Assistant Professor

• Published “Embracing Uncertainty, Complexity, and Change: An Eco-pragmatic Reinvention of a First-Generation Environmental Law,” 33 Ecology Law Quarterly 105 (2006). 

Linda Calvert Hanson

Assistant Dean for Career Services

• Published article, “The Law School Perspective of Small Firm Practice,” in the Fall 2006 issue of Link, a journal of the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section of the Florida Bar.

Jeffrey Davis

Professor; Gerald A. Sohn Scholar

• Participated in panel discussion on the developments in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the year following the sweeping 2005 amendments to the bankruptcy code. The discussion was part of a day long seminar sponsored by the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel on Oct. 27.

Juan F. Perea

Cone Wagner Nugent Johnson. Hazouri and Roth Professor

• Named to the Research Committee of the American Association of Law Schools.

• Published his chapter, “Mi Profundo Azul: Why Latinos Have a Right to Sing the Blues” in Colored Men and ” Hombres Aqui”: Hernandez v. Texas and the Emergence of Mexican-American Lawyering (M. Olivas, ed. 2006).

• Delivered two presentations, on the role of constitutional courts in Latin America and the United States at UF, and on “Straightening the Forked Paths,” about Section 5 of the 14th Amendment at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Christopher Slobogin

Stephen C. O’Connell Chair

• Conducted workshop on “Race and Class-Based Exceptions to the Fourth Amendment” at the “Shaking the Foundations” conference at Stanford Law School.

• Spoke on “Public Cameria Surveillance and the Right to Public Anonymity” at a Nov. 3 conference entitled “Unblinking: Visual Privacy” at Berkeley Law School.

IN THE NEWS

Thomas T. Ankersen

Director, CGR Conservation Clinic and Costa Rica Law Program; Legal Skills Professor

•St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 30. Quoted in an article about possible reasons and solutions for the large amount of abandoned boats cluttering the coastline. 

Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky

Professor; UF Research Foundation Professor; Associate Dean for Faculty Development

•Minnesota Lawyer, Oct. 30; St. Louis Daily Record, Oct. 28; The Legal Ledger, Nov. 2. Reprint of an article about the first plaintiff, Atlanta attorney Rafe Banks, awarded damages in a libel suit against a blogger that originally appeared in Long Island Business News.

Joseph W. Little

Professor, Alumni Research Scholar

• Drug War Chronicle, Oct. 27. Quoted in article about a possibly illegal law in Bradenton that allows police to seize assets of arrested persons. 

Pedro M. Malavet

Professor

•The Ledger, NOv. 6. Quoted in article about the distraction laptops create for students and professors’ increasing disapproval of laptops in the classroom.

 Jon L. Mills

Professor, Director of Center for Governmental Responsibility

• Olando Sentinel, Nov. 3 In an article that questioned the heated publicly financed campaigns promoting or opposing proposed charter amendments in Seminole and Volusia counties, he explained why they were “a legitimate use of tax dollars.”

Christopher L. Peterson,

Associate Professor

• The Gainesville Sun, NOv. 4. Article on federal legislation that capped payday lending interest rates for military personnel, which was influenced by the research co-authored by Peterson.

Christopher Slobogin

Stephen C. O’Connell Chair

• National Public Radio, Oct. 23. Guest on an hourlong radio show about the Florida death penalty with ABA President Karen Mathis.

These loans can be used for a student’s living expenses while studying for the Bar, Bar prep classes and other Bar-related expenses. You may borrow from as little as $500 to as much as $15,000. For more information regarding these private loans, contact the lenders directly at:

• Access Group

800-282-1550

www.Accessgroup.org

• Key Education Resources

800-539-5363

www.Key.com/law

“Determining a specific dollar value for quality of life is a challenging undertaking,” said project co-director Timothy McLendon, staff attorney at the Center for Governmental Responsibility. “Therefore, we offered local decision makers a number of options for protecting historically valuable assets that contribute to the community.”

The report includes models and tools available to further historic preservation in Florida and to measure the impact of historical structures, events and related activities on the enhancement of the quality of life in Florida.

“We’re excited to have this wonderful study to confirm that along with the ecomic impacts that result from historic preservation, the quality of life is indeed improved as well,” said Caroline Tharpe Weiss, executive director of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, which provided key support for the study.

Seen as some of the world’s leading scholars, law students lead in other less desirable categories as well. According to recent publications ( Behavioral sciences adn the Law, 2004, and Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 2005) law students are leading the pack in many of mental health’s most troubling issues.

The Legal Profession Assistance Conference reported that the general population suicide rate in Canada and the United States is in the range of 10-14 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. The study also showed the rate of death by suicide for law students is nearly six times that of the general population. Surprisingly, suicide kills more people in the United States each year than homicide. Additionally, a Johns Hopkins study found lawyers have the highest incidence of major depressive disorder among 104 occupational groups

Although law students start out little different from students in other professional fields and the general population, soon after law school commences they report large increases in psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, hostility, and paranoia.

Just knowing this information does little to solve the problem. Even hough you might not be experiencing these difficulties or noticing a difference in yourself, I would venture to say that others around you might be struggling. Many students find it difficult to juggle the many challenges that law school presents and find themselves in a mental state where they never expected to be. Additionally, life does not stop happening around you just because you are in school. External factors and concerns for your friends and family might be the last straw in “keeping it all together.”

When it seems like life is unbearable, you don’t have to go through it alone. Pay attention to both your behaviors and those of your friends. An increase in drinking, substance abuse, irregular sleeping patterns, and risk-taking behaviors are all signs that something could be wrong. Seeking out the appropriate help is a must. I am available to discuss any issue with you at anytime. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to admit that you are feeling less like yourself. You are not alone.

Check out the articles available online at www.haworthpress.com/web/LRSQ and www.interscience.wiley.com. You can also call the Alachua County Crisis Center, 24 hours a day, at 264-6789.

Gordon, the John H. and Mary Lou Dasburg Professor, will be going to the Portuguese Catholic University in Portugal, while Jones heads off to Munich, Germany to conduct research at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition, and Tax Law. They are among about 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad as part of the program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to build mutual understanding between residents of the United States and the rest of the world. UF also is hosting five Fulbright Visiting Scholars during the current academic year.

“The Fulbright program  highly competitive and elects talented faculty from all over the world,” UF provost Janie Fouke said.

“The University of Florida is proud both to be the home for these recipients and to be the home of faculty who attract awardees from other countries. Our students are the ultimate winners, though, because they have the opportunity to interact with folks who are among the most accomplished in the world.”

“I always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and I wanted the independence, flexibility and ability to assume full responsibility for cases,” says Kirkconnell, who earned both his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Florida. “Practicing in a small firm provides the opportunity to do it all.”

Kirkconnell says his FBI background also provides credibility to other law enforcement agents. He was one of the first lawyers to be certified in criminal law by The Florida Bar and is a former president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Kirkconnell’s clients have included professional athletes, judges, lawyers, physicians, housewives, school kids, and foreign nationals. He handles cases ranging from misdemeanors to complex federal white collar fraud prosecutions and death penalty cases.

Kirkconnell, who serves on the Executive Committee of The Florida Bar General Practice, Small Firm and Solo Practice Section, encourages students to remember they are entering a “service profession” where developing a solid reputation for providing good service and maintaining good relationships with everyone is paramount. “Practicing law is rewarding because you can help good people who have gotten in bad trouble,” says Kirkconnell, whose daughter Cindy K. Krauss is also a UF Law graduate, practicing in Houston.  

• The format for a legal resume is different from your undergraduate resume.

• Legal employers expect to review only a one page legal resume.

• Each section should be formatted in reverse chronological order.

• Use a basic font like New Times Roman. Use a font size no smaller than 10.

• Be consistent in your formatting (margins, abbreviations, bold, italics, etc.).

• Print on good quality white or ivory paper.

• Your resume must eb error free. Have it proofed by several others.

Section I: Heading

• Include your name, address, phone number and email. You may want to include both your local and permanent address.

Section II: Education

• Your education section should begin with UF Law (since it is the most recent education endeavor for you), including the date you anticipate receiving your Juris Doctor (not doctorate).

• GPAs: include if above 3.0 or if specifically requested.

• Include honors and activities under the relevant degree. Do not combine these from each educational institution in a separate section.

Section III: Experience Section

• List your most recent job first, then continue in reverse chronological order.

• Include the name of each employer, your title, dates of employment, and the city/state of employment.

• Use action verbs to describe what you did.

• If space is an issue, consider omitting your less recent or non-legal jobs.

• If including non-legal jobs in your resume, highlight transferable skills that demonstrate writing, public speaking, or analytical ability.

Section IV: Other Potential Sections

• Languages – include level of ability (fluent, proficient, conversational, written, etc.).

• Community involvement can be put under a separate section or included in your experience section.

• Interests – It is advisable to include a brief interests section, but be descriptive. Don’t just state “reading” instead write “reading civil war history” or whatever is appropriate. Include interests that show you are well-rounded, not just all individual activities or sports, but a balance.

• Never include improper personal information such as health, date of birth, marital status. or your picture. Employers cannot consider resumes with this information for potential discrimination reasons.

Despite all that, UF Law student Mike Pajcic, a past participant in the program, said his favorite experience was “playing soccer barefoot with people from all over.”

An Oct. 31 informational meeting on the five-week study abroad program featured faculty and student speakers from the previous summer’s Cape Town program. Students accepted into the program can take classes such as “Introduction to South African Law,” “Comparative Issues in Criminal Justice Administration,” and “Selected Issues in Constitutional Law,” taught by South African and American professors.

“South Africa is already the continent’s leader; the success of democracy in Africa depends upon its success in integrating a racially and culturally diverse population in a less politically diverse climate,” said Kathie Price, associate dean and director of the program.

The program, in which there is a dual focus on comparative and international law, includes visits to Parliament, courts and jails, and a chance to shadow members of the Cape Town Bar Association, which is completely integrated, said Price.

“The interesting thing about South Africa to me is that there are a lot of racial parallels with the U.S.,” said Professor Kenneth Nunn, a participant in the program.

“South Africa is simultaneously a first and Third World country,” said Price. “You’re going to come away with real questions of how successful its government can be in meeting the expectations of a rising middle class with expectations of land reform, jobs, and improved education, housing, and health services that are proceeding very slowly and may never be economically possible.”

Classes are taught at the University of Cape Town, a nationally diverse campus that is situated at the foot of Table Mountain. Last year’s students hiked to the top of the mountain, where the view was said to be amazing. The students also had a chance to go shark diving, and surfing, and visit wineries, the Cape of Good Hope, Clanwilliam, and Robben Island — famous for being Nelson Mandela’s incarceration site. They also went on a six-day, five-night safari, during which they saw animals such as rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, and lions.

What really impressed student Alex Hadjilogiou was the faculty, which he called “very gracious and tremendously capable.”

Cape Town, which has a population of 2.9 million people, is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The country’s varied geography means students will have a chance to see desert, flatland, mountains and beaches. Housing is in the Camps Bay part of Cape Town, an affluent area near the ocean. Said Professor Nunn, “You can’t get this experience anywhere else or at any other time in your life.”

The application deadline is March 23, 2007. Students interested in studying abroad should visit the summer abroad section of the law school’s web site to find out more about the South Africa program, as well as study abroad programs in Costa Rica and France.