. He was expelled from Tennessee State University for participating in the Freedom Rides, later presented with a diploma. Patton works with Stetson Law and University of South Florida students enrolled in an annual constitutional and civil rights travel course.
Stetson University president Wendy Libby, Ph. D., presented the honorary doctor of laws at commencement to both John Seigenthaler Sr. and to Ernest “Rip” Patton Jr.
Contact Brandi Palmer
Manager of Media Relations
727-562-7381 [email protected]
