Her busy schedule as the assistant U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Florida did not stop Acosta Nesmith from visiting her hometown to be honored for her many contributions back to the community. Last March she was honored by Mayor Garth “Sonny” Nobles with the Live Oak “key to the city” and a proclamation.

She is believed to be the first African American to receive this honor. She also received numerous other awards from her high school, church, family and civic organizations.

“If we are moved with compassion, our time, talent and/or treasures will touch more lives than we can ever imagine for longer than we could ever imagine,” said Acosta NeSmith in her keynote address at a banquet benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Suwannee County.

She urged the audience to become mentors and encouraged everyone to steer a misguided person in the right direction. Acosta NeSmith often returns to Live Oak for public speaking engagements and to serve on the Boys and Girls Club Steering Committee and the African American Development Council. Along with her husband, attorney Kimblin NeSmith, she also sponsors the “Acosta NeSmith Achievement Award,” a scholarship to a graduating Suwannee High School senior.

Acosta NeSmith recently was reelected to a third term on the National Black Prosecutors Association’s executive board and was recognized as the “Executive Board Member of the Year” for her outstanding service.

“I am humbled by the honors bestowed upon me,” Acosta NeSmith said. “It simply pleases my heart to brighten the lives of others, for the Bible teaches us ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’”

Presented by the University of Florida Levin College of Law and co-sponsored by The Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section and The Florida Bar City County and Local Government Section, this year’s conference is entitled “Green Building: Prospects and Pitfalls for Local Governments.” The event will draw experts from law and related fields to discuss topics such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other certification programs, state and local climate change initiatives, private environmental lawmaking, building industry and local government programs, and national trends.

The state of Florida is positioning itself to be in the forefront of governmental efforts to incorporate design and construction practices that will yield energy efficiency, enable the conservation of resources, and protect the environment. Some local governments and universities have also been experimenting with their own green building programs. This rapidly changing field presents challenges and potential problems for local government counsel, as well as attorneys who specialize in real estate, land use, environmental and construction law.

“There are certainly a lot of positives to green building practices,” says UF Law Professor Michael Allan Wolf, Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law. “Local governments can promote themselves as being green. They might provide incentives for people to build green-certified buildings and create a green corridor or green district, and that can sort of promote the city, because there are a lot of people when they are choosing where to live or where to shop who are cognizant of these issues.

“But ultimately there might be some strings attached that might prove troublesome for local governments. There might be some extra regulatory hoops that they have to jump through, additional costs that the state could pass on to them, or legal challenges that could arise from these green building incentives and requirements.”

UF has been one of the leaders in the state in the green movement. UF’s Rinker Hall (pictured above) became Florida’s first LEED Gold-Certified building in 2004, and last year Library West became the second building at UF to attain gold status. Other UF buildings are now certified by LEED and several more are being renovated to meet these standards.

Scheduled presenters include Douglas Buck, director of governmental affairs, Florida Home Builders Association; Kristen H. Engel, professor of law, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law; Douglas E. Meyers, III, a lawyer at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, Jacksonville, Florida; Charles J. Kibert, professor, University of Florida M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction; Errol E. Meidinger, vice dean for research and professor, University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York; Joshua Yaffin, energy coordinator, Florida Department of Management Services; Jeffry S. Wade, director, Environmental Division, Center for Governmental Responsibility, UF Levin College of Law; and Jariel Bortnick, J.D. candidate, UF Levin College of Law.

This is the seventh symposium honoring Richard E. Nelson–who served with distinction as Sarasota County attorney for 30 years–and Jane Nelson, two UF alumni who gave more than $1 million to establish the Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, which sponsors the annual event. Their support of the Levin College of Law’s Environmental and Land Use Program has been key to the program’s success and national recognition for excellence.

Merrill is the Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law at Columbia Law School in New York, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2003. He previously taught at Northwestern University School of Law. From 1987 to 1990 he served as deputy solicitor general in the Department of Justice, where he represented the United States before the U.S. Supreme Court. He previously practiced law with Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood in Chicago, where he continues to serve as a consultant on appellate litigation, constitutional law, regulated industries, and environmental law.

Merrill earned bachelor’s degrees from Grinnell College in Iowa and Oxford University in England prior to enrolling in the University of Chicago Law School, where he earned his J.D. cum laude in 1977. Following graduation from law school, Merrill was law clerk to United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Harry A. Blackmun, as well as United States Court of Appeals Chief Judge David L. Bazelon.

The lecture series was endowed by a gift from UF Law Professor Michael Allan Wolf and his wife Betty. Wolf, the Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, is the general editor of a 17-volume treatise, Powell on Real Property, the most utilized treatise in the country in the area, which is cited regularly by the courts, including several recent citations in the United States Supreme Court. The treatise is a legal source that lawyers, law professors and judges have relied upon for over half a century.

“My wife and I envision that the gift will enable the Levin College of Law to bring leading real property experts to share ideas with our impressive law school community,” Wolf said. “The text of each lecture will be published in the Powell treatise, which will enable the ideas to reach even a wider audience of practitioners, judges, and academics. We also want to expose these outstanding lecturers to all the great things we have at our law school, especially our faculty, students, and staff. In this way, the gift will further enhance UF’s already outstanding reputation.”

UF Law Dean Robert Jerry said, “The Wolf Family Lecture on the American Law of Real Property will provide a forum for leading academic experts on American real property law to present their ideas not only to our students but also to a national and international audience. We are delighted that the Wolf Family chose to create this significant series, and we are very excited about Professor Merrill’s inaugural lecture in February.”

Hernández-Truyol, who was honored along with University of California, Berkeley Law Professor Angela Harris, received the award at the AALS annual meeting in New York Jan. 2-6, 2008. The honor recognizes Hernández-Truyol for her dedication to scholarship, teaching and public service. She is the second UF law professor to win the award in recent years, joining Kenneth Nunn, who was honored in 2001.

The award, named in honor of Professor C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr., is granted to an outstanding law teacher who in the course of his or her career has achieved excellence in the areas of public service, teaching and scholarship. The award is particularly aimed at law teachers who have provided support, encouragement and mentoring to colleagues, students and aspiring legal educators.

“Professor Hernández-Truyol is a prolific scholar and a very fine teacher,” said UF Law Dean Robert Jerry. “Her writings have caused people to think deeply and sometimes differently about issues of justice and equality. We are very proud to have her on our faculty.”

An expert in international law and human rights, Hernández-Truyol joined the UF Law faculty and was appointed a Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law in 2000. She previously was a professor at St. John’s University School of Law, where she also directed the International Women’s Human Rights Project of the Center for Law and Public Policy. During the late 1990s, Hernández-Truyol was an honorary senior fellow in the Institute for Legal Studies at the University of Wisconsin Law School and a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She also has been on law school faculties of the University of New Mexico and DePaul University. While in private practice, she was an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School.

Hernández-Truyol is one of the founders of the Latino Critical (LatCrit) Theory movement and is widely published. She is the editor of Moral Imperialism: A Critical Anthology (NYU Press 2002), and her articles have been published in numerous law reviews and journals. She is co-author of a forthcoming book (with Stephen J. Powell, director of the International Trade Law Program at UF’s Center for Governmental Responsibility) on trade and human rights, which will be published later this year by NYU Press. Hernández-Truyol was co-chair of the 2000-2001 law school Faculty Appointments Committee, helping the college pursue its diversity goals through hiring and retention. She also is active in the Association of American Law Schools (where she chaired the minority section), American Bar Association and American Society of International Law. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her law degree (cum laude) from Albany Law School of Union University and her master’s in law from New York University.

The focus for this first-ever symposium, held in conjunction with the Law College Council, the Sports and Entertainment Business Society and the Undergraduate Sports Management Club, was to take a 360-degree look at each aspect of the world of sports. Marc Isenberg (pictured above with student), author of Money Players: A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for the Current and Future Pro Athletes, served as the morning keynote speaker and moderated the panel of student-athletes.

During the afternoon, former vice president of the New Orleans Saints and current city councilman of New Orleans, Arnie Fieklow spoke on the different aspects of management in professional sports while also moderating the panel with executives. Panelists included Jai Lucas, UF Men’s Basketball player; Travis McGriff, former UF and NFL player and currently a member of Team Florida’s All American Football League; Shane Mathews, head coach of the AAFL who played in the NFL for 14 years; Paul Vance, senior vice president of the Jacksonville Jaguars; and Glenn Schwartzman, CEO of Alliance Sports Management and agent for several professional athletes. Many participants emphasized the importance of maintaining relationships in this businesses, while every professional athlete recognized the importance of player-agent relationships.

“The transition from college ball to pro-ball forces you to quickly realize it is a business and you are an investment as a player,” said Darren O’Day, former UF baseball star now playing in the minor leagues for the Anaheim Angels. “We hope that we’ve laid the groundwork for something important here at the University of Florida,” said Scott Ehrlich, president of EASLS. “Next year, we would like to get even more student body involvement. We hope that the University of Florida Sports Symposium will become as synonymous with Florida sports as winning national championships.”

Johnson, who specializes in property tax litigation in Sarasota, is this year’s president of the Florida Association for Women Layers.

In addition to social opportunities, the organization is a great way to make business connections, Johnson said.

“I’ve met all of my best friends through the association, and it’s a great way to meet attorneys and judges from around the state,” she said. “It’s a great luxury to be able to travel all around the state and know people in Tallahassee, Jacksonville and South Florida.”

Johnson recently came back to UF Law’s campus to see old friends and try to start a FAWL law school chapter. As President, she wants to expand the organization’s reach, she said.

“I want to get chapters at every law school, especially here at UF where I went to school,” she said. “I’m looking for some female student leaders who want to begin making connections and friendships with practicing lawyers and judges.” Johnson says there’s no better way to make connections for future jobs and also get real world experience as a member of Florida’s legal community.

“FAWL provides an immediate connection to practicing lawyers,” she said. “The opportunity to socialize, meet, interact and attend meetings gives you a fast track to a job after graduation.” Student members can contribute right away and attend meetings, she said.

“All students are invited to all the meetings, and each FAWL chapter can send voting delegates,” Johnson said. “The women legal leaders involved get to know the law school representatives by their first names, which can lead to incredible opportunities.”

Johnson would like the association to have more presence in rural areas and will lobby this year for women and less fortunate people who cannot afford legal representation.

“We need more representation in rural areas, because we have discovered that’s where women need help the most,” she said. “In addition, Florida is the only state in the U.S. that does not provide a court filing fee waiver to people who cannot afford legal services, and we will lobby to change that.”

An already experienced attorney, Johnson recalls that in her first year practicing, she argued in front of Florida’s Supreme Court.

“At that point I didn’t know enough yet to be scared in front of the court,” she said. “When you’re that new, all you care about is winning and serving your client the best you can.”

As a property tax lawyer, Johnson works with county property appraisers and interprets laws for her clients, she said.

“The thing I like best about the law I practice is the opportunity to make new law all the time,” she said. “There’s always appeals to work on, and with the new property tax amendment, there will certainly be lots of work to be done.” Johnson says it’s important for law students to consider working for small and mid size firms, and not just large ones in the future.

“Students have a tendency to just look at the firms who come to campus for interviews or who have the big name,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to work for small to mid-size firms, because they are eager for young attorneys and can provide great pay, mentoring and experience.”