S T E T S O N
LAWYER FALL 2018
A M A G A Z I N E F O R S T E T S O N U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E O F L AW A LU M N I & F R I E N D S
K C A B G N I V I G
RS S? E Y AW R E E R L NG E CA U O Y IC S V ’ R Y E DA LIC S O T B CAN RD PU O AFF
A LETTER FROM THE INTERIM DEAN Your Support Serves the Public Interest I have had the privilege to be part of this great faculty for more than 17 years and am looking forward to the year ahead in my current role as Interim Dean as we undertake a nationwide search for our next Dean. As one of the faculty members involved in the Social Justice Advocacy concentration, I am very proud of Stetson’s history of public service. For more than 50 years, Stetson Law has been taking the lead in serving the public interest. Stetson launched the first Public Defender Clinic in the state in 1963. Every year, we welcome new students who are passionate about public interest work and eager to join the ranks of the Stetson lawyers who have gone before them in creating this legacy of service. If we are to keep our promise of creating practice-ready lawyers, we must make sure we prepare them for the legal world they are entering.
Kristen David Adams
Competition is the norm in every corner of the legal profession. In addition, law students who pursue careers helping the underserved face the added hurdle of entering the legal profession making less income than their private-practice counterparts. Without financial support and excellent planning, many Stetson students simply cannot afford to pursue public interest work. Stetson has made important strides in establishing scholarships and other incentives to give our students the support they need to do the good work of helping others. We have greatly expanded the diversity of scholarships and assistance available to Stetson Law students and now are able to offer dozens of scholarship opportunities for both entering and continuing students. We have also been reinvigorating our Book Awards program to recognize students for academic excellence. In this issue of the Stetson Lawyer, you will read about some of our extraordinary alumni and faculty who pay-it-forward in incredible ways. You will hear from scholarship recipients who have been able to pursue their dream jobs once financial obstacles were removed from the path. The importance of scholarships and the impact of financial support cannot be overemphasized. As both a donor and a recipient of a number of scholarships throughout my education, this topic is very close to my heart. Simply stated, the scholarships I received helped to make it possible for me to pursue my own dream job – being a law professor. I have never forgotten the generosity of those who funded the scholarships that supported my studies. Even a small gift is meaningful and helpful. The forward-thinking generosity of the Stetson community makes it possible to continue the legacy of Stetson lawyers serving the public interest through incredible work. We hope that you will find the stories in this issue of the Stetson Lawyer inspiring. Here, we celebrate the gifts that have made dreams possible for a long green line of Stetson lawyers, and the amazing gifts to come.
Kristen David Adams Interim Dean and Professor of Law Stetson University College of Law
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES Can Today’s Young Lawyers 12 Afford Public Service Careers? Where Are They Now? 14 Judge Lynn Tepper 15 Ahmad Yakzan 16 Michael Geldart 17 Eddie Mulock 18 SECTIONS Letter from the Dean 2 Briefs 4 Profiles 19 Events 21 Faculty Forum 25 Class Notes 28 Philanthropy 31 STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW Wendy B. Libby, President Kristen D. Adams, Interim Dean and Professor of Law Kevin Hughes, Assistant Dean, Development & Alumni Relations Brandi Palmer, Managing Editor Lisa Diliberto, Editor, Director of Communications and Marketing Darryl Wilson, Faculty Editor Laura Cheek, Tomeka Jackson, Brian Vandervliet, Contributing Editors Kathryn Bonti, E. Alan Brock, Molly Kaelin, Curtis Krueger, Bianca Lopez, Julie McHaffie, Erin Okuno, Rachel Wise, Writers Stetson Lawyer design and layout by Words and Pictures Creative Service, Inc. Stetson Lawyer magazine is published for alumni and friends of Stetson University College of Law. Stetson University College of Law, Florida’s first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.
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S T E T S O N L AW Y E R
BRIEFS STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW IS THE FIRST AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION COMPETITIONS CHAMPION BY BRANDI PALMER
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tetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, has been named the first American Bar Association Competitions Champion.
For the first time in its 17-year history, Stetson’s Dispute Resolution Board achieved a perfect four-for-four record of advancing to nationals in all four dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the ABA. Stetson University College of Law is the first school to achieve this distinction. This year, more than 1,300 students from 156 law schools participated in one or more of the competitions First row (L-R): Allison Belanger, Julia Alley, Olivia Mejido, Vanessa Denk. Back row (L-R): Interim Dean Kristen sponsored by the ABA Law Adams, Sy-Woei Hao, Mark Joseph, Jenna Jordan, Meghan Sullivan, Caroline Garrity, Jahanna Azarian, and Student Division. The competiProfessor Erika McArdle J.D. ‘12. tions represent all the areas in which the Dispute Resolution Board competes: arbitration, client competition after being finalists at the regional competition. counseling, and negotiation, in addition to the Moot Court Board Students Max Brown, Caroline Garrity J.D. ’18, Olivia competing in the national appellate advocacy competition. Stetson Mejido J.D. ’18 and Meghan Sullivan J.D ’18 placed first at students advanced to nationals from regional ABA championthe regional arbitration competition. Students Julia Alley J.D. ships in arbitration and negotiation in November of 2017, client ’18 and Mark Joseph finished first at the regional mediation counseling and mediation in February of 2018. competition. Stetson Law students Jahanna Azarian J.D. ’18 and Vanessa Denk J.D. ’18 finished as semifinalists at the national client counseling competition and placed first at the regional competition. Students Allison Belanger J.D. ’18 and Christina Huckfeldt J.D. ’18 finished as semifinalists in the national negotiation
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The Competitions Champion award is presented to the law school that accrues the most points through team achievements and participation in the ABA Law Student Division’s four practical skills competitions. Judges for the competitions include volunteer attorneys and sitting judges.
ALUMNUS SENIOR JUDGE RAPHAEL STEINHARDT FUNDS RESTORATION OF HISTORIC PAINTINGS AT STETSON LAW
Conservator Joel Burki explains the restoration process.
BY BRANDI PALMER
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tetson Law alumnus Senior Judge Raphael Steinhardt J.D. ’63, a 2013 Stetson Law Hall of Fame inductee and namesake of the Judge Raphael Steinhardt Building that houses the Veterans Law Institute at Stetson, has recently made a donation to restore five large historic oil paintings on Stetson’s Gulfport campus. The campus was previously the home of the Florida Military Academy and was built originally as the Rolyat Hotel in the 1920s. The paintings include figurative works depicting scenes from beaches to bull fights and include “Gypsy girl,” “Interior figural scene,” and “La serenata,” by Victor Robbian and “After the bath”
Raphael Steinhardt
and “The bull fight” by F. Gonzalez Gamarra. Conservator Joel M. Burki is restoring the paintings and the more than 90-year-old wooden frames.
Judge Steinhardt also donated funds to run the Veterans Law Institute and to the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library at Stetson. He previously served more than 25 years on Stetson Law’s Board of Overseers. He has endowed several scholarships and awards at Stetson Law including the Judge Raphael Steinhardt Public Interest Scholarship, the Judge Raphael Steinhardt Public Interest Wage & Salary Supplement Scholarship, and the Judge Raphael Steinhardt Veterans Scholarship. He is the recipient of Stetson’s Ben C. Willard Alumnus of the Year Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
WIL FLORIN J.D. ’80 JOINS BOARD OF TRUSTEES BY JULIE MCHAFFIE
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lorin | Roebig partner Wil Florin J.D. ’80 has been selected to join Stetson University’s Board of Trustees. Florin has served as an adjunct professor in trial practice as well as a host and keynote speaker for the annual Friends and Family Day event at Stetson Law. Along with the appointment to the Board of Trustees, Florin will continue to serve his second three-year term as an active member of the Stetson Law Board of Overseers.
Wil Florin
As an alumnus of Stetson Law, Florin has remained actively involved with the law school. In 1993, the firm of Florin | Roebig constructed a large and technologically
advanced teaching courtroom on the Gulfport campus. The firm also has sponsored the law school’s annual traveling Civil Rights Movement course since 2003. Research from the Civil Rights Movement course is featured in the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Due to their continued support of the College of Law, Florin and Tommy Roebig J.D. ’86 were awarded the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award by the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association in 2007. Florin will serve a four-year term on the Stetson University Board of Trustees. 5
BRIEFS
THE SEARCH FOR A NEW COLLEGE OF LAW DEAN IS UNDERWAY BY EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PROVOST NOEL PAINTER, PH.D.
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he recent successes of the College of Law positions us well to attract strong candidates in the search for our next dean. As of July, the university has engaged senior partner Lucy Leske, senior partner Werner Boel, and associate Veena Abraham of Witt/Kieffer to assist in running the search process. These are exceptional partners for Stetson in this search, particularly because of Leske’s prior engagement in the search for Stetson’s provost in 2009, and both Boel’s and Abraham’s background in legal education (Werner holds two LL.M. degrees and serves as the firm’s legal services practice leader and Veena received her J.D. from the University of Miami). Witt/Kieffer has significant experience in running law searches, having recently been engaged in law dean searches across the country at the University of North Carolina, Elon University, Fordham University, University of Houston, University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut, University of Richmond, Northern Illinois University, University of Cincinnati, Northeastern University and Villanova University. Professor Rebecca Morgan and I will co-chair the search committee,
which will include more than a dozen dedicated students, staff and faculty from the Gulfport and DeLand campuses, as well as several members of the current Board of Overseers. With appropriate input from the Stetson community, the committee will determine the fundamental qualifications for a new dean, provisions for tenure, search methodology, timing and an advertising/engagement plan for prospective candidates. The public face of the search process will be launched early in the fall semester and be completed in early spring. The search for the next visionary leader and dean at the College of Law is one of several searches for deans at Stetson that are currently shaping Stetson’s future. While deans come to us to lead, facilitate, communicate and organize the work of the institution, it is the collective effort of our passionate alumni, expert staff, dedicated faculty and motivated students which will move this institution forward. I look forward to our work together both to find the next leader for the college, as well as our supportive, united efforts to work with the new dean toward excellence in education and experience for our students.
VICTORIA SAN PEDRO MADANI J.D. ’14 WINS 7TH ANNUAL LEGAL EAGLE CLOSING ARGUMENT COMPETITION BY JULIE MCHAFFIE
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ictoria San Pedro Madani J.D. ’14 won the 7th Annual Legal Eagle Closing Argument Competition held at Florida International University College of Law. This prestigious competition is open to attorneys in Miami-Dade County who have been practicing for seven years or less. Facts and materials for the competition are released 72 hours in advance and the competition consists of several rounds of arguing both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s positions. More than 30 attorneys under 40 years of age participated in the competition and argued before a panel of private practitioners and sitting judges. The proceeds from the competition assist Legal Services of Greater Miami.
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Victoria San Pedro Madani
At Stetson Law, Madani was a member of the Trial Team, Moot Court Board, and was a senior associate of the Stetson Law Review. On top of that, Victoria successfully won the National Moot Court Competition and the Chester Bedell Mock Trial Competition. Victoria graduated summa cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in 2014 and scored one of the highest scores on the July 2014 Florida Bar Exam. Currently, she is an associate in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP and is a member of the Class Action & Mass Litigation Practice Group.
BRIEFS
BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE UPDATES BY ERIN OKUNO J.D. ’13
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he Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, recipient of the ABA’s Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy Award, coordinates Stetson Law’s environmental programs and initiatives. In June of 2018, the director of Stetson University College of Law’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy Professor Royal Gardner received the Society of Wetland Scientists President’s Service Award. Professor Gardner also has served as the chair of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands scientific advisory body for the 2016–2018 triennium. Professor Gardner, Foreman Biodiversity Fellow Erin Okuno, and a team of attorneys filed two amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the Society of Wetland Scientists in May and July of 2018 to explain the necessity of considering the scientific basis of the Clean Water Rule, which defines the geographic coverage of the Clean Water Act. Professor Paul Boudreaux did volunteer work for a number of environmental matters this past year, and Professor Lance Long worked with then-student volunteer Brittany Atwell J.D. ’18 and Stetson Law alumni Katie Cleveland Bright J.D. ’15 and Rachael Curran J.D. ’17 to provide research and draft pleadings in connection with climate change litigation brought by Our Children’s Trust. Stetson Law helped organize the 18th International Wildlife Law Conference, which was hosted in the Netherlands in April of 2018. The conference featured sessions on transboundary
(L-R): Rachael Curran, Professor Lance Long, Brittany Atwell, and Katie Cleveland Bright
challenges to wildlife management, wildlife conservation mechanisms and treaties, wildlife crime, and international and national issues in wildlife protection, among others. David Macdonald of Oxford, whose WildCRU was tracking Cecil the lion, was the keynote speaker. Thanks to the support of Bonnie Foreman B.A. ’68, the Biodiversity Institute continues to offer the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series in the fall, with presentations on payments for ecosystem services, “dirty hands, wet feet” learning in the environment, and wetland restoration. For more information about the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy or how to support its programs, please contact Erin Okuno at okuno@law.stetson.edu or visit stetson.edu/law/ biodiversity. 7
BRIEFS
STETSON WINS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PRO BONO SERVICE BY AN ORGANIZATION BY BRANDI PALMER
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tetson University College of Law was selected as the winner of the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization by the 13th Judicial Circuit and Hillsborough County Bar Association. Stetson’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law Ann Piccard J.D. ’85 and Stetson student president of the Public Service Fellows Evelyn Passino J.D. ’18 accepted the award on behalf of Stetson at the Pro Bono Awards Ceremony at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center in Tampa on April 19. Professor Piccard, along with Interim Dean Kristen Adams and Professor Judith Scully, leads the Social Justice Advocacy Concentration program at Stetson University as well as Stetson’s pro bono efforts. Stetson was the first law school to require pro bono service of its students in the state of Florida, and Stetson students donate thousands of pro bono hours annually. “It’s tremendously gratifying to see our students’ pro bono work recognized by the members of the 13th Judicial Circuit and the Hillsborough County Bar Association,” said Professor Piccard.
(L-R): Melissa Mora J.D. ’06, who presented the Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Organization; Evelyn Passino J.D. ‘18, president of Stetson’s Public Service Fellows; and Professor Ann Piccard J.D. ‘85. Photo courtesy Professor Piccard.
“Our students make a difference every day in communities across the Tampa Bay area, and have done so for decades. Pro bono work is more than a graduation requirement: It’s a professional responsibility, and Stetson Law students know that with the privilege of their education comes the social responsibility to make our communities better places in which to live and work. They make us all proud to be a part of Stetson,” said Professor Piccard. The 13th Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee, H.A.V.E. A HEART pro bono program, and Bay Area Legal Services’ Volunteer Lawyers Program congratulated Stetson for being selected for the honor. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Catherine Peek McEwen J.D. ’82 nominated Stetson for the award.
STETSON WELCOMES
NEW FACULT Y
Andrew Appleby
Andrew Appleby joined Stetson University College of Law as an assistant professor of law, teaching federal income tax courses beginning this fall. Professor Appleby practiced tax 8
law at leading firms for nearly a decade. Most recently, he was special counsel in the tax group at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s New York office. Professor Appleby was a partner in the tax group at Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP’s New York office, and an associate in the corporate group at Alston & Bird LLP’s Atlanta office. Prior to his legal career, he was an information technology and business consultant.
Anne E. Mullins
Anne E. Mullins has joined the Stetson University College of Law faculty beginning in the fall semester as an associate professor teaching research and writing. Professor Mullins previously taught at the University of North Dakota School of Law
and the University of Oregon School of Law. She received the University of North Dakota Foundation Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate or Professional Teaching in 2017, the University of North Dakota School of Law Teacher of the Year Award in 2016 and 2017, the Webb Faculty Achievement Award in 2016, the Robert Johnson Research Fellowship in 2017, and the University of North Dakota Summer Instructional Development Professorship in 2014.
BRIEFS
STETSON HOSTS THE 16TH ANNUAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION YOUTH PRE-LAW CONFERENCE Alumni volunteers included Carmen Johnson J.D. ‘12, Charis Campbell J.D. ’13, Shaquana Harper J.D. ’12, Angelica Jones J.D. ’13, Cassandra Kline J.D. ’15 and Danielle Martin J.D. ’13.
BY BRANDI PALMER
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tetson’s Gulfport campus hosted the 16th Annual Diversity and Inclusion Youth Pre-Law Conference on March 9, with students from Tyrone Middle School. This year’s theme was “The Great Debate.”
Our alumni, working together with these students, feed the pipeline of excellence and help grow future advocates. — Professor Judith Scully The daylong conference, held every year in partnership with the Law School Admission Counsel’s DiscoverLaw.org, featured alumni volunteers mentoring middle school students along with
Stetson Law students, faculty and administrators. Stetson also partnered this year with the Fred G. Minnis, Sr. Bar Association of Pinellas County. With the assistance of the Minnis Bar, the middle school students drafted mock written and oral arguments and had an opportunity to advocate in the Eleazer Courtroom on topics ranging from policing in schools to arming teachers. The conference, coordinated by Associate Director for Admissions and Diversity Initiatives Carmen Johnson J.D. ’12 in conjunction with the Minnis Bar, promotes opportunities for legal education and careers among local middle school, high school and community college students from a range of diverse backgrounds. “Our alumni, working together with these students, feed the pipeline of excellence and help grow future advocates,” said Professor Judith Scully. 9
BRIEFS
20 YEARS:
STETSON LAW LIBRARY BY BIANCA LOPEZ
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alking into the Dolly and Homer Hand Law Library, a white board greets passersby with a joke. Sometimes, it is submitted by students. Oftentimes, it is seasonal and a tad corny. Always, it is meant to put a smile on the face of all who enter the library. “Ever since I got here, I think the idea was that law school is stressful enough,” said Sally Waters, reference librarian and adjunct professor. “If you could do something that was going to make things a little bit nicer, you try.”
Groundbreaking for the new building began in 1997. In the summer of 1998, the building stage was complete. The new library has hit its fair share of milestones since opening in the fall of 1998, beginning with its opening ceremony. U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at the dedication.
The late Justice Antonin Scalia visited Stetson twice: Twenty years ago, making things nicer once in 1990, prior to the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at meant advocating for a new library building the dedication. new library’s opening, and where students would have the space to once in 2007, in the current study and Stetson Law would have the space to grow. building. Justice Clarence Thomas visited the library in 2010. Librarian Emeritus J. Lamar Woodard served Stetson as the director of the law library from 1971 to 2001. During most of Woodard’s tenure, the library was housed in a scant and uninviting spot in the Dana building. “We knew we were outgrowing the old library,” Woodard said. There was a cramped Lexis and Westlaw terminal that required dial in and small typing areas for students, but little study space. Under Dean Emeritus Richard Dillon, who served as dean from 1968 to 1981, the original library underwent an update in the mid-70s. Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob J.D. ’59, who served as dean from 1981 to 1994, hired architect Charles Canerday to design a new library building. Dean Emeritus Lizabeth Moody became dean in 1994, and in her five years as dean, made the library project her own. While some found the idea of a physical library to be less necessary due to growing technology, she and the library staff insisted that libraries are worth more than the books on the shelves. Students needed a place to study, to work in groups and utilize resources.
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Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night, visited the library in April of 2002. The new law library was named for Dolly and Homer Hand, longtime trustees of Stetson Law, in October of 2010. Dolly Hand graduated from Stetson Law in 1949 as the only female in her graduating class and the youngest student to graduate from the College of Law. In 2015, the library staff won an award from the American Association of Law Libraries for a promotional video, “James and the Giant Library,” in which Professor Emeritus Peter Fitzgerald’s therapy dog James explored the library. Today, the library building houses Academic Success and the Information Technology departments. “The building has held up well for 20 years,” Woodard said. “If there ever comes a time when a physical library isn’t necessary, and I hope that never happens, it could be used for something else.” The library, a second home for many students, is the legacy that decades of administrators, staff, and faculty have left to the students of Stetson Law.
BRIEFS
STETSON HONORED WITH DELANO S. STEWART DIVERSITY AWARD BY BRANDI PALMER
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tetson University College of Law was honored on April 23 with the Delano S. Stewart Diversity Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to improving the status of African-Americans in the community during the George Edgecomb Bar Association scholarship banquet. Stetson Law student Reed Blair J.D. ’18 received the GEBA Bar Prep Scholarship and was recognized during the banquet. The keynote speaker was Dick Vitale, famed sports analyst and cancer research philanthropist. “The honor is a significant milestone in Stetson’s longstanding partnership with GEBA, and our continued efforts to recruit diverse law students and promote greater inclusion in the legal field,” said Carmen Johnson J.D. ’12, Stetson’s associate director for Admissions and Diversity Initiatives. “Delano Stewart’s pioneering example serves as a welcomed reminder to the Stetson community, including our law students, to not settle for the status quo as we advocate for more equality throughout our communities.” Stetson Law plays a dynamic role in the Tampa Bay metro area, with its main campus in Gulfport and a satellite center in Tampa.
(L–R): Former Assistant Dean of Strategic Enrollment Management Laura Zuppo, Assistant Dean of International and Graduate Programs JR Swanegan, student Jonathan Blair, Associate Director of Career and Professional Development Joann Grages Burnett J.D. ‘08, student GEBA 2018 scholarship recipient Reed Blair, Associate Director for Admissions and Diversity Initiatives Carmen Johnson J.D. ‘12, Delano Stewart (award’s namesake), Former Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Director of Admissions Darren Kettles, student Brandy Orth Becker, student Keongela Norton, and student Assita Toure. Photo courtesy Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.
Stetson University is also home to a College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, and School of Music in DeLand, with a university satellite center in Celebration. Stetson Law is ranked no. 1 in trial advocacy and no. 2 in legal writing by U.S. News & World Report. Stetson has also been recognized as one of the Top 20 most diverse law schools in the nation by Prelaw magazine and was honored as a National Diversity Outreach Champion by the National Black Pre-Law Conference.
FILLING A NEED: BOOK AWARD SPONSORS SUPPORT FUTURE STETSON LAWYERS BY BRANDI PALMER Six generous law firms are currently sponsoring Book Awards at Stetson University College of Law to reward the most academically successful students in Bankruptcy (Latham, Shuker, Eden & Beaudine LLC), Commercial Transactions (Robert Eckard Law), Trial Advocacy (Kemp, Ruge & Green), Contracts (DSK Law), Professional Responsibility (Killgore, Pearlman, Stamp, Denius & Squires), and Research & Writing II/ Environmental Law Section (Hopping, Green & Sams). Law firms sponsoring Book Awards for Stetson University College of Law students make a three-year commitment to sponsor a class and make a gift to the law school. The highest achieving students in each sponsored class receive the award and a plaque to honor their accomplishments.
Evin Tilton J.D. ‘13 and Brian Remler.
Opportunities for giving are still available for several classes. Interested in learning more about making a donation to sponsor a class and a high-achieving student for a Book Award? Contact Development and Alumni Relations Assistant Dean Kevin Hughes at 727-562-7318 or khughes@law. stetson.edu 11
F E AT U R E
GIVING BACK
CAN TODAY’S YOUNG LAWYERS AFFORD PUBLIC SERVICE CAREERS? BY CURTIS KRUEGER
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cott Tolliver was a grade school student watching coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial when he first got the glimmer of an idea that he might want to become a defense attorney. Years later, when he received the prestigious Public Service Scholarship that paid his entire third year of tuition at Stetson University College of Law, his life plan took a giant step toward becoming reality. “What that scholarship allowed me to do was to pursue something that I was passionate about,” said Tolliver, J.D. ’15, who is now an assistant public defender in Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit in Lakeland. A true believer in defending the indigent, his courtroom experience has only confirmed that he’s exactly where he wants to be. Scott Tolliver
But success stories like Tolliver’s are in danger.
Many U.S. law graduates now leave school with loans in six figures. Without the help of scholarships to defray debt, law school graduates sometimes cannot afford to work as prosecutors or public defenders, or in other public service positions at non-profits or government agencies. “Most of them have debt that is around $100,000, some of them around $200,000, which we call the mortgage without the house,” said Bob Dillinger, J.D. ’76, who regularly hires new law school graduates as the public defender in Florida’s 6th Circuit. This summer, Dillinger got a surprising indication of the effect student debt is having on his office. For the first time since he was elected in 1996, Dillinger had three $47,000-per-year assistant public defender positions open, but no active resumes on hand from candidates wanting to fill them.
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“The debt is a big factor that’s taken people away from public service simply because they want to try to make more money to pay off that debt,” said Dillinger, who in 2015 received Stetson’s prestigious William Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award. Bob Dillinger
So how can bright young lawyers afford to go into public service law?
Scholarships are a key part of the answer, said Kevin Hughes, assistant dean of development and alumni relations at Stetson. “I know for many of our students, these financial concerns weigh on them in terms of thinking, what’s the future going to hold? They’re very aware of it from the beginning of their law school careers,” Hughes said. Loans are used not only for tuition but also for living expenses, including the all-important time spent studying for the bar exam. Scholarships have always been a way of recognizing accomplished students and making sure they can afford an education. But in this climate, scholarships can benefit the whole field of public service law, by ensuring that law students don’t turn away from it before they’ve even started. “It’s important for us all to attract talented people to pursue a legal education so we have those talented people in the prosecutor’s office and in the public defender’s office,” Hughes said. “It’s important not to be pricing people out of the opportunity to pursue those careers.” When students do receive scholarships, Hughes said “it lessens the burden for them as they think about what they’re going to do post-law school and it gives them a sense of relief. It gives them peace of mind.”
Hughes said the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program also is a huge help for many students, because it can eliminate student debt for those who spend 10 years in public service careers and make 120 consecutive on-time payments.
How big an issue is student debt? Jennie Hayes, J.D. ’13 had no undergraduate student loan debt and also received the Public Service Scholarship which paid her third year of tuition at Stetson. Even so, her student loans amounted to six figures. Now an assistant state attorney in the 18th Judicial Circuit, she is thankful for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program as well as for the scholarship.
But federal officials have proposed cutting back the program or eliminating it. “That would really change things radically,” Hughes said. The importance of scholarships at Stetson is one issue on which the prosecution and the defense agree. “I know some people have well north of $100,000 in student loan debt,” said Bernie McCabe, B.A. ’69/J.D. ’72, state attorney for the 6th Circuit. “What I can pay them to start off is not enough to pay off student loan debt, have a house, have a family.” Some assistant state attorneys, as well as some assistant public defenders, have even taken second jobs. McCabe’s office reviews any such jobs for his staff, but he still considers the practice problematic. “Any second job might impair their ability to do this job,” said McCabe. “Because when they start, we don’t expect it to be a nine-to-five, 40-hour-a-week operation. Bernie McCabe You have to learn everything.” McCabe said one of his newer attorneys is married with three kids and has more than $200,000 in student loans. Even though the wife earns a good salary in her job, McCabe said, “That’s going to be tough. That’s going to be really, really tough when I’m starting him out at $45,000 a year.” Some in his office defer their loans for three years and by that time are earning roughly $57,000, but then they need to begin making payments. “That’s where we lose a lot of people.” McCabe, a member of the Stetson Law Hall of Fame, is grateful to people who donate to law school scholarships. Without them, he wonders how law schools could even survive. “It’s very important to me as somebody who needs to hire a bunch of law students every year that I have them coming from quality institutions where I can feel that they’ve been educated properly,” said McCabe. “So it’s important to me that law schools survive, and under the current state of affairs, I think the scholarships are the only way we can do that.” Dillinger feels the same way. “In order for us to keep a high-quality level of representation in the criminal justice system, we need scholarships so that these lawyers aren’t debt-ridden and driven out of the public practice of law.”
One reason she is grateful is that, like Tolliver, she dreamed of becoming an Jennie Hayes attorney since grade school. But she always knew she was destined to become a prosecutor and she’s very pleased to have become one. She can tell she is helping, such as when she worked recently with a woman who was the victim of a carjacking, or when she advises law enforcement officers on procedures that will make their cases stand up in court. “I do feel that I am making a difference and that was important to me,” said Hayes. “I couldn’t do a job where I personally didn’t feel the fulfillment of making some sort of impact on people.” She added that the camaraderie in her office is exceptional. She is not only on the receiving end of Stetson scholarships. Hayes was among the Class of 2013 students who established the Dean Bruce R. Jacob Scholarship. Getting the Public Service Scholarship at Stetson helped Hayes financially, but it was more than that. It felt like a vote of confidence. “It gave me a sense of pride that I got that scholarship,” said Hayes. “It’s almost like the whole school is behind you… and that gave me more motivation to want to succeed as a public interest attorney.” Tolliver, the assistant public defender, said he also feels thankful for receiving the Public Service Scholarship. He said his parents taught him that “if you can do something that you love and that you’re passionate about, a lot of life’s joy comes from that.” That’s how he feels about his job. He finds it inspiring to fight for his clients’ freedom.
WANT TO GIVE? To contribute to the Stetson Law General Scholarship Fund please visit stetson.edu/law/give OR to learn more about establishing an endowed scholarship fund, please contact Kevin Hughes in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at khughes@law.stetson.edu or 727-562-7318.
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WHERE ARE T H EY N OW?
PROFESSOR EMERITUS THOMAS C. MARKS JR. LL.B. ’63:
FROM STETSON LAW TO FRECKLES FARM
BY BRANDI PALMER AND BIANCA LOPEZ
W
hen Professor Emeritus Thomas C. Marks Jr. retired from teaching law for more than 34 years at Stetson, his wife Nancy encouraged the couple to move out to the country, to a 1.5-acre plot of land in what Marks calls “horse country” in Marion County, just outside the Ocala city limits. The Marks’ house is closer to family and is home to 32 special needs rescue dogs, named Freckles Farm after one of the dogs. Marks published more than 60 scholarly works during his time on the faculty and the Thomas C. Marks Jr. Scholarship in Constitutional Law is named in his honor. He attended Professor Emeritus Stetson Law as a student in the 1960s, Tom Marks and has been an integral member of the Stetson community for over 50 years, inducted into the Stetson Law Hall of Fame in 2007. Upon graduating from Stetson Law in 1963, Marks clerked for six months before changing his reserve military status to active duty in the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam, and remained in the reserves for another nine years, leaving the military with the rank of major. Marks joined Stetson’s law faculty in 1973, teaching U.S. and Florida constitutional law until retiring in 2007.
after class, Jacob returned to his office and again passed the student in the hallway still waiting on Professor Marks. Jacob poked his head in Marks’ door and exclaimed, “There’s no one there. It’s just Professor Marks.” The student peeped around the door to see that the students she thought she saw were actually just his cardboard cut-outs. Today, Marks’ life after Stetson is full of purpose and fun. When Marks and his wife Nancy attended a dog adoption day at Petco, a little gray shih-tzu caught their attention who became the impetus for their dog rescue. They adopted the shih-tzu and brought him home to the four dogs the Marks already had. The couple then began working with rescue agencies to adopt dogs with special needs who were blind or crippled and desperately needed loving homes. Soon, a home with five dogs became one with 32 whom the Marks care for daily. “It’s one of the ways we contribute to society,” Marks said of the dog rescue.
Marks was a favorite among his Marks graduated from Stetson Law in 1963. Marks retired from teaching at Stetson in 2007. students – who spearheaded efforts to fund the scholarship in his name. He maintained the Marks turns 80 years old in March and is celebrating 50 philosophy that tough subjects like constitutional law were years of marriage with his wife. The couple enjoys hosting best tackled with a little humor, and started every class with faculty and alumni gatherings in their home, where Marks a joke. His office was filled with life-sized cardboard is currently writing a piece about longtime colleague Dean cutouts of John Wayne, Spock, President Bush “43,” and a and Professor of Law Emeritus Jacob for the next issue of character from Lord of the Rings. the Stetson Law Review. Once, a student came to speak with Marks during office hours but seeing figures in his office, did not want to interrupt their conversation. Dean and Professor of Law Emeritus Bruce Jacob passed by and asked who she was waiting for and she replied, “Professor Marks.” An hour 14
Marks’ advice to alumni is to find the balance and have a life beyond practicing law. “What is life if all you do is work?” Marks said. “There are many ways you can find to give back to society.”
ALUMNI SUCCESS
S T E T S O N L AW Y E R
ALUMNI SUCCESS STORIES 34 YEARS ON THE BENCH: JUDGE LYNN TEPPER J.D. ’77 BY RACHEL WISE
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he Honorable Judge Lynn Tepper J.D. ’77 found her passion for the law while trying to start a dinner theater in the summer of 1974 after her graduation from Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson in anticipation of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York “During the contract negotiations, we felt like we were being taken advantage of and I thought, ‘If I go to law school, no one will ever take advantage of me again,’” she said. With a B.A. in drama/dance, Tepper initially thought she would pursue entertainment law. “Then I took a trial class and I knew - this is for me,” she said.
After graduating from Stetson, Tepper clerked for Chief Bankruptcy Judge Alexander L. Paskay in the Middle District of Judge Lynn Tepper Florida. She then worked as an assistant public defender and later started her own practice. She grew involved in the local community, serving as a board member, and later president, of what grew into BayCare. She also re-started the East Pasco American Cancer Society Board. After four years in private practice, Tepper became the first female judge elected to the Pasco County Court. Tepper implemented the first supervised county court probation. She started a night traffic court for citizens who worked during the court’s usual hours. After four years as a Pasco County Judge, Tepper ran unopposed for the seat in the 6th Circuit Court which she has held since 1989. In the late 1990s, Judge Tepper began presiding over an unfunded Unified Family Court. In 2001, the Circuit received one of two sizable grants from the Florida Supreme Court to implement UFC. “Before Unified Family Court, in one courthouse or one county, you could have four different rulings on one family’s issue,” Tepper said.
For nearly a decade, Judge Tepper has kept her courtroom trauma-informed. Trauma-informed care is a specialized approach that involves recognizing, understanding and responding to the long-lasting effects of trauma to help the individual cope with the underlying issues that may lead to illegal, risk-taking and coping behaviors, prevent re-traumatization by the “system” and recidivism. In 2012, her courtroom was selected as one of only six in the nation for the Project O.N.E. Program from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Then I took a trial class and I knew — this is for me
— Lynn Tepper
Currently, Tepper uses the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study in her courtroom to better understand the children, families, delinquent youth and defendants who come through her courtroom and to assure that the buried trauma at the root of the behavior is addressed through evidence-based assessments and referrals. ACEs impacts social, emotional and cognitive development. The ACEs study measures the impact of exposure to childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and household dysfunction during childhood. Judge Tepper travels around the country explaining the importance of a trauma-informed approach like Project O.N.E. and the ease with which systems and courts can collaborate to implement it. She has been featured on Nightline, the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Montel Williams Show, and CNN. Tepper also helped develop Florida’s protocols for domestic violence clemency waivers after being appointed to the Battered Women’s Clemency Panels, which she chaired. After 34 years on the bench, Judge Tepper is set to retire at the end of her term this year. She said she plans to continue teaching and writing about her approach to justice within the courts and communities.
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ALUMNI SUCCESS
HOW STETSON LAUNCHED
“MY AMERICAN DREAM” BY CURTIS KRUEGER
Ahmad Yakzan B.A. ’03, M.B.A. ’05, J.D. ’08, LL.M. ’09 describes community of support that helped him achieve his goals.
A
hmad Yakzan was at his high school graduation in Lebanon when he received a packet of information that changed his life and brought his mother to tears. He had just received an acceptance letter from a Florida college, along with an application for a student visa. “My mother just hugged me in the middle of the basketball court and started crying because she knew I was going to be going away,” Yakzan recalls. It would have been hard for Yakzan to imagine the odyssey this packet would launch. His journey from Lebanon ultimately led to Stetson University College of Law and now to his own St. Petersburg-based practice, the American Dream Law Office. But even as a teenager on the day of graduation, Yakzan knew he could not turn down the opportunity. “The U.S. is known for being the free country that it is and the land of the American dream,” Yakzan said. Yakzan, who has four degrees from Stetson, has achieved his own dream of becoming a lawyer and now works to help others navigate the complexities of the immigration system.
Ahmad Yakzan
He is quick to say, “I don’t think my American dream would be possible without Stetson.”
Yakzan’s acceptance letter was to Brevard Community College, now Eastern Florida State College. When a friend told him about Stetson’s law school, he decided to visit the Stetson University campus in DeLand and fell in love with it. He majored in political science as an undergraduate and went on to receive his M.B.A. before enrolling at Stetson Law in 2006. Yakzan could not have made it through law school without financial help, and his lack of finances could have derailed all of his plans. But Yakzan said he was astonished to find in Stetson a community of supporters who worked to find scholarships to help him achieve his goals. 16
“They really adopted me at Stetson and that’s a beautiful thing,” Yakzan said. “I was away from my family for 17 and a half years and I found another one at Stetson. It’s that simple.” Yakzan had developed a plan to use his law degree to advocate for the rights of Muslim women. But he said Arturo R. Rios J.D. ’06, a professor who taught immigration advocacy in Yakzan’s LL.M. program, “sat me down and said you need to do this; you need to practice immigration.”
They really adopted me at Stetson and that’s a beautiful thing. I was away from my family for 17 and a half years and I found another one at Stetson. It’s that simple. — Ahmad Yakzan B.A. ’03, M.B.A. ’05, J.D. ’08, LL.M.’09 Three years ago, Yakzan founded his own firm, handling all aspects of immigration law including visas, green cards, asylum, and removal proceedings. “I believe I’m making the country stronger by being here. My story is just like the story of all my clients. If I thought immigration made the U.S. weaker I wouldn’t have come here,” said Yakzan. After receiving so much support from his Stetson family, Yakzan said it’s only natural for him to give back. So he has established and contributes to a scholarship at the law school. “We need to give back,” he said. “I know there are more Ahmad Yakzans out there.”
ALUMNI SUCCESS
MICHAEL GELDART J.D. ’88: ADVOCACY TRAINING IN LAW SCHOOL DRIVES SUCCESSFUL CAREER BY E. ALAN BROCK J.D. ’17/LL.M. ’18
“L
aw school will give you the tools to achieve any number of successes,” said Michael Geldart J.D. ’88. “Whether it is as a lawyer, running a company, or as an investor: law school opens those doors.”
Law training had prepared him to succeed and allowed him to rise to partner while representing health care organizations including hospitals, long-term care facilities, research organizations, physician groups and home health agencies. It was one of these health care organizations, after being acquired by a private equity firm, that recognized his talents and presented him with a new challenge: working inside the company as general counsel. There, he developed an interest in health care policy and moved from his direct legal services role to becoming the chief operating officer and then executive vice president.
Geldart credits Stetson’s advocacy training with providing him with the foundation that allowed him to succeed throughout his life, as a lawyer, business leader, and highly-sought consultant. “Law schools above all else, and especially Stetson, teach you how to think differently,” said Geldart. “Our advocacy school trains you on how to analyze problems, find solutions, and communicate those ideas with stakeholders.” In addition to the training that Stetson provided, Geldart gives credit to his wife, Kimberly, for her support in helping meet the challenges that he continues to set personally and professionally.
He used the analytical thinking he honed in law school to find company challenges, identify additional resources needed to excel, and help that company reach its full potential. Geldart has since become a highly sought consultant. In particular, he is very proud of his work with BioTELEMETRY, Inc. He began his time with this publicly traded company as the senior vice president of corporate strategy and business development and would become its chief operating officer.
Michael Geldart
Our advocacy school trains you on how to analyze problems, find solutions, and communicate those ideas with stakeholders. — Michael Geldart J.D. ‘88 Geldart’s life has been driven by pursuing and overcoming new challenges. He considered law school an interesting challenge and looked for ways to succeed while at Stetson. Geldart excelled at school and was active with the Elder Law Clinic. Volunteering with the Elder Law Clinic allowed him to build his skills and learn more about how healthcare policies impact the daily lives of senior citizens. After graduating from Stetson, Geldart joined the prestigious law firm of Holland and Knight, where he focused on meeting the needs of his clients and zealously representing them. His Stetson
Geldart is a partner with Excellere Partners Capital Management, currently serving as its chief compliance officer. Excellere is a middle-market private equity investment firm based in Denver, Colorado. He views Excellere as more than just a source of capital for its investments, but rather as a firm with a buy-andbuild growth strategy that empowers its investments through a supportive culture proven to increase value. Geldart has been invited to share a lifetime of knowledge in a new role, teaching a course for the new Master of Jurisprudence in Healthcare Compliance program starting at Stetson in the fall.
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ALUMNI SUCCESS
A FOUNDATION FOR DREAMS:
EDDIE MULOCK J.D. ’68 BUILT DREAM OAKS CAMP FOR CHILDREN B Y K AT H RY N B O N T I
M
ost people would say Eddie Mulock J.D. ’68 has a big heart, but what many people may not know is that his heart actually isn’t even his.
In 1995, Mulock entered the hospital to prepare for his first of three transplants. “I actually consider myself one-third female,” he jokes. “My heart, liver, and kidney came from two different women. I think I may be the only lawyer who can certify that I have a heart!” After weeks of recovering and waiting to be released, the first thing Mulock wanted to do when he got home was call up his friends and start building a camp for sick children. “I would watch these children in the hospital connected to wires and seeing the same four walls all day, and I wondered where do these children go for fun? And when I couldn’t find an answer, I knew from that moment, I wanted to make one.” In 1995, Mulock returned home to get to work building a camp for children and in 2001, his dream became a reality. Dream Oaks Camp opened its doors to every family and child, no matter the disability or medical condition. For the past 17 years, Dream Oaks Camp has built a reputation as the place where kids just get to be kids. Whether it’s canoeing, horseback riding, or campfire singalongs, Dream Oaks Camp creates a home away from home for eight straight weeks during the summer. Since its opening day, Mulock has seen more than 5,000 children visit his camp. “I made a promise that when I first built the camp, no child would ever be turned away because of money or disability.” That’s where Mulock’s lifelong talent for advocacy skills comes into play. A fierce advocate in and out of the courtroom, Mulock has spent his entire career bettering his community. A former defense attorney and prosecutor, he now employs his lawyering skills to convince people to make donations to his Foundation for Dreams organization, the foundation that funds the Dream Oaks Camp.
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Eddie Mulock shares a moment with a happy camper.
He continues to practice law, mainly civil litigation and criminal defense. “It’s work I love to do and will always love,” he says. Often, he won’t even ask for payment from clients. Instead, he suggests donations to his foundation.
I made a promise that when I first built the camp, no child would ever be turned away because of money or disability. — Eddie Mulock J.D. ’68 When Mulock isn’t in the courtroom, you can find him spending his Friday afternoons at the camp’s weekly talent show, watching children sing and dance or tell funny jokes. At the end of the show, Mulock will get on stage and say a few words to the children and parents. “Never be afraid to dream,” he often tells them. “I hope you know anything you want to do is possible. I never dreamed I would have made a camp like this, but you all have made my dream come true.”
PROFILES
NEW OVERSEERS: Mike Connelly B.A. ’93/ J.D. ’96: A Non-Traditional Path to Success BY RACHEL WISE
M
ichael Connelly is a double Hatter who received a B.A. from Stetson University in 1993 and a J.D. from the Stetson University College of Law in 1996. He also received his M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 2008. He served on the Stetson University College of Arts & Sciences Board of Advisors in DeLand from 2008 to 2015. Now, he has joined the College of Law Board of Overseers. While at the College of Law, Connelly co-founded the Stetson Law Forum and the Association for Law and Technology. He also received the Dean’s Award for outstanding contributions to the university. In 2009, Connelly was nominated to Leadership Stetson. “I really enjoyed my time as a student at Stetson because it was a nurturing environment, including lifelong relationships with outstanding professors. Stetson is a university where you didn’t feel like you were lost in the crowd,” Connelly said. After graduating, Connelly continued on a non-traditional legal career path by joining the growing telecom and media industries. As counsel at Tellabs, Inc., he oversaw one of the largest mergers
in 1998. Then, in 2000, Connelly started his own company, Seneca Central. In the mid-2000s, Connelly worked as a business development director at AOL TimeWarner. Most recently, Connelly served as a vice president at Comcast. In this position, he invented the XfinityWiFi neighborhood hotspot network, which now includes more Michael Connelly than 18 million neighborhood hotspots. He also headed Comcast’s product and technology teams as part of their joint venture with Verizon Wireless, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks. Now as a member of the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers, Connelly hopes to help the school continue to foster students who want to follow non-traditional paths, like himself. “I think it’s important for students to not only look at traditional legal paths, but to also look at corporate strategy, strategic development, finance, and other corporate roles where you can leverage your law degree,” he said.
Stacy Kemp J.D. ’07: Be Your Own Boss BY RACHEL WISE
N
ew Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseer, member Stacy Kemp followed her dream of becoming an attorney after working as a court reporter and being inspired by the courtroom. She grew up in Pasco County and attended River Ridge High School. Staying true to her central Florida roots, Kemp graduated from Saint Leo University in San Antonio, Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice before coming to Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. In 2007, Kemp partnered with a classmate to start their own firm after graduation: Kemp & Ruge Law Group. Since then, the firm has expanded into the Kemp, Ruge, & Green Law Group where Kemp serves as managing partner/owner. The firm has 20 attorneys who specialize in personal injury, family law, criminal law, bankruptcy law, and wills and estates. The law group has received many honors and accolades in its tenure including the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce “Small Business of the Year” award and the Law Firm 500.
While at Stetson, Kemp received the William F. Blews Award for outstanding pro bono service and she has continued that dedication at her firm. Kemp volunteers for, donates to, and sponsors more than 60 charitable organizations. “We don’t just write a check. We’re actually there,” said Kemp This past year, Kemp was nominated for the Tampa Bay Business Journal “Businesswoman of the Year.” Kemp says her children helped inspire her to be her own boss and achieve the success she has today. “I am a mother and I wanted to have the flexibility to work around my children’s schedule,” she said.
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PROFILES
Jason Turner J.D. ’04: Blending a Love of Music with the Law B Y M O L LY K A E L I N
A
fter leaving his hometown of Polo, Illinois, to attend Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Jason Turner J.D. ’04 knew he wanted to work in the Nashville music scene. While working on his bachelor’s degree, Turner pursued his passion at a record label. He filled many different roles, most notably as a studio pianist. Working in the music industry made Turner realize he wanted to reemerge into the industry in a different capacity. Turner chose the law. He decided on Stetson University College of Law because of the school’s consistent ranking, award-winning trial advocacy program, and small class size. Turner mentioned that being so close to the beach didn’t hurt either. Regardless of where he is, the beach, the studio, or at Stetson Law, diving right in is Turner’s style. During his Stetson career, he was a member of the Trial Team and Dispute Resolution boards. Turner said that the advocacy boards, “both unequivocally helped once I got into the real world, especially when it came to preparation.” He is paying it back to Stetson as a new member of the Board of Overseers. His favorite memory at Stetson Law was winning a Trial Team competition in 2003. He also treasures the lifelong relationships with his mentors, professors Kelly Feeley and Rebecca Morgan. Turner graduated from Stetson Law in 2004. His training at
Stetson and his love for the music industry culminated into a partnership at Nashville’s prestigious entertainment law firm, Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem, in 2011.
Jason Turner “The majority of my satisfaction comes from helping my clients achieve their goals,” Turner said. “Whether it be an artist who has their first hit or an executive.”
Turner’s approach to his practice is to always be forward thinking and aware of where the industry is heading. Regarding the future of his profession, Turner points to streaming music. Turner’s commitment to excellence is illustrated by his generosity in establishing the LeRoy Y. Hooks Elder Law Scholarship at Stetson. The scholarship was established as a tribute to Turner’s grandfather. “Thankfully, Stetson trained me to be the lawyer I am today so that I can pay it forward,” said Turner. A member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, Turner was also listed as one of Billboard Magazine’s “30 under 30” in 2007, the only attorney to make the list that year. When he is not working with clients, Turner enjoys attending concerts and relaxing on the couch with J.D., his miniature schnauzer. If you are asking yourself if J.D. stands for Juris Doctorate, the answer is yes! We are excited to see what is next for this young attorney.
Judge Tangela Barrie J.D. ’97: Strong Woman, Strong Community B Y M O L LY K A E L I N
Y
oung Tangela Barrie spent her summer days nestled under a library table in her small hometown of Thomasville, Georgia, engrossed in Nancy Drew mystery novels. As the daughter of the first African American newspaper owner in the area, her love for reading started at an early age and has continued into adulthood. Her father was extremely involved in the community and was committed to creating equality within it. Barrie realized at an early age that “fighting for the underdog” was her calling in life. The judgeship is Barrie’s natural role. During her law school career at Stetson, Barrie recalls her favorite Stetson memory was everything about the Trial Team, from the traveling to the case studies to the lifelong friendships. She met her husband, Dr. Mahmoud Barrie, at Stetson. She was also involved in the Black Law Students Association. Today, she has come back to Stetson as a member of the Board of Overseers. Barrie’s first job out of law school was as a law clerk for Judge Mary Scriven, who taught at Stetson. She became a prosecutor in DeKalb County, Georgia. Barrie surprised herself by becoming a prosecutor. She had always seen herself as working for the defense, 20
the underdog. When Barrie settled into her new position, she realized that she could make more change as a prosecutor than she had ever imagined. After a successful career as a prosecutor, Barrie was appointed for a judgeship and was chief judge. Today, Judge Barrie is responsible for an $8-million budget and presides Judge Tangela Barrie over the drug, military and veterans court. Even with her long list of accomplishments and a busy schedule, Barrie continues to give back to her community. She is heavily involved in the Georgia Association of Black Lawyers and Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. Her favorite way to give back is by educating children through mock trials. She has tailored classic stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears to teach children about the judicial system. When she is not on the bench, Barrie enjoys reading and spending time with her three boys, ages 15, 13 and seven.
EVENTS
S T E T S O N
L AW Y E R
EVENTS Debra Boje J.D. ’92 and Simone Marstiller B.B.A. ’88, J.D. ’96 hosted a reception at Gunster for the Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter. Stetson Law Alumni Reception at the Florida Bar Convention – Simone Marstiller B.B.A. ’88, J.D. ’96 and Andy Doyle J.D. ’96
Central Florida Alumni Chapter Reception at Gray Robinson – JP Gilbert J.D. ’14, Stephanie Palacios J.D. ’12 and Avery Kiefer
Retirement Celebration for Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob LL.B. ’59 – Bruce Jacob LL.B. ’59 and Lucas Fleming J.D. ’90 Stetson Law Alumni Reception at the Florida Bar Convention – Valeria Obi J.D. ’13; Javier Centonzio J.D. ’12, LL.M. ’14; and Carmen Johnson J.D. ’12
Retirement Celebration for Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob LL.B. ’59 – Kevin Kuenzel J.D. ’91 and Grady Irvin J.D. ’92
Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter Reception at Gunster – Murray Silverstein B.A. ’80, J.D. ’82; Daniela Leavitt B.B.A. ’06, J.D. ’09; Brian Howsare J.D. ’13; and Richard Harrison B.A. ’83, J.D. ’86
Molli McGuire J.D. ’15, Stephanie Cuello J.D. ’16, Alyssa Cory J.D. ’15, Christie Letarte J.D. ’13 and Wendy Loquasto J.D. ’88 posed for a photo during the Tallahassee alumni cocktail hour at the Wine House on Market Street. 21
EVENTS
Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter Reception at Gunster – Kristine Rudzik J.D. ’16; Jeremy Rill B.A. ’13, J.D. ’16; and Diego Pestana J.D. ’17
Retirement Celebration for Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Bruce Jacob LL.B. ’59 – Tessie Blews, William Blews J.D. ’66, George Campbell and The Hon. Pam Campbell J.D. ’89
Retirement C elebration for Dean Emerit Jacob LL.B. ’5 us and Profess 9– or of Law Bru ’16 and Tamar Sushil Preet Cheema J.D. ce ’16, Megan Ja a Schweinsber rrett J.D. g J.D. ’15
Stetson Law Alumni Reception at the Florida Bar Convention – Katherine Hurst Miller J.D. ’06, Joe Murray J.D. ’08, Melissa Madsen Murray J.D. ’08, Elizabeth Zuroweste J.D. ’05 and Zack Zuroweste J.D./M.B.A. ’06
Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter Reception at Gunster – Danielle Amico J.D./M.B.A. ’15; Ahmad Yakzan B.A. ’03, M.B.A. ’05, J.D. ’08, LL.M. ’09; and Cornelius Demps J.D. ’10
Central Florida Alumni Chapter Reception at Gray Robinson – Catherine Ourand J.D. ’17, Chantay Perry J.D. ’17 and Scott Hubbard J.D. ’17 Tampa Bay Alumni Chapter Reception at Gunster – Danielle Amico J.D./M.B.A. ’15, Professor Louis Virelli and Debbie Baker J.D. ’15 22
Central Florida Alumni Chapter Reception at Gray Robinson – Thomas Tart J.D. ’68, former Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz and John Bussey J.D. ’68
EVENTS
MAY 2018
COMMENCEMENT AT STETSON LAW Taofikat Ninalowo J.D. ’18 celebrates
Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart gave the commencement address
May commencement at Stetson Law in Gulfport
Stetson University President Wendy Libby and Board of Trustees Chair Joe Cooper B.B.A. ’79 M.B.A. ’82
Anna Pardun J.D. ’18
Class SBA President Dale Tan J.D. ’18
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EVENTS
Alumni and friends honored at Florida Bar Convention in Orlando
T
he Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association presented awards to six outstanding alumni and friends of Stetson University College of Law during the Florida Bar Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 14. Stetson University Interim Dean and Professor of Law Kristen Adams presented the awards program.
Jonathan “Boomer” Hart J.D. ’14 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award for dedication and service to the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association.
Nathan Hatcher J.D. ’08 received the President’s Award in recognition of his leadership.
Bronwyn Stanford J.D. ’03 received the Distinguished Alumni Award.
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Keith Appleby J.D./M.B.A. ’04 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for continuously supporting Stetson Law and its alumni association.
Professor Emeritus William “Bill” Eleazer received the Distinguished Service Award for his significant, meritorious and continuing contributions to Stetson Law.
Professor Rebecca Morgan J.D. ’80 received the Ben C. Willard Award for humanitarian achievements bringing distinction to herself and Stetson Law.
F A C U LT Y F O R U M
S T E T S O N L AW Y E R
FACULTY FORUM January – March 2018
KRISTEN DAVID ADAMS, Interim Dean and Professor of Law, and Candace M. Zierdt, Professor of Law, along with Professor Juliet M. Moringiello from Widener University Harrisburg School of Law, have published “Essential UCC Concepts: A Survey of Commercial Transactions,” with West Academic Publishing. Dean Adams was invited to serve on the Council for the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section for a three-year term, and Professor Zierdt was invited to serve as chair of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee for a three-year-term beginning in September 2018. As head of Stetson’s Dispute Resolution board, Dean Adams oversaw Stetson advancing to national rounds in all four areas in which the ABA offers competitions. Dean Adams has been selected as one of 13 members of the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty.
LINDA S. ANDERSON, Professor of Law, was recently named to the Accessibility Committee of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, a national human rights organization focused on protecting sexual freedom and ending sexual violence.
DOROTHEA A. BEANE, Professor of Law, participated in governance meetings as an ACLI board member. Professor Beane serves as a commissioner at the Code Enforcement Commission for the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
PAUL BOUDREAUX, Profes-
sor of Law, edited the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy and spoke on the topic of illegal wildlife trade at the recent ABA International Law Conference in Miami.
BROOKE J. BOWMAN,
Professor of Law, Director of Finances and Advocacy Boards, and Director of the Moot Court Board has been named interim director of the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library. She continued her work on the ABA Competition Committee, specifically, the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition subcommittee, of which she is the chair for 20172018. This is the fifth year that Professor Bowman has served on the Committee.
CATHERINE J. CAMERON,
Professor of Law, recently published the article, “In the Eyes of the Law Student: Determining Reading Patterns with Eye-Tracking Technology,” in the Rutgers Law Record.
CHRISTINE E. CERNIGLIA,
Assistant Professor of Law, and Director of Clinical and Experiential Education, is presenting “The Politics of Law School Engagement in Post-Disaster Relief Efforts,” at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Clinical Conference, in Chicago. Professor Cerniglia is also presenting at the upcoming Externship 9 Conference at the University of Georgia School of Law.
KELLY M. FEELEY, Professor of Law and Coordinator of Legal Research and Writing
continues to serve as the ABA Law Student Division Competitions Committee co-chair. She assisted running the ABA Law Student Division National Negotiation Competition in Chicago for 20 teams that advanced from their regional competitions across the country. Along with Kristen David Adams, Interim Dean and Professor of Law, she co-hosted the ABA Representation in Mediation Competition at Stetson Law for eight teams from across the country. Additionally, she assisted running the ABA Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Regional Competitions in Manhattan and Boston for 60 teams from across the country.
JAMES W. FOX JR., Associ-
ate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, recently attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools in San Diego, California, where he presented his paper, “African-American Constitutionalism and the Second Founding,” as part of the joint program titled “Reconstruction: the Second Founding,” by the Section on Constitutional Law and the Section on Legal History. He was invited to participate in the half-day program that featured presentations by leading scholars in constitutional law and legal history.
ROYAL C. GARDNER,
Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, chaired the 21st meeting of the Ramsar Convention’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel
(STRP) in Switzerland and presented on behalf of the STRP at the Americas Preparatory Meeting for Ramsar COP13 in San José, Costa Rica. He gave virtual presentations to the Association of State Wetland Managers and the Association of Clean Water Administrators (on the Clean Water Act), as well as to the graduate fellows of the University of Florida’s Water Institute (on the Ramsar Convention). Professor Gardner was a co-author of “Satellite Sensor Requirements for Monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables of Coastal Ecosystems,” which was published in the journal, Ecological Applications.
CYNTHIA G. HAWKINS,
Professor of Law, recently published her article, “Child Sex Trafficking and Adoption Re-Homing: America’s 21st Century Salacious Secret,” in the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy; and has another article forthcoming; “Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath: Florida’s Flawed Approach to Post-Adoption Inheritance” accepted for publication in the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal. Professor Hawkins was also a recent discussant at the American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys Annual Meeting, in Reno, Nevada, and was invited to discuss, “How to Get a Book Published,” at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools annual meeting. She was also an invited presenter at the ABA Dispute Resolution Section Annual Meeting where she discussed Teaching Collaborative Law in Law Schools. Professor Hawkins’ 25
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service includes executive board/ committee nember (elected), AALS Section on Family & Juvenile Law; executive board/ committee member (elected), AALS Section on Professional Responsibility; publications board member (selected), ABA Section on Dispute Resolution; Member, Committee to Advocate for Persons with Impairments, City of St. Petersburg, mayoral appointee; editorial peer reviewer, Adoption Quarterly Journal; hearing officer, St. Petersburg Housing Authority (state/federal agency; HUD §8 program); editorial board, St. Petersburg Bar Association, The Paraclete Magazine.
BRUCE R. JACOB, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law, retired from teaching at the law school at the end of the spring semester. He joined the faculty 37 years ago, in 1981. He served as dean for 13 years, from 1981 through 1994. MARCO J. JIMENEZ,
Professor of Law, continues to serve on the Call for Papers Committee for the Southeastern Association of Law Schools. He has recently published his book, Contract Law: A Case & Problem-Based Approach, in the Aspen Casebook Series. Professor Jimenez also has a forthcoming article in the UC Davis Law Review entitled “Retribution in Contract Law,” a forthcoming article in the DePaul Law Review entitled “Bridging the Property-Contract Divide,” and a forthcoming review of Professor Dadush’s article “Identity Harm” in JOTWELL, where he is a contributing editor for the Remedies section. Professor Jimenez recently presented his paper “A Defense-Based Theory of Contract Law” at the 13th Annual International Conference on Contracts. 26
TIMOTHY S. KAYE, Profes-
sor of Law, recently published “A Sound Taxonomy of Remedies,” in the Quinnipiac Law Review. Professor Kaye also created Stetson Law’s “Legal Tech Dashboard” accessible to anyone with a Stetson email address. The site is host to a growing repository of articles and information (accompanied by a glossary) on all aspects of technology as it affects law and legal practice.
PETER F. LAKE, Charles A. Dana Chair and Director, Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy, recently published the article “In Times of Scandal, Conflicts with College Attorneys Multiply,” in the Chronicle of Higher Education. As director of Stetson’s Center, Professor Lake chaired Stetson’s 39th Annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education in Clearwater, Florida. LANCE N. LONG, Professor of Law, recently had his coauthored article, “The Climate Necessity Defense: Proof and Judicial Error in Climate Protest Cases,” accepted for publication by the Stanford Environmental Law Journal. Professor Long also participated in two panels at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at the University of Oregon. The first panel addressed current developments in the necessity defense in climate change litigation. The second addressed the science of legal writing for environmental advocacy. Professor Long also presented “Environmental Advocacy: Teach Legal Writing and Save the World” at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference at Denver University. REBECCA C. MORGAN,
Professor of Law and Boston Asset Management Chair in
Elder Law, began her second year on the board of the American Society on Aging, and was re-elected as treasurer for the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Her co-authored article, “A View From the Bridge,” a review of appellate decisions regarding prosecution of elder financial exploitation, was published in the Illinois Elder Law Journal. Professor Morgan is also overseeing the administration of a two-year $300,000 grant for the College of Law with Roberta K. Flowers, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Center for Excellence in Elder Law. Additionally, Professor Morgan taught at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, on the subject of Contemporary Issues in Probate Court.
LUZ ESTELLA NAGLE, Professor of Law, was appointed co-chair of the Crimes against Women Subcommittee of the Criminal Law Section of the International Bar Association. She was also appointed to the IBA’s Poverty and Social Development Committee, and reconfirmed as a Trustee of the IBA Human Rights Institute Trust through 2020. She traveled to Oslo, Norway in June to attend the IBA mid-year meeting for IBA Officers and met with various committee members to plan programs through 2019. Her article, “Jailing of Peacemaker Threatens Colombia’s Demobilization of Transborder Criminal Organizations and Urban Criminal Gangs,” was published in June. In May, Professor Nagle served as a judge for the doctoral dissertation defense of her protégé and colleague, Brazilian federal prosecutor Andre Luiz de Almedia Mendonça at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain, and while there delivered a lecture to the law school on corruption in human
trafficking. In April, she was a panelist for a U.S. State Department forum, discussing, “Towards a More Safe and Secure World.” She was also a panelist for a session dealing with “Social Entrepreneurship: A Way for Law Firms to Do Good and Do Well,” at the ABA Section on International Law annual conference in New York. Professor Nagle recently worked pro bono with a community organization in Guarne, Colombia, to combat public corruption and bring legal action against a company that is destroying protected woodlands and vital water resources.
ELLEN S. PODGOR,
Gary R. Trombley Family White-Collar Crime Research Professor and Professor of Law, was a speaker at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, in the discussion group titled, “What is Fraud Anyway?” She was a panelist at New York University’s program, “The Martin Act: A Tool for Reform or an Abuse of Power?” Along with co-authors Jerold H. Israel, Peter J. Henning, and Nancy J. King, she published the second edition of the Hornbook on White Collar Crime (West Academic). Her piece, “Salman: The Court Takes a Left-Hand Turn,” was published in the Connecticut Law Review Online.
CHARLES H. ROSE III,
Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy, Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy, agreed to co-author the 4th edition of the legal treatise, Evidence: Practice Under the Rules for Aspen Publishing. Professor Rose presented to the Pinellas County Trial Lawyers Association, appeared on the In Focus television news episode addressing the opioid
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crisis, and was part of a live town hall discussing Crossing Party Lines held at Ferg’s in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, Professor Rose traveled with the AAJ Trial Team Squad to the regional competition where they returned as regional champions for the second straight year. He also coached the ABA National Criminal Trial Competition in Chicago this spring.
JUDITH A.M. SCULLY,
Professor of Law, has been appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem in Pinellas County. Prof. Scully also recently received the Fred G. Minnis, Sr. Bar Association Award for Community Service for her juvenile justice work. Additionally, she helped coordinate and moderate two community forums, which included participation from the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Sherriff’s Office, the Juvenile Probation Office, and the St. Petersburg Police Department, as well as a number of state elected officials. Professor Scully is currently on the planning committee for the National Conference of Black Lawyers for their upcoming 50th Anniversary Conference. During the spring and summer Professor Scully worked closely with judges from Pinellas County and West Palm Beach to develop awareness around the impact of implicit bias on judicial decision making. She also spoke on the topics of “Gender Bias; Implications for Legal Practice” and the “#metoomovement” at a recent Florida Association of Women’s Lawyers luncheon coordinated by members of the judiciary.
STACEY-RAE SIMCOX,
Associate Professor of Law, Director, Veterans Law Institute, and Director, Veterans Advocacy Clinic,
was elected president of the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium. She helped coordinate the third Law Schools Serving Veterans Conference, which drew more than 120 participants from law school clinics across the country to Washington, D.C. She also presented or moderated on four different panels during the two-day event. Professor Simcox additionally oversaw the work of five law students who participated in drafting an amici brief to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims regarding due process rights for veterans and class action lawsuits.
CIARA TORRES-SPELLISCY, Leroy Highbaugh Sr. Research Chair and Associate Professor of Law, spoke at Tulane University at the Unrig the System summit, on a panel discussing foreign influence in American elections which was broadcast on C-SPAN. Further, Professor Torres-Spelliscy’s work on the expansion of corporate personhood was mentioned on the SCOTUS Blog. She was also scheduled to speak about election law at a symposium on federalism held at Pepperdine University College of Law.
STEPHANIE A. VAUGHAN, Associate Dean for Student Engagement and Professor of Law, along with Joseph F. Morrissey, Professor of Law, coached the Stetson Vis Team that competed in the Florida Bar Richard Dewitt Vis PreMoot in Miami, Florida, where Stetson won the competition and the Best Oralist Award.
LOUIS J. VIRELLI III, Professor of Law, agreed to publish an article titled “Secret Policies,” which he co-authored with Ellen S. Podgor, Professor of Law, in
the University of Illinois Law Review. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS), and as chair of the SEALS Worksin-Progress committee. He is chair of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Administrative Law and the chair-elect of the AALS Section on Constitutional Law. As chair of the Administrative Law Section, Professor Virelli is coordinating a panel of top scholars from across the country on the topic of “Presidential Control of Administrative Agencies” for the 2019 AALS Annual Meeting in January. He is the acting editor-in-chief of the ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice’s quarterly publication, the Administrative and Regulatory Law News. Professor Virelli has done numerous press appearances in 2018, discussing pending Supreme Court cases, criminal investigations of school shooting threats, and decisions by Facebook and other social media outlets to deny access to white supremacist users. He has also done several in-person presentations, including a talk on the role of the Supreme Court in American government to the Teacher’s Law School, a Florida Bar program designed to educate Florida high school civics and history teachers about the law, and presentations on campus on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case before the Supreme Court, and the Mueller investigation.
DARRYL C. WILSON,
Associate Dean for Faculty and Strategic Initiatives, Attorneys Title Insurance Fund Professor of Law and Co-Director, Institute for Caribbean Law & Policy, participated in the
Annual Association of Law Schools (AALS) annual conference in San Diego, California. Dean Wilson also attended the second annual conference on Masters of Laws for NonLawyers, held in Sacramento, California, as part of his work in helping establish the law school’s three new Masters of Law programs which begin in Fall 2018. Additionally, he supervised students in the American Caribbean Law Initiative (ACLI) clinic in Nassau, The Bahamas, where he and Dorothea A. Beane, Professor of Law, also participated in governance meetings as ACLI board members. Dean Wilson continued as a contributing editor to the ABA Probate & Property magazine columns Keeping Current Property and Keeping Current Probate. He also continued in his role as Chair of the Code Enforcement Commission for the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, where Professor Beane also is a commissioner, and as a hearing officer for the Pinellas County Housing Authority.
CANDACE M. ZIERDT,
Professor of Law, was appointed by the president of the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) to a two-year term as one of five Division Chairs for the ULC. In that capacity, she is responsible for a portfolio of approximately 16 drafting and study committees. Additionally, Professor Zierdt was appointed to the ULC’s Uniform Commercial Code Committee, which is a standing committee to monitor the UCC. She has also recently been appointed as the next chair of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee for the ABA Business Law Section, and is a member of the ABA Business Law Section Publications Board. 27
CLASS NOTES
S T E T S O N L AW Y E R
CLASS NOTES What’s New in Your Life? Tell us. Email us at alumni@law.stetson.edu or visit www.stetson.edu/law. Please send us your high-resolution photo, too. 1970s
1990s
Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett J.D. ’78 has been assigned as a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission member, according to the April 24 Bay News 9.
Robert L. Blank J.D. ’92 was recently Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Since 2010, he has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Florida Bar. He is a shareholder with Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A. and is managing partner of the firm’s Tampa office.
Dean Trantalis J.D.’79, has been elected as the new mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the Norwich Bulletin. He is the city’s first openly gay mayor.
1980s Haliczer, Pettis & Schwamm’s co-founding partner Jim Haliczer J.D. ’81 was appointed co-chairperson of the Trial Lawyers Section of the Broward County Bar Association by incoming President Edwina Kessler.
Cassandra K. Jackson, B.S. ’84, J.D. ’86 was appointed by the City Commission for the City of Tallahassee as City Attorney effective March 1, 2018.
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Edward B. Carlstedt J.D. ’97 has been named office managing partner of the FordHarrison LLP firm’s Tampa office. Catherine E. Davey J.D. ’93 of The Law Office of Catherine E. Davey, P.A. in Maitland recently co-sponsored, along with the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida, the 6th Low Down on Law. She was appointed to a special committee charged by the president of the Florida Bar, Michael Higer, with developing recommendations for improvements to Florida’s mentalhealth treatment system. Michael J. Donohue J.D. ’94 was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court bench by Governor Chris Christie and confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate in December of 2016. Judge Donohue was assigned to the Criminal Part in Atlantic County and is now the senior Criminal Part Judge in Cape May County.
Judicial Management Council. Marstiller, appointed by new Chief Justice Charles Canady, will serve a four-year term ending June 2022. Marstiller is with the Gunster law firm’s appellate and government affairs teams, based in the Tallahassee and Tampa offices. Robert S. Freedman J.D. ’90 is now Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Condominium and Planned Development Law. Freedman co-chairs the firm’s Real Estate and Commercial Finance practice group, and the Real Estate and Development industry groups. Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, continued its national growth of the Real Estate Practice Group with experienced land use and transactional real estate partner Marilyn Mullen Healy J.D. ’93, in Tampa.
The July 24 Traders ran the news that Richard Nummi J.D. ’91 is now director and chairman of the executive compensation committee of INTREORG SYSTEMS Inc. Florida’s Children First, a statewide advocacy organization focused on protecting the legal rights of at-risk and foster care children, announced that Orlando attorney Richard B. Schwamm J.D. ’91 has been appointed to the organization’s Board of Directors. Burr & Forman LLP announces the addition of Jacksonville-based partner, Troy K. Smith J.D. ’96. James G. “Jim” Vickaryous J.D. ’93 has been sworn in as the 18th Circuit’s new representative to the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors in June at the Florida Bar Convention in Orlando.
Retired Appellate Judge Simone Marstiller B.B.A. ’88/ J.D. ’96 has been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court’s
CLASS NOTES
2000s
Greg J. Hoag J.D./M.B.A.’02 was recently installed as the 94th President of the St. Petersburg Bar Association.
Melanie Bean J.D. ’03 has been named a partner at the Law Offices of Lannom & Williams. Bean has been an associate attorney with the firm for the past 15 years and is the leader of its family law division.
Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., is pleased to announce that attorney Suzanne Boy J.D. ’06 has become Florida Bar Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law. Joann Grages Burnett J.D. ’08, associate director of the Office of Career and Professional Development, has been appointed the member services coordinator for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division where she was named Star of the Year. She was also appointed the YLD co-chair of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She co-authored the article, “Reverse Mentorship Is the Key to Success for Millennials and Their Law Firms” for the ABA Young Lawyers Division. Beth Casey J.D. ’09, assistant director of the Office of Career and Professional Development, was installed as the vice president of the St. Petersburg Bar Foundation Board of Trustees on May 30. She has served on the board for six years.
Frank T. Moya J.D. ’09 joined Carlton Fields’ Tampa office as a member of the firm’s construction practice. Melanie A. Mucario J.D./ M.B.A. ’01 has joined Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP as of counsel in the firm’s Jacksonville, Florida area office.
Rishma D. Eckert LL.M. ’07 was invited to speak on Capitol Hill by the Institute of Caribbean Studies in June 2018 as part of Caribbean Legislative Week on the topic of de-risking and the loss of corresponding banking relationships between U.S. and Caribbean banks. She is a partner at Cardozo, Eckert & Sanchez, PLLC, a Florida-based business law firm representing domestic and international companies and entrepreneurs. H. Amos Goodall Jr. CELA, LL.M. ’09, was named president of the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) on June 1. Korey Henson J.D. ’09, associate director of the Office of Career and Professional Development, has been appointed to two positions with the National Association of Law Placement: co-chair of the CSO Employer Outreach working group of the JD Advisors Section and vice-chair of the “Ask an Expert Webinars” working group of the Newer Professionals Section. He also wrote an article for the March 2018 NALP Bulletin, “Counseling the ‘Trailing Partner’ Law Student.” He was selected to co-present in the spring at the 2018 NALP Annual Education Conference on “Closing the Loop: Creating and Maximizing PD Partnerships.”
Cathrine A. Hunter J.D.’01 was recently appointed to the 2018 Board of Directors for the Collier Building Industry Foundation. Dunn Law, P.A. in Miami, is pleased to announce that Joshua Kligler J.D. ’09 has joined the firm as an attorney. Kligler focuses his practice on creditors’ rights, commercial litigation and bankruptcy litigation. Eric Koenig J.D. ’05 is a new shareholder at Trenam Law according to the firm’s website.
Travis A. Harvey J.D. ’04, has been elevated from attorney to partner in the Kelley Kronenberg business law firm. Tampa Attorney Jason Lambert B.B.A. ’02 J.D. ’12 has been named vice president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Tampa Bay Chapter.
Nicole “Nikki” C. Nate J.D. ’09 has been promoted to shareholder status at Bryant Miller Olive. Adams and Reese is pleased to announce that Eric J. Partlow J.D. ’01 has been appointed partner in charge of the firm’s Tampa office by managing partner Gif Thornton. Kirtland and Seal L.L.C. senior partner, Catherine Anne Seal LL.M. ’08, has been awarded the El Paso County Bar Association’s 2018 Mikki Kraushaar Award for her outstanding service to senior citizens in the El Paso County, Colorado community. Jennifer Strouf J.D. ’02, a Florida Bar Board Certified Criminal Trial Attorney and an improv performer, created an educational and consulting company in 2018 called Improv4Lawyers PA, in which she teaches trial skills, active listening, and team building workshops for attorneys.
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CLASS NOTES
Chachavech “Golf ” Sukitjavanich LL.M. ’03, Judge of the Court of First Instance in Thailand, was invited to the Swedish Embassy to speak to the United Nations Women about law and gender equality in Thailand.
and was promoted to partner in the Tampa office in 2013.
Josephine W. “Josie” Thomas J.D. ’06 was named as chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Headquartered in Tampa with branch offices in Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Ft. Myers, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District serves 35 of the 67 counties and over half the population in Florida.
2010s
The law firm of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. recently announced that Eric F. Werrenrath J.D. ’07 has joined the firm.
R. Quincy Bird J.D. ’13 has joined Carlton Fields in Tampa as a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment practice.
The June 14 Sarasota Magazine reports that Sarah Campbell J.D. ’11 was recently hired by Dunlap & Moran, P.A.
Lavern J. Wilson J.D. ’06 will become the firm’s first talent and recruiting partner at FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest managementside labor and employment law firms. Wilson joined the firm as a first year associate in 2006
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Mallory Moretti J.D. ’15, has joined the Berlin Patten Ebling law firm, according to Sarasota Magazine.
Giselle Girones J.D. ’16 has been selected as a Florida Bar Business Law Section fellow. Jeffrey M. Guy J.D. ’11, was recently named partner at the Sarasota-based Kirk-Pinkerton, according to the March 30 Business Observer. Allison Heim J.D. ’14 recently presented an oral argument before the Florida Supreme Court regarding a civil tolling/ statute of limitations issue in Dependency Court as well as statutory interpretation of the civil designation of a next friend for minor/incompetent persons’ access to courts. Danielle Martin J.D. ’13, was
The June 20 Florida Politics reports that Jennifer Wilson J.D. ’15 has moved to Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC, to help boost its Florida practice.
Patrick Reid J.D. ’14 is a new Tampa-based associate in the firm’s Intellectual Property and Cybersecurity Practice Groups at Burr & Forman. The June 16 PR.COM reports that Kayla Richmond J.D./M.B.A. ’13 was selected to the 2018 Class of Leaders in the Law by the Florida Association of Women Lawyers’ Lee County Chapter.
Dr. Steven D. Brownlee J.D. ’12 joined the health care practice at the law firm of Williams Parker in Sarasota.
Jeffery M. Wilkins J.D. ’01 has joined Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP as counsel in the firm’s Jacksonville, Florida area office. He focuses his practice on assisting companies with their landlord and tenant matters, including evictions, lease drafting, fair housing compliance and property management best practices.
awarded the 2018 Exceptional Member of the Year by the Fred G. Minnis Bar Association at the Annual Banquet.
Alex Simser J.D. ’12 M.B.A. ’15 has joined Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed.
In Memoriam Harvey J. Abel LL.B. ’59, July 18, 2018 Debbie Bergen J.D. ’99, August 5, 2018
J. Ryan Yant J.D. ’13 has joined the Carlton Fields firm as an associate in its Tampa office. He is a member of the firm’s Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy section of the National Trial Practice group.
William Leffler J.D. ’74, March 3, 2018 Cameron H. Linton J.D. ’80, January 15, 2018 Elizabeth R. Mannion J.D. ’81, July 8, 2018
John W. Booth LL.B. ’51, May 20, 2018
Richard C. McFarlain LL.B. ’64, March 27, 2018
Philip J. Chanfrau J.D. ’70, March 19, 2018
Patricia Pantaleoni J.D. ’78, June 26, 2018
Susan M. Charles J.D. ’04/ LL.M. ’08, July 15, 2018
Dorothy M. Pessillo J.D. ’83, May 1, 2018
Harvey V. Delzer J.D. ’58, July 28, 2018
Frank J. Rouse, J.D. ’67, July 23, 2018
Kenneth E. Easley J.D. ’68, April 24, 2018
Robert L. Rowe B.A. ’49/LL.B. ’51, March 18, 2018
Michael E. Fabrikant J.D. ’73, February 14, 2018
Wilton L. Strickland J.D. ’69, May 1, 2018
Abraham W. Gibron J.D. ’86, May 11, 2018
W. Rogers Turner LL.B. ’61, September 2, 2018
Gregory T. Holtz LL.M. ’16, June 30, 2018
Ray E. Ulmer LL.B. ’63, March 7, 2018
PHILANTHROPY
LEGACY OF GIVING Keith Appleby J.D./M.B.A. ’04 and family endow Kiana Lynne Appleby Memorial Scholarship B Y K AT H RY N E . B O N T I “I want to be remembered as a person who made someone’s life a little better – no matter how small the gesture,” said Keith Appleby J.D./M.B.A. ’04.
In the spring of 2005, the Applebys celebrated Keith’s graduation by taking a European vacation. Keith recalled that one of his life’s proudest moments was when Kiana asked to give her own money to an elderly homeless woman outside of a church in Paris. “After giving the woman a couple of euros, the joy on Kiana’s face was overwhelming. She was so happy to help others and her smile was contagious,” said Appleby. He remembers this as the defining moment when all of the sacrifices and hard work during law school resulted in success. His family had enjoyed a life-changing trip and they were about to begin a new chapter. On April 25, 2005, Kiana spent the afternoon in the federal courthouse in Tampa watching her father being sworn in as an attorney. “That afternoon was the best moment of my life,” said Appleby. “I was surrounded by family and friends celebrating my admission to the Florida Bar, but I really felt like I was the one honoring their love and support.” Keith had no idea that 10 days later, he and Diana would live every parent’s worst nightmare. On May 5, 2005, Keith and Diana lost their daughter in a drowning accident during her swim team practice.
The Appleby family accept the Paul M. May award.
In 2018, Stetson University College of Law awarded Appleby the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award to recognize his years of service in support of the Alumni Association and Florida’s first law school through contributions of his time and gifts. Appleby said he knows that sometimes the little things are needed the most. He brings new toys and clothes, shampoo and soap to orphanages around the world. Appleby’s legacy of giving has family roots. In 2002, with the support of his wife Diana and daughter Kiana, Appleby left a successful career in banking and consulting to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer. Although not technically enrolled at Stetson, daughter Kiana quickly became everyone’s favorite honorary classmate. Whether studying alongside her dad in the library or cheering him on at intramural games, Kiana was proud of her father and supported him every step of the way.
Kiana Lynne Appleby
At only eight years old, Kiana Lynne Appleby left behind a legacy of kindness, charity and hope for a better world, something her parents strive to carry out in her absence.
“Kiana would save all of her new unopened toys from birthday parties, school celebrations, and kid’s meals to take and give away when we traveled to Colombia,” said Appleby. “She recognized that most kids were less fortunate than her and always wanted to do something nice for them. She started collecting the toys all by herself – that’s just the kind of kid she was.” The Applebys are endowing the “Kiana Lynne Appleby Memorial Scholarship” to honor Kiana’s memory and spirit by doing what she would have done – helping someone who needs help along the way. The scholarship will be needs-based to support student parents. Keith and Diana have added 12-year-old Lucas and 9-year-old Keira to their family since 2005. They continue to follow Kiana’s lead, collecting necessities for children, and honoring her legacy. 31
COLLEGE OF LAW Development & Alumni Relations 1401 61st Street South Gulfport, FL 33707
UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER
6
Alumni Holiday Open House Gulfport Campus - Mann Lounge
DECEMBER
13
MARCH
2
December Graduate Celebration Gulfport Campus - Great Hall
Spring Scholarship Banquet Gulfport Campus - Mann Lounge and Great Hall
For more information on these events, please visit: www.stetson.edu/law/alumni and click Alumni Events.