News Archives - Page 98 of 138

Seigenthaler to Speak at Commencement

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John Seigenthaler Sr. will address Stetson University College of Law’s commencement ceremony on Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. in the outdoor courtyard on the College’s Gulfport campus, 1401 61st St. S.

Ninety-one J.D. students are expected to walk at Stetson Law’s commencement, including 22 students from the part-time program and five students from the J.D./M.B.A. program. Seven students will receive an LL.M. in elder law, and one student will receive an LL.M. in international law.

Seigenthaler is an award-winning journalist who also played a pivotal role in Robert Kennedy’s Justice Department. Seigenthaler was the founding editorial director of USA Today and long-time editor of The Tennessean. His civil rights work led to his service as chief negotiator with the governor of Alabama during the Freedom Rides. During that crisis, he was attacked by a mob while attempting to aid Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala. Rip Patton, one of the original Freedom Riders, will also be honored at Stetson’s commencement ceremony, receiving an honorary law degree.

Seigenthaler’s work with civil rights has spanned his career. In 1969, he supported Tennessee Bishop Joseph Aloysius Durick’s fight against segregation. In 1991, he founded the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt later renamed the building that houses the Freedom Forum, First Amendment Center, and Diversity Institute the John Seigenthaler Center.

Seigenthaler has received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Colby College. He hosts the television program “A War on Words,” and chairs the selections committees for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Profile in Courage Award and the RFK Memorial’s Robert F. Kennedy Book Awards.

Professor Volunteering in Community

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Stetson Law Professor Cynthia H. DeBose is profiled as a Community Champion in the October issue of the St. Petersburg Bar Association magazine, Paraclete.

Professor DeBose, who founded the Family Law Internship Program at Stetson Law, is a volunteer hearing master at the St. Petersburg Housing Authority. Informal hearings by the Housing Authority allow people whose Section 8 housing benefits are terminated to have their cases reviewed and reevaluated by the hearing master.

Professor DeBose was formerly an administrative law judge for the D.C. Contract Appeals Board. In her volunteer role with the Housing Authority, she hears an average of a half-dozen cases per month in addition to teaching family law, adoption law and real property at Stetson. DeBose also volunteers as a special magistrate for the City of St. Petersburg.

Argentinean Internship

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Vice President and Dean Darby Dickerson signs an internship agreement with Judge Santiago Otamendi. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson Law Vice President and Dean Darby Dickerson signed an agreement on Oct. 15 with Argentinean Judge Santiago Otamendi and colleagues to provide a new internship opportunity for students. Students can now intern for up to six months in Argentina.

An Argentinean delegation visited Stetson Law this week to learn more about international law programs at Stetson and the federal court system in the U.S. In addition to visiting with Stetson Law faculty and students, the Argentinean delegation visited the Hillsborough County Jail and federal court in Tampa to learn more about the American judicial process.

Judge Santiago Otamendi gathers with Stetson Law students at an evening reception. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson Law co-sponsors a summer abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Mercer University School of Law, Oklahoma City University School of Law and the University of Tulsa College of Law. Courses include prominent Latin American professors teaching international human rights and comparative constitutional law, as well as courses taught by visiting professors from American law schools. Students participating in the summer abroad program have opportunities to attend presentations by judges, politicians, prosecutors, prominent lawyers and human rights advocates. Next year’s program is scheduled for July 17-Aug. 12, 2011, and classes will be offered at the Pontificia Universidad CatÃ³lica Argentina. Topics include the legal issues involving Argentina’s “Disappeared” and the legal approach to human rights abuse in Argentina. For more information visit Study Abroad at Stetson Law.

Judge Santiago Otamendi talks with students about legal opportunities in Argentina. Click for high-resolution image.

Princeton Review Lists Stetson’s Business School Among Nation’s Best

Contact Cindi Brownfield
University Marketing
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Stetson University’s School of Business Administration has been named one of the nation’s “Best 300 Business Schools” in a new guidebook released today (Oct. 12) by The Princeton Review.

The education services company compiles its guidebook of top business schools annually based on input from more than 19,000 students in Master of Business Administration programs accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, as well as statistical data received from the institutions.

The new 2011 edition of the book, “The Best 300 Business Schools,” includes a profile of Stetson’s School of Business Administration that includes information on academics, student life and environment, the admissions process, statistical data and career placement services. Students highlighted Stetson’s small class size, accessible and supportive faculty, individual attention received from professors, modern facilities and global focus, including opportunities to study business abroad during short or semester-long trips.

It highlights Stetson’s traditional MBA, Executive MBA and accelerated MBA/Juris Doctor (law) degrees. The profile notes the proximity of the university’s Central Florida campuses in DeLand and Gulfport/St. Petersburg and satellite center in Celebration to metropolitan areas including Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.

“Stetson University’s School of Business Administration graduate programs are designed to bring post-graduate professional academics to a higher level,” said Dean of Business Administration Stuart Michelson. “Designed for both current and future business professionals, the curricula are focused on the real-world challenges and opportunities facing businesses today.

“The graduate faculty is committed to delivering the best possible instruction in an active-learning, engaged environment. Small class sizes and professors that provide insight and support to their students are key features of the Stetson experience,” Michelson said.

The Princeton Review profile on Stetson includes comments directly from students. “The atmosphere is collaborative, as most students are also ‘interested in diversifying their skills in both business and networking,'” the guidebook said. “For professionals the atmosphere is supportive, and students find they ‘can relate with classmates, since many also have full-time jobs.'”

It also notes that many students come to Stetson’s graduate business program after completing their undergraduate degree at the university. “Indeed, Stetson’s graduate programs retain many of the qualities —like intimacy and friendliness —that define the undergraduate experience,” the profile said, quoting surveyed students. “A particular advantage, the Stetson MBA is a relatively small program, giving students excellent access to their professors, and an emphasis on ‘one-on-one discussions.’ Even more importantly, ‘the professors are excellent and outstanding mentors on campus,’ providing insight and support to their students. While many professors are accomplished professionals, they are ‘dedicated to the educational services, not busy with their own research.'”

Of the more than 12,000 business schools worldwide, Stetson’s School of Business Administration is one of only 497 that hold AACSB accreditation in the fields of business and accounting – and one of only 35 private colleges and universities that hold the accreditation in both fields.

The Stetson business school offers a wide range of majors in its undergraduate business program, as well as a number of master’s programs. In addition to the traditional MBA, the School of Business Administration offers an Executive MBA, the Master of Accountancy degree (both in class and online), a joint Juris Doctor (law)/MBA degree in conjunction with the Stetson University College of Law and a dual degree Master of Science in Pharmacy and MBA in conjunction with partner school, the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.

Both the JD/MBA and MSP/MBA programs allow a student to complete two master’s level degrees in approximately three years of study. A collaboration between the university’s business and music schools allows a student to earn both an undergraduate music degree and an MBA in five years.

See Stetson’s profile in “The Best 300 Business Schools,” or see the full report at The Princeton Review .

College of William and Mary School of Law Wins National Pretrial Competition at Stetson

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The College of William and Mary School of Law won the National Pretrial Competition at Stetson. Click for high-resolution image.

A team of students from the College of William and Mary School of Law won Stetson University College of Law’s third annual National Pretrial Competition Oct. 8-9 in Gulfport, Fla. The Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division co-sponsored the competition with Stetson.

College of William and Mary law student Johanna Orleski was named Best Advocate in both the final and semifinal rounds of competition. Chapman University School of Law won the Best Brief Award.

Thirteen law schools from around the nation sent students to compete on Stetson Law’s campus in Gulfport. It was the first time the College of William and Mary School of Law participated in the competition.

Best Advocate Johanna Orleski with Professor Charles Rose. Click for high-resolution image.

“The National Pretrial Competition captures the real world practice that most law students will experience after graduation in a way not found in any other trial or moot court competition,” said Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy Charles H. Rose III, who directs Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Advocacy. “Students get to take the substantive knowledge they learned in the first two years of law school and apply it in a setting that rewards analytical excellence and superior communication skills. By the time they have completed this competition, the participants are well on their way to developing skills for success in the day-to-day practice of law.”

Young Lawyers Division president Renee E. Thompson helped judge the competition.

Chapman University School of Law Best Brief Award winners with Professor Charles Rose. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson University College of Law has ranked at or near the top for trial advocacy every year since the U.S. News & World Report began the rankings. In 1994, Stetson Law became the only law school to win all five national trial advocacy competitions.

To learn more about advocacy at Stetson Law, visit http://www.law.stetson.edu/advocacy.

Public Service Award Nominations

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Stetson University College of Law is accepting nominations for the 2011 William Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to the legal profession and community.

This year the award will be presented at the Annual Inns of Court Banquet and William Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Lecture in January. The award was first given in 1990, and was named in honor of the award’s first recipient, William Reece Smith Jr. – past president of the International, American, and Florida Bar Associations.

Previous winners include Denis de Vlaming, Emeline C. Acton, Gregory K. Showers, and Edwin Boyer.

Nomination forms can be found at http://www.law.stetson.edu/reecesmith. Completed forms must be received by close of business Friday, Oct. 29. Nominations may be sent via e-mail to Casey Stoutamire at [email protected]. Nominations may also be sent to Stetson University College of Law, Attention: Casey Stoutamire, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport, Fla. 33707. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact the Office of College Relations at 727-562-7818.

Celebrating 110 Years: Law Library Named for Dolly and Homer Hand

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On Oct. 2, Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s first law school, celebrated 110 years of legal education by naming the law library on its Gulfport campus after philanthropists Dolly and Homer Hand. The naming ceremony started at 11:30 a.m. on the Stetson Law library grounds, 1401 61st St. S., Gulfport.

“Dolly and Homer Hand have nourished academic excellence at Stetson University for more than 50 years. We are grateful for their philanthropy and feel privileged to name the law library in their honor on our 110th anniversary,” said Dean Darby Dickerson.

Dolly Hand was the only woman in her 1949 graduating class and the youngest student to ever graduate from the College of Law. She is a 16-year trustee of Stetson University, and a member of the College of Law’s Hall of Fame. Her husband Homer has received Stetson Law’s Distinguished Service Award and numerous civic awards. The Hands are long-time supporters of education and the arts in Florida. In 1996, they were presented with the Champion of Higher Independent Education in Florida Award. »» Watch video excerpt of Dolly Hand’s speech

The Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library was built on Stetson’s Gulfport campus in 1998 and is one of the most advanced legal research centers in the southeastern U.S. The library houses more than 420,000 volumes, including a collection of statutes, court reports, journals and treatises. The academic law library also houses an archive of documents from the Nuremberg war tribunals, donated by Stetson’s long-serving dean and judge at the tribunals, Harold Sebring.

The generosity of Dolly and Homer Hand is evident across Stetson University’s four campuses. In 2007, the Hands donated a $1 million lead gift for the 5,000-square-foot Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center on Stetson’s DeLand campus. The Hand Art Center houses a massive collection of works by Modernist painter Oscar Bluemner and features two galleries, a foyer gallery and reception area, an art study and seminar room, and an art preparation area and vault.

New Faces in Alumni and Development

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Kominowski
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Hoyle
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Stoutamire
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Vaughan
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This fall semester, several new faces have joined the alumni and development team at Stetson University College of Law.

Ed Kominowski is the new associate vice president for college relations.
Robin Hoyle, a 1991 Stetson Law graduate, is the executive director of the Tampa Law Center and assists with alumni and development.
Casey Stoutamire, a 2009 Stetson Law graduate, is assistant director for alumni relations.
Stetson Law professor Stephanie Vaughan, a 1991 Stetson Law graduate, is the special assistant to the dean for alumni and development.

Kominowski was formerly director of development and major gifts at Edison State College in Fort Myers, executive director of development for the University of South Florida College of Engineering and had 10 years experience in development at Indiana University.

Hoyle has an extensive background in fundraising and external relations in addition to practicing law. Her diverse career has included building an endowment to advance cancer research and working with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Stoutamire previously worked at the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration Inc. and before graduating last year from Stetson, was a student leader and ambassador. She works on alumni events, planned giving and class gift campaigns.

Vaughan is a professor at Stetson Law who led the student Moot Court Board to victory as their advisor in several international and national championships for a decade. In her new role, she will continue to teach and to assist with fundraising to enhance educational programs at Stetson.

Podgor Testifies Before Congress

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Professor Ellen Podgor testifying before Congress. Photo by Dupont Photographers. Click for high-resolution image.

On Sept. 28, white-collar crime expert professor Ellen Podgor testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Professor Podgor, the LeRoy Highbaugh, Sr., Research Chair at Stetson University College of Law, discussed the impact of overcriminalization.

“The cycle of recriminalizing conduct every time an event occurs needs to stop,” Podgor urged Congress.

“Clearly we are all opposed to crime, and the goal to eradicate its existence is of the utmost importance,” Professor Podgor stated at the beginning of her testimony before Congress. “Laws that punish individuals when they commit crimes serve the important goals of deterring future criminality and isolating those who may present a harm to society. But efforts towards achieving these goals are hampered by the reality that, in some cases, criminality is not clearly defined, and society is not properly notified of what conduct is prohibited by law.”

The president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Jim E. Levine, also testified. Levine and Podgor fielded questions from Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Louie Gohmert (R-TX). Chairman John Conyers, Jr. also participated.

Hearing witnesses included overcriminalization victims Abner Schoenwetter and race car driver Bobby Unser, Brian Walsh of the Heritage Foundation, Notre Dame Law professor Stephen Smith, and former Director of the DOJ’s Enron Task Force Andrew Weissmann.

To read professor Ellen Podgor’s complete testimony, visit the NACDL here.
Visit her white collar crime blog to read more of her analyses of legal issues.
For more background on this topic, read the NACDL and Heritage Foundation report, Without Intent: How Congress Is Eroding the Criminal Intent Requirement in Federal Law.

Gulf Oil Spill: Uncertain Impact?

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Manager of Media Relations
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Dr. Frank Muller Karger. Click for high-resolution image"

What is the impact of the Gulf oil spill? It is a question being asked in legal and scientific communities alike. On Sept. 30, Dr. Frank E. Muller-Karger, a University of South Florida professor and director of the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing, talked with law students at Stetson about the science being used to assess the uncertain impact of this spring’s oil spill on marine life and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. Muller-Karger spoke Thursday afternoon at Stetson University College of Law as part of a lecture sponsored by Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Environmental Law Society and Maritime Law Society.

He explained that the scientific programs to assess the impact of the oil spill on the Gulf are ongoing: “The take-home message here is that there is so much that we don’t know about what happened.” Muller-Karger explained that it could take years to assess the impact of the spill.

Legal challenges associated with the oil spill were the subject of a faculty roundtable at Stetson Law in August. Faculty experts Christine Cerniglia, Blake Hudson, Tim Kaye and Ellen Podgor gathered to discuss the Gulf oil spill, past spills, the effectiveness of regulation and some proactive ideas. The oil has stopped flowing, but the lawsuits have only just begun to surface. People, animals, industries and the environment in four states along the Gulf coast all face the possibility of lasting impacts from the offshore accident. The title of Muller-Karger’s talk was “Scientific Programs to Assess the BP/Deepwater Horizon Spill and Its (Uncertain) Impacts on the Gulf of Mexico.” Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, directed by professor Royal Gardner, is co-sponsoring a series of lectures throughout the semester. For more information about the institute, visit http://www.law.stetson.edu/biodiversity.

Best-Selling Author Visits Stetson

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Legal thriller author Jilliane Hoffman signs a student's copy of her latest book, Pretty Little Things at Stetson Law. Click for high-resolution image.

Best-selling author and former prosecutor Jilliane Hoffman visited Stetson University College of Law’s Gulfport campus on Sept. 27 to speak with students about writing as a career and her latest book.

“If you want to branch out in a totally different career, writing is an option,” Hoffman told her audience at Stetson.

Hoffman shared how she transitioned from her legal career into writing legal thrillers, and how she first found a publisher through serendipitous networking on the part of her mom. Hoffman’s legal career includes working on domestic violence cases as assistant state attorney prosecuting felonies in Florida and advising special agents working on narcotics, homicide, and organized crime investigations.

Hoffman told the story of the impetus of her latest novel, Pretty Little Things. A too-close-for-comfort encounter with a child predator using the Internet to find victims sparked Hoffman’s latest thriller.

Jilliane Hoffman talks about writing as a career and her new book. Click for high-resolution image.

The author has visited Stetson Law three times and has written four books. Her book Retribution is being made into a movie. Her new book, Pretty Little Things, is #1 in Germany.

Students Work with Florida Innocence Commission

Innocence Commission director Lester A. Garringer Jr. speaks with Stetson Law students. Click for high-resolution image.

Stetson University College of Law students will assist Florida’s newly created Innocence Commission with research into wrongful convictions and effective legal reform. Lester A. Garringer, Jr., the executive director of the Innocence Commission, met with Stetson Law students and faculty on Sept. 21 in the Florin Roebig Courtroom.

“Working with the Innocence Commission is a wonderful opportunity for Stetson students to learn that effective advocacy does not just occur in the courtroom, but also in the halls of power where laws can be created to protect the innocent,” said professor Roberta Flowers, who co-directs the Innocence Initiative at Stetson University College of Law with professor Judith Scully.

Innocence Commission director Garringer addresses a packed courtroom at Stetson Law Tuesday evening. Click for high-resolution image.

Last fall, 20 Stetson Law students began assisting the Innocence Project of Florida with an overflow of case files. The Innocence Initiative at Stetson Law has grown to include more than 60 students working with 14 attorneys and a former judge, and has expanded to include three divisions. One division works on case files, one targets outreach and education, and another conducts research and analyzes reform.

“Our students and volunteer attorneys have already contributed hundreds of pro bono hours to this project in order to ensure its success,” said professor Scully. “Our goal is to use our advocacy skills on behalf of the wrongfully convicted to help re-balance the scales of justice.”

In the coming months, the Innocence Initiative at Stetson Law will be evaluating potential cases and claims, working to educate the student body at Stetson on wrongful conviction issues, and assisting the Florida Innocence Commission with research into effective legal reform.

“Analyzing reform is not the same as analyzing cases, where the end-game takes place in the courtroom,” said Gabe Neibergall, a Stetson student spearheading outreach for the Innocence Initiative. “For us, the last step will be making recommendations to the legislative branch, so we have to take more factors into account, such as legislative history, political climate, and police policy. It’s a problem-solving exercise, and one that is desperately needed in Florida.”

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady, who began his term on July 1, created the Innocence Commission to study the causes of wrongful convictions and to recommend possible solutions.