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News Brief – January 11, 2010

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:23:23 +0000

Applications for the Summer 2010 Yegelwel Fellowship are still being accepted
Applications for the Summer 2010 Yegelwel Fellowship are still being accepted. The deadline for submission of application materials has been extended to Jan. 22. The fellowship provides a $4,000 stipend to a UF Law student to participate in a Summer Fellowship Program at the Anti-Defamation League, Florida Regional Office in Boca Raton. The Fellowship will last 8-10 weeks, with the student committing to a minimum of 35 hours per week. The fellow will be supervised by the ADL Southern Area Counsel. Previous fellows conducted legal and legislative research on a broad variety of subjects including amending Florida’s hate crime law to include homelessness as a protected category, the teaching of intelligent design in the public school science classroom, and the scope of separation of church and state under the Florida constitution. The fellow also handled constituent discrimination complaints and participated in ADL meetings, functions and events. The Yegelwel Fellowship is limited to UF Law students who have successfully completed the first-year required curriculum, including Constitutional Law, and who are in good academic standing prior to beginning the fellowship. “Successful” completion of the first-year required curriculum means earning a passing grade in each course and maintaining an overall GPA of at least 3.0. See the Center Web site for more details. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Bamba (CSRRR assistant director) at 352-273-0614 or bamba@law.ufl.edu.

Seminar on Social Media: Promises, Pitfalls & Perils

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:22:25 +0000

Social media is fun, free and easy, and more people each day use it for business as well as for pleasure. But what are the liabilities and legal pitfalls of using Facebook, Twitter and other social media? Are there special concerns related to public institutions operating under the Sunshine Law? The Levin College of Law and University of Florida Strategic Communications Planning Committee will present a free seminar on the safe and effective use of social media 3-5 p.m., Friday, January 22, 2010, in the law school’s Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (room 180).

The event will also be Webcast live via a link on the UF Law home page, and an archived version will be available later along with comprehensive information on social media on the Seminar Series section of the UF Strategic Communications Web site. RSVP by Jan. 21 to UF Strategic Communications Planning Committee Chair Debra Amirin at amirin@law.ufl.edu, if you plan to attend.

The event features a distinguished panel of UF experts:

Moderator, Center for Governmental Responsibility Founding and Current Director Jon L. Mills, Professor of Law, UF Law Dean Emeritus, author of Privacy: The Lost Right, Oxford Univ. Press, 2008: Overview of social media; the inherent conflict between social media and information disclosure in public institutions
Stephen C. O’Connell Chair and Professor of Law Lyrissa Lidsky: Laws and topics related to the Internet and social media, touching on libel, public forums, free speech and academic freedom
Chief Privacy Officer Susan Blair: Privacy regulations and UF information privacy policy, case studies, recent developments, resources
Associate Vice President and First Deputy General Counsel Barbara Wingo: Social media legal and policy considerations specific to UF, including public records, Sunshine Law, Acceptable Use Policy, and student disciplinary issues
Human Resource Services Vice President Paula Fussell: Review of employment-related issues
University Relations Vice President Jane Adams: Power and potential of social media

Former Florida Supreme Court chief justice to serve as jurist-in-residence

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:20:29 +0000

University of Florida Levin College of Law students will have the unique opportunity to tap into 43 years of experience and legal perspective of former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Charles T. Wells on Jan. 20-21 as he serves as the Peter T. Fay Jurist-in-Residence.

The Jurist-in-Residence Program, launched in 2009, brings experienced judges to campus to share their legal insights and experiences with students through participation in college activities and classroom discussions. In addition to attending classes and meeting with students, Wells, a 1964 graduate of UF Law whose legal experience spans 28 years in private practice and 15 years on the state’s highest court, including two years as chief justice, will give a presentation on Jan. 20. The lecture, to be held at UF Law’s new Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., will focus on Wells’ involvement in the infamous vote recount of the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Bush. v. Gore.

“I am certainly honored and privileged to have been invited to be the 2010 Peter T. Fay Jurist-in-Residence,” Wells said. “I feel particularly this way because of my long friendship and admiration for Judge Fay. Judge Fay has led and influenced me throughout my entire career by his high standards of professionalism and excellence and the significant contributions he has made to our profession through his service as a lawyer and a jurist.”

The Peter T. Fay Jurist-in-Residence Program was made possible by a generous donation from U.S. District Court Judge Paul C. Huck, a 1965 UF Law graduate who wanted to honor Fay for his dedication to the professional development of young attorneys. Judge Fay served as the inaugural jurist-in-residence in 2009.

“Justice Wells will be an extraordinary resource and mentor for our students,” said Jennifer Zedalis, UF legal skills professor, director of Trail Practice and chair of the Jurist-in-Residence Program Committee. “He has served as our chief justice, and he has participated in landmark decisions ranging from capital punishment to the electoral process. He brings more wisdom and experience to our school than we could possibly describe.”

For more information on the Peter T. Fay Jurist-in-Residence Program contact Jennifer Zedalis at 352-273-0814 or zedalis@law.ufl.edu.

For more information on Charles T. Wells visit www.floridasupremecourt.org/justices/wells.shtml.