The Center on Children and Families is seeking volunteers to participate in its annual Youth Summit. There will be an information meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12, and Monday, Feb. 16, at noon in HOL 359. The Youth Summit is designed to engage high school students in discussion about matters concerning law and policy and how each affects them. This year the summit will be on March 20, and will focus on youth involvement in the Juvenile Justice System. The program will address topics ranging from what activities could be illegal or result in suspension or expulsion from school to the consequences of involvement in the juvenile justice system. While volunteering, you will have the opportunity to interact with over 400 high school students to inform them of their legal rights, as well as inspire them to be focused and to live a productive life. For more information contact Debbie Willis, program at kelley@law.ufl.edu or Kristianna Rodriguez, Youth Summit project assistant at querod@ufl.edu. If you are a member of Facebook, the event and information is listed there as well.

ELULP informational meeting Feb. 13

The Environmental and Land Use Law Program offers many opportunities for you to become involved and learn about these important areas of law. There will be an informational meeting at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 13, in HOL 283. At the meeting, you’ll learn critical information about the ELUL program, including the requirements for earning a Certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law, and details about the curriculum, including the Conservation Clinic, summer externships, and the summer study abroad in Costa Rica, and find out about the Environmental and Land Use Law Society, the Environmental Moot Court Team, the Public Interest Environmental Conference, and our new LL.M. in Environmental and Land Use Law. Students who attend will also have the chance to meet and talk with some of the ELULP faculty and to get individual advice on course selection for summer and fall and career development guidance. This is an excellent opportunity for currently enrolled certificate students to get answers to questions about certificate requirements, course availability, etc. All students with an interest are encouraged to attend, but especially first- and second-year students – this is the ideal opportunity to get the best possible information to plan your academic program for your remaining semesters. Contact ELULP Program Assistant Lena Hinson at hinson@law.ufl.edu.

Real Property Law Association welcomes new officers, develops local connections

The UF branch of the Real Property Law Association (RPLA) was pleased to recently celebrate its second anniversary as a UF Levin College of Law organization. As part of the celebration, the RPLA inaugurated a new crew of officers. The inauguration was immediately followed by networking events at recent North Florida Area Real Estate Attorney (NFAREA) meetings hosted by the law firms of Salter, Feiber, Murphy, Hutson & Menet and Scruggs and Carmichael. The NFAREA welcomed Tiffany Kimball as the RPLA’s new President, along with fellow officers Jamie Barwig, Zea McDonnough, Derren Kales and Lauren Kirkpatrick. Barwig was offered and accepted the position of NFAREA secretary and is now responsible for both assisting the NFAREA chairperson and keeping the minutes for the organization. Outgoing president Brent Kimball was pleased to present a new initiative to the NFAREA designed to help local real property attorneys locate and communicate with University of Florida students interested in practicing in the field of real property. The RPLA will continue to work with Florida’s real property law community at the upcoming executive council meeting this spring, where they plan to attend several training seminars, volunteer their services for pro bono projects, and rub elbows with the elite of Florida’s real property community. (Photo from left: Tiffany Kimball, Lauren Kirkpatrick, Derren Kales and Zea McDonnough)

Research Assistant Needed

Professor Jonathan Cohen seeks a research assistant for this spring and summer concerning a project addressing one family’s response to a case of medical error. Interested students should have both excellent research and typing skills, as some of the work will involve transcribing interviews. Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and undergraduate and law school transcripts (unofficial copies fine) to Betty Donaldson, HOL 340, by Wednesday, Feb. 18

Introduction to Law School and the Profession 2009 Ambassador Program

Student Affairs is looking for ambassadors. Ambassadors are current students who are selected for their interest in helping new students prior to, during, and even after the ILSP. If you are interested in being a part of the ambassador team, now is the time to apply. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Feb. 17, at noon. An information sheet and application is available on the orientation Web site www.law.ufl.edu/students/orientation/. When you turn in your application and resume to the Office of Student Affairs, you will sign up for an interview. If you wish to be considered for a coordinator position, an additional application is required. Contact Michelle Ocepek at ocepek@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0620 for more information.

McDonald, who has served as an administrative judge in the family law division of the 8th Judicial Circuit, has dealt with aspects of family law including divorce, domestic violence, dependency, child support, mental health and delinquency.

“I discovered it to be a very difficult area of the law,” McDonald said.

Cases involving children and families require patience and compassion, McDonald said.

“Emotions are high-strung,” McDonald said. “You need to be willing to provide guidance.”

The vast majority of families come to the family law division with an agreement already in place, McDonald said.

“Mediation is very important to our family division,” McDonald said. “You are dealing with really good people in the worst times of their lives.”

Often in family law cases, families argue and fight without thinking about the potential damage to their children. Nevertheless, some damage is inevitable.

“The law just can’t fix everything with these folks, no matter how hard you try.”

McDonald commended the students in attendance for their interest in family law. Such cases can be emotionally draining for all parties involved, including judges and lawyers, she said.

“As a lawyer, your goal is to help people,” she said. “If you’re doing your job the way it should be done, you’re going to worry about your clients.”

McDonald stressed the importance for lawyers to stay in touch with their clients, even if there are no new developments in a case.

“The worst thing that you can ever do is ignore a client’s calls,” McDonald said.

Alachua County currently has a unified family court system, which allows one judge to hear several cases involving the same family.

“Whoever gets the first case gets the rest of them,” McDonald said.

Because different cases involving the same family are often interrelated, consolidating the cases under the same judge helps avoid conflicting court orders, she said.

McDonald stressed the importance of integrity in the legal profession. Lawyers need to be prepared and knowledgeable about the status of the law and the facts of their cases before entering the courtroom.

“It’s a small legal community,” McDonald said. “Judges don’t forget.”

Cynthia Winter (3L), president of the Family Law Society, participated in an externship with McDonald in spring 2008. As an extern, Winter was impressed by McDonald’s presence and command of the courtroom.

“She’s such a respectable judge,” Winter said. “She’s a favorite among students and faculty.”

At the age of 37, Leonard went back to school to finish her bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida. She got a degree in legal studies and said her professor continuously tried to get her to attend law school.

“I had no plans to go to law school,” said Leonard, who never had aspirations as a child to be a lawyer. “But while I was at UCF, most of my professors asked me, ‘are you going to law school?’ and I told them that I was just here for that little piece of paper.”

That would soon change. After working as a paralegal for a year or so, one of her professors called and told her it was time for her to apply to law school. And she did.

“I liked learning; it is just very stimulating,” said Leonard, who is general counsel at Florida Gulf Coast University. “Some people say (law school) is the worst three years of their life, but for me it wasn’t. I just loved it.”

During law school, she said that she never really got into the whole ‘Gator thing.’ She said she was there to get a law degree and that was her priority.

“It was strenuous, I wouldn’t say it was hard, but it was a lot of work,” said Leonard about the level of difficulty of law school. “I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a great three years.”

Nothing was more difficult, though, than the trials and tribulations Leonard went through in her lifetime.

After she and her first husband divorced, Leonard said life as a single mother with three kids was a task. And things would not get better before they got worse. A few years later, she said she reached one point where her family was living on food stamps.

“Sometimes I would go to places that passed out food and stood in line. We just didn’t have any,” Leonard said. “Things were hard.”

She said one of the main reasons she went to get her bachelor’s degree and, later, a law degree was for her family. She wanted to make sure they were well taken care of.

Adulthood wasn’t the first time she experienced hard times. Looking back on her childhood, Leonard said she hadn’t realized that she was poor. She said her father passed away when she was young, and her mother became a single mom with three kids. Because her mother always took care of her family’s needs, she said she never noticed the economic hardships and said she had a happy childhood.

“It was not until I became a poor adult that scars of economic deficiency affected my life,” she said.

Leonard, who is a wife, a mother of five children and the grandmother of five grandchildren, hopes that her children and others can learn from her life lessons. She makes every effort to continue to grow and learn, as well as to encourage others to always reach toward their aspirations.

Leonard said it is never too late be anything your heart desires.

“I didn’t go to law school until I was in my mid-to-late 30s,” Leonard said. “If you want it bad enough, there is a way to get whatever it is you want. You just have to be focused.”

On Feb. 4, Kimm Walton, author of Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, visited the Levin College of Law to share with students some creative suggestions for getting their own dream jobs.

Dispelling fears that dream jobs in the legal field are reserved for only those with a 4.0 grade point average, Watson declared, “You are so not defined by your grades!” and added, “If you think there is anything stopping you from getting a great job, you will see that you can get a great job!”

In her presentation, Watson addressed many of the most common employment conundrums that law students have, from polishing résumés to acing interviews, and from successfully networking to healing from a rejection.

A résumé, Watson advised, should be a “marketing tool,” and urged that applicants remain aware of “image and message control,” being sure to pitch themselves to employers as polished professionals. She recommended that résumés remain free of negative grades, insignificant prior employment, and unprofessional-looking email addresses.

Additionally, she advised that job applicants should be conscientious of how they present themselves on social networking sites, as employers may also look there to get a better image of what a job candidate may be like.

For a successful interview, Watson emphasized enthusiasm and preparedness, including mastering an answer to the ubiquitous “why should we hire you?” question, and asking the employer well though-out questions. The best questions to ask employers, she advised, are open-ended ones that demonstrate prior research of the employer and the employer’s field of practice.

She added that an applicant should also prepare a brief but confident response to any questions about potential weaknesses on a résumé, still being sure to focus on his or her positive qualifications for the job.

Even after a successful interview, however, many applicants receive the dreaded rejection letter, which Watson referred to as another part of the “learning process.”

“Rejection does not define your career unless you allow it to,” Walton cautioned, adding that an employer who rejects an applicant may still be a valuable resource. She advised responding to a rejection by asking for reconsideration if the employer’s needs change, in addition to asking for additional referrals from that employer.

Watson encouraged students to ask other legal professionals for advice or information, but never to ask for a job. Instead, “strategically position yourself to get opportunities,” Watson advised.

According to her, one of the best opportunities are CLE (Continuing Legal Education) classes, which she said law students may attend free on scholarship. CLE classes benefit law students by providing more information and valuable networking opportunities in many different fields of legal practice.

Despite what appears to be her overwhelming success, Walton admitted that she also had difficulty finding her dream job after law school. After discovering that writing is her “passion,” however, Watson began her own publishing company and, in addition to Guerilla Tactics, has successfully published several other titles and a series of humorous law school flash cards called “Law in a Flash.”

Watson’s own success, which she channels into the advice that she gives law students and new lawyers, proves that the only armor new lawyers need to land their ideal job is resourcefulness, perseverance, and a sense of humor.

The first jurist-in-residence will be the program’s namesake, Peter T. Fay, a senior judge of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and a 1956 College of Law graduate.

The recently endowed program will bring experienced judges to campus for several days each year to visit and participate in college of law activities and enable law students to informally discuss a broad range of issues relating to the judicial process. The goal is to bridge the gap between the classroom and legal practice.

“Judge Fay is very approachable and eager to meet with as many students as possible,” said Jennifer Zedalis, UF College of Law senior legal skills professor, director of Trial Practice and chair of the Jurist-in-Residence Program Committee. “Judge Fay encourages students to drop by his office (HOL 318). This is an ideal opportunity for young attorneys to be exposed to an outstanding legal scholar.”

The idea to name the jurist-in-residence program after Fay came from Fay’s colleague and friend, U.S. District Court Judge Paul C. Huck, a 1965 UF College of Law graduate. Huck regards Fay as a judicial mentor and he wanted to honor Fay in a fashion that represented Fay’s tremendous dedication to the professional development of young lawyers.

Charlie Roberson (3L), who will clerk for Judge Fay after graduation, encourages students to make the most of Judge Fay’s visit.

“Not only is Judge Fay a great legal mind, but also a kind and generous man,” said Roberson. “Students will feel at ease with Judge Fay and can learn a lot about the justice system.”

Finding common ground between music and the law is the goal of “From the Suits to the Stage,” the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Seventh Annual Music Law Conference, to be held Feb. 20 – 21. Attorneys, musicians, band managers and anyone interested or involved in the music industry should make plans to attend the event, which will feature live performances from local bands on Feb. 20, and an educational conference on Feb. 21.

Keynote speaker Martin Atkins, an author and record label owner who has toured with Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, said he is looking forward to the exchange of ideas he anticipates will happen at the conference.

“It’s been my experience that ideas circulated amongst any group of interested people create more ideas,” said Atkins. “I like the games of mental ping-pong that happen with any gathering of switched-on, open-brained people.”

The Feb. 20 band showcase offers an exciting slate of live performances by young, up-and-coming, local bands — including Bang Bang Boom, The Duppies, SuperFish, and Vernon — from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at Common Grounds, located at 210 S.W. 2nd Ave. in downtown Gainesville.

Conference sessions will begin at 9 a.m. on Feb. 21 in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (180) on the UF College of Law campus. Legal and music-industry experts will discuss topics ranging from licensing and copyrights to management and musician’s rights. A new addition, the Breakout Session, will give the attendees a chance to get into small groups with one of the panelists for either a Q&A or a workshop. Notable confirmed panelists include Gary Roth, assistant vice president of Legal Affairs for BMI records, and Ravi, a musician and advocate for artistic integrity.

The conference is free to UF faculty and students. Registration for non-UF students and faculty is $20. Registration for attorneys is $75, which includes seven Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits.

“Last year’s Sixth Annual Music Law Conference explored new forms of music distribution, commercial markets, and the ethical issues faced by attorneys trying to protect the fruits of musicians’ creative endeavors,” said Kevin E. Leary, a 1986 graduate of UF Law, member of the Entertainment & Sports Law and Business Law sections of The Florida Bar, and panelist at last year’s conference. “I firmly believe that this year’s Music Law Conference will again be a valuable experience for attorneys, law students, and musicians seeking to successfully navigate the often murky waters of the music business.”

Sondra Randon, third-year law student and executive director of the music conference, said the conference was developed to bring musicians, lawyers and business professionals together to discuss current trends and issues in the music industry.

“The theme of this year’s conference is actually two-fold,” said Randon. “On one hand, the conference is geared towards helping and educating the musician through every step of the process. On the other hand, it is aimed at professional and to-be professionals to help them create new ideas, learn and discuss the most current issues and to network with other members of the industry.”

For more information or to register, visit the Music Law Conference Web site.

Contact: MusicLawConference@gmail.com

The symposium invites attorneys specializing in local government, real estate, land-use planning, environmental law and others interested in those topics to attend, and will offer insights on how local governments can address the profound legal, financial and political changes affecting today’s economy.

Presented by the UF 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 one-day conference titled, “The Squeeze on Local Governments,” will explore pressing questions affecting local governments and identify solutions to help leverage governmental resources. Attendees can earn six general Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, and will interact with leading state and national experts in local government, the environment, property, land-use, and redevelopment law.

“These are perilous times for local government officials who find themselves on the front lines of the struggle to contend with the financial and housing meltdown and other serious challenges,” said Michael Allan Wolf, Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, UF Levin College of Law, and organizer of the symposium. “Pressured by court decisions, diminishing property tax revenues, and new legislation that threatens their existing regulatory tools, attorneys representing and working closely with cities and towns need to be well-informed regarding new problems and new government assistance programs.”

Symposium topics slated for discussion include, “State and Local Responses to the Housing/Financial Crisis,” the “Neighborhood Stabilization program,” “Experiences with State Regulatory Takings,” and “Post-Kelo Eminent Domain Reforms.”

“Our nation’s economic crisis is taking its toll on state and local governments,” said Deborah Cupples, a board member of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association. “To deal with these issues effectively requires attorneys specializing in local government, real estate, land-use planning and environmental law to keep up with the evolving challenges and proposed solutions. Attending the Nelson Symposium is a great way to plug into resources and get advice from the experts.”

Presenters include Frank S. Alexander, professor of law, Emory Law School; John D. Echeverria, executive director, Georgetown Environmental Law & Policy Institute, and professor of law, Vermont Law School; James W. Ely, Milton R. Underwood Chair in Free Enterprise, Vanderbilt University Law School; Robert Guthrie, esq., senior assistant county attorney, Orange County, Fla.; D. Kent Safriet, esq., Hopping Green & Sams, Tallahassee, Fla.; Gregory T. Stewart, esq., Nabors Giblin & Nickerson, Tallahassee, Fla; and Andrea Becker and Tara Nelson, J.D. candidates, University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Symposium registration is free for faculty and students and includes CLEs, all program activities, reception, continental breakfast, breaks and lunch. Visit www.law.ufl.edu/news/events/ to view the symposium brochure, which includes registration and accommodation information.