UF Law’s newest clinic opens doors
The newest addition to UF Law’s Virgil D. Hawkins Civil Clinics opened its doors for the first time this past summer with four interns completing the program earlier this month. The Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic (IPVAC) is the first and only clinic of its kind in the country; helping indigent victims of domestic violence meet legal, safety, family and medical needs.

“I am thrilled that we got IPVAC off the ground and running this summer,” said Teresa Drake, director of the clinic. “The students handled cases with issues ranging from dissolution to injunctive relief; immigration to landlord tenant law.”

“A major benefit of the clinic is that the law students are enabling individuals to have representation and a voice in proceedings where they might not have,” said intern Diana Korn (3L).

The clinic is a collaboration between the University of Florida Levin College of Law, College of Medicine, Shands Teaching Hospital and Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network. Students interested in enrolling in the IPVAC program can contact Director Teresa Drake at drake@law.ufl.edu.

FJIL welcomes new members
The Florida Journal of International Law welcomes and congratulates its newest members for the Fall 2010 semester: Meghan Zavoina, Michael Burns, Chelsea Koff, Agnieszka (Agnes) Jeter, Liridona Sinani, Fabienne Suter, Shawn Clark, Daphne Duplessis, M. Austin Moretz, Adriana Paris, Kristina (Nina) Burke, Lamar Miller, Caroline Picart, Brian Wagner, Jennie Zilner, Anastasia Campbell, Julianne Parker, Michael Gutman, Brittany Jacobs, Monica L. Haddad, Nicole Zakarin, Jason Parnell, Jerry Lee, Jason Levy, Christopher Marotta and Laura Thayer. FJIL publishes three times a year and concentrates on international legal topics such as international trade and commerce law, human rights law, national security, war crimes, international environmental law and maritime law. For more information on FJIL, e-mail editor-in-chief Stephen Lott at FJIL.EIC@gmail.com.

CSRRR panel looks at new Arizona immigration law
Over the summer, the UF Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations presented an insightful examination of the controversial Arizona immigration law featuring Gainesville immigration attorney and UF Law alumni Evan George and UF Law professor Pedro Malavet. George and Malavet provided an overview of the law and elaborated on a number of reasons the law is a cause for concern. George focused on misperceptions about immigration issues while Malavet examined issues of race and culture in relation to the law.

No smoking policy takes effect
In order to provide faculty, staff and students with a healthy work and learning environmnent, UF became a tobacco-free campus on July 1. For more information about the Tobacco-Free Campus initiative and to learn about resources available to employees or students who wish to stop using tobacco, visit the Tobacco-Free Campus website at www.tobaccofree.ufl.edu/.

Fall 2010 New and Visiting Faculty and Staff

Tom C.W. Lin
Tom Lin has joined the faculty as an assistant professor of law. His current scholarship and teaching interests are in the areas of business law, securities regulation and behavioral law and economics. He was previously an instructor of law at Brooklyn Law School in New York. Prior to entering academia, Professor Lin practiced law at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Davis Polk & Wardwell and Dewey Ballantine. He is a graduate of New York University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as an advanced legal writing instructor and senior editor of the Journal of Constitutional Law and the Journal of Law and Social Change.

Rachel Rebouché
Rachel Rebouché has joined the UF Law faculty as an assistant professor teaching family law and comparative family law. For the 2010-11 academic year, she will be an affiliated faculty member with the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Prior to joining UF, she was the associate director of adolescent health programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. Rebouché received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, LL. M. in international law from Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland and B.A. in politics and sociology from Trinity University. Following graduation from law school, she clerked for Justice Kate O’Regan on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and completed a fellowship at the National Women’s Law Center. Before law school, she was a researcher for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a research associate at the Human Rights Centre of Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Paul Gugliuzza
Paul has joined the faculty as a visiting legal skills professor, teaching appellate advocacy and legal research and writing. Gugliuzza completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, and graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Tulane Law Review. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Ronald M. Gould on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Gugliuzza joins the faculty directly from the Washington, D.C. office of Jones Day, where he was a member of the firm’s Issues and Appeals practice group.

Mark Snider
Mark D. Snider has joined the faculty as the interim visiting assistant professor in tax. Snider received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois in 1986 and obtained his LL.M. degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2009. He was a partner at two leading Chicago based law firms, where he practiced for more than 12 years working on complex business and financing transactions. He also worked for several years as the general counsel of a national service company, headquartered in Florida and with business locations throughout the United States, and as a partner in a law firm based in South Florida. He is admitted to practice in both Illinois and Florida.

Debra Hyatt
Debra Hyatt has joined the staff as the new registrar. She joins UF Law from Florida Atlantic University where she worked in student affairs for more than five years. A native of Tampa, Hyatt has a bachelor’s degree from UF and a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University. She is excited about her return to Gainesville and her alma mater after living in South Florida for eight years. “Gainesville has always been like a second home to me, so it’s a thrill to be able to come back and work at the law school,” she said.

Shira Megerman
Shira Megerman joins the staff as the newest student services librarian. She comes to Gainesville from Kansas City, Mo. Megerman is available for research assistance and all student-related matters. Her office is located at HOL 175B and can be contacted at megermans@law.ufl.edu.

Grace Northern
Grace Northern joins the staff as the associate director of Development and Alumni Affairs. Northern comes to Gainesville from Washington, D.C., where she worked at the White House as Assistant to the Director of Presidential Personnel. In this capacity, Northern worked with senior members of the White House staff to identify and fill presidential appointments across the administration. Prior to her time at the White House, Northern worked on the Presidential Transition Team. As one of the first employees of the Obama for America campaign, she worked in a variety of capacities in six states during the primary and through the general election, including Florida. Before entering politics, Northern worked in the Washington, D.C. office of the Glover Park Group, a large public affairs firm. A native of Louisville, Ky., Grace received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Whitney Smith
Whitney Smith joins the staff as the new communications coordinator and editor of FlaLaw Online and UF Law eNews. Smith previously worked at The Gainesville Sun. She has experience in graphic and page design, online content management, editing and news and feature writing. Smith has worked on various publications before, during and after her years as a journalism student at UF and is thrilled to learn about the internal relations of the Levin College of Law and its students, faculty and staff. Feel free to contact her at smithw@law.ufl.edu or 273-0652. Smith replaces Katie Blasewitz, now working in Washington, D.C., as the electronic marketing and communications specialist at The Optical Society.

Matt Walker
Matt Walker has joined the staff as the new media relations manager in the Office of Communications at the law school. Walker brings years of journalism experience to the position, and has worked as a writer, reporter, columnist and magazine editor in Florida, Georgia and California. He will be responsible for running a vigorous reactive and proactive media relations program, including planning and implementing publicity programs, writing and disseminating press releases, and writing for UF LAW magazine and other publications. He can be reached at mlwalker@law.ufl.edu or 273-0653. Walker replaces Scott Emerson, who left the law school for a full-time position with the USDA.

Jennifer Wondracek
Jennifer Wondracek has joined the Legal Information Center as the new instructional services reference librarian. She will be working with faculty on distance learning course creation and other instructional issues. Wondracek also will be teaching legal research, both online and in the classroom, and joining the reference staff to help meet the needs of the LIC patrons. Wondracek came from Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, N.C., where she held the position of reference and government documents librarian. She obtained her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s online program in 2006 and has been a law librarian ever since. Prior to becoming a librarian, Wondracek obtained her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law and practiced law in North Carolina. Wondracek recently co-authored an Issue Brief on the new exemptions for the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s restriction on circumventing technological access controls for the American Association of Law Libraries. She plans to continue her research on copyright law and the interaction of technology and the law.

“Marty is a prominent real-estate developer, major national and international art collector and supporter of the arts, and a philanthropist of extraordinary generosity,” UF Law Dean Robert Jerry said. “This sculpture is a famous work of art, and a welcome addition to the landscape of our campus.”

The piece — entitled “BroadReach” — is located on the northwest portion of campus in Margulies Park, which was named for Margulies in recognition of his earlier contribution.

“It was fun siting the sculpture, and I know John Van Alstine would be thrilled with its application,” said Margulies, who traveled to Gainesville to help situate the massive object.

The sculpture is a large abstract metal and stone structure that twists and turns toward the sky, striking a distinct pose at the college.

“BroadReach” brings together old and modern materials for a unique and brand-new creation; a good fit for the study of law, where older ideas must often be built upon with newer and more modern ideas as society continues to evolve.

The abstract nature of the piece also falls in place with the other abstract works of art on the law school campus: “Cause and Effect,” “The Executive,” “The Legislator” and “The Jurist.”

Van Alstine’s art is displayed in prominent museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in Portugal. He was also one of 25 non-Chinese artists whose work was chosen for display in the Beijing Olympic Park.

Margulies has donated other works from his collection to the UF’s Harn Museum, including the “Hammering Man at 2,938,405″ at the museum’s entrance.

From left: Kimberly Andreu and Kristin Belsito volunteer at the Humane Society as part of the ILSP Community Service Day.

Over 300 first-year law students at the University of Florida kicked off the school year by donating their time and efforts to a variety of organizations in Gainesville Friday, Aug. 20. Community Service Day is an annual tradition at UF Law and is part of the Introduction to Law School and the Profession (ILSP) program for incoming students.

“Community Service Day marks an end to the Introduction to Law School and the Profession Program, as well as a beginning to the new students’ legal careers,” Director of Student Programs at UF Law Michelle Ocepek said. “It helps instill the message that attorneys should participate in the community in which they live, and give back in meaningful ways.”

Students were put into groups to volunteer at sixteen different sites around Gainesville, giving their time to organizations such as Haven Hospice, the Humane Society and The Alachua County Conservation Trust.

“The experience was good because – as we’ve already started learning – being a public servant is an essential part of practicing law, and including something like Community Service Day helps to reinforce that fact,” said Kara Carnley, a first-year law student who volunteered at The Arc of Alachua County, an organization that provides a variety of services to the developmentally disabled.

At The Arc, students assisted with organizational and cleaning projects – duties that often take a back seat to caring for the clients, Carnley said. They also had a chance to play board games and spend time with the clients.

“It opened my eyes to another community in Gainesville that might not always get the attention it deserves,” Carnley said. With each student contributing three hours, UF Law’s 1L class donated approximately 920 hours in volunteer time and giving back to the community.

The results are in. The entering Class of 2013 has set a new record in terms of their collective GPA — with metrics that compare favorably to those previously reported by the nation’s top 25 law schools — and LSAT — with metrics resembling those of the top 40 law schools. (Updated statistics for the fall 2010 class for other law schools are not yet available for analysis.) The credentials of these first year law students reinforce UF Law’s reputation as a top-tier national law school, and enhance the school’s ability to recruit high-caliber students. It builds on the trend of an increasingly well-qualified student body in recent years.

“We are pleased that, once again, this entering class is the best-credentialed in our history,” said Dean Robert Jerry. “They are outstanding additions to the UF Law Gator Nation.”

Dean Jerry reported the credentials to the faculty during a retreat on Aug. 19.

The new 1L class, comprised of 310 students, boasts a median LSAT score of 162 (up from 161 in 2009) and a median GPA score of 3.67. The class also holds the record for the greatest percentage of minority students enrolled, 26.8 percent, up nearly 3 percent from 2009. Of the more than 3,500 applicants to UF Law, only about 24 percent were admitted.

With 46 percent of the fall 2010 entering class having been out of college for one or more years, this new crop of 1Ls bring a range of educational and practical experiences with them. The class represents 74 undergraduate colleges and universities throughout the nation, including Brown University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Chicago, the University of Florida, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas-Austin.

Following in Zack’s footsteps on the state level are UF Law alumni Mayanne Downs, who became president of The Florida Bar in June, and Scott G. Hawkins, The Florida Bar president-elect for 2011.

As president of the 400,000 member-plus ABA, Zack will work toward gaining equal access to justice for all segments of society, a major focal point of his presidency. Other important issues Zack will focus on will be sufficient funding of the judiciary, the growing use of technology in the legal world and the importance of a proper civic education for young students.

Like Zack at the ABA, Downs is making judiciary funding a major focus of her presidency at The Florida Bar. Raising awareness about how lawyers can benefit by taking advantage of technology is also a key goal during her time in office.

Zack, who moved to Cuba from Detroit with his parents at two months old, came back to the United States at the age of 14 and went to high school in Miami. After graduating from UF Law, he returned to Miami and was co-founder of the Cuban-American Bar Association. Besides being the youngest president to be elected to The Florida Bar, Zack’s other accomplishments include being a member of the team of attorneys who represented Al Gore in Bush v. Gore (2001) and serving on the Florida Constitution Revision Commission. He is also an emeritus member of the UF Law Center Association Board of Trustees.

Mayanne Downs has served as the Orlando City Attorney since 2007, is a partner at King, Blackwell, Downs & Zehnder, P.A. in Orlando, a past member of the UF Law Alumni Council and has been on The Florida Bar Board of Governors since 2002. Scott G. Hawkins is vice-chair of Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A. in West Palm Beach, where he practices commercial litigation. He also serves on the UF Law Center Association Board of Trustees, UF Foundation Board of Directors and is director of The Florida Bar Foundation.

Dean Robert H. Jerry

On behalf of our faculty and staff, I welcome all our new and returning students to the college. As we begin this new academic year, Steve Zack, (JD71), serves as the 2010-11 president of the American Bar Association, the fifth UF Law graduate to do so, more than any other school in the past four decades. I doubt that any other law school in the nation has ever been able to celebrate the accomplishment of having all of these offices occupied by its alumni in the same year: ABA President (Steve Zack); and, with its state bar association (for us, the Florida Bar Association), the president (Mayanne Downs, [JD87]); the president-elect (Scott Hawkins, [JD83]); the past-president (Jay White, [JD83]), and the Young Lawyers Division President (Renee Thompson, [JD99]). And Joe Milton, (JD69), received the Florida Bar Foundation’s 2010 Medal of Honor, the highest award presented to a member of the Florida Bar. Whether it’s bar officers, the judiciary, or the private sector, UF Law alumni have been and are leaders, and it all begins here.

This is already shaping up to be an active fall, with events ranging from the Glasser Barbecue (Tues., Sept. 14) to the University of Florida’s Constitution Day Program at the law school (Fri., Sept. 17). Details on other events and announcements, including important information about career development and student services, alumni activities and more, can be found in this and upcoming issues of FlaLaw Online, and I encourage you to make a habit of reading FlaLaw Online each Monday morning.

This year is also a time of great change in the legal profession, and many of our activities and events will explore these changes. The job market for new law graduates, although showing some signs of improvement, remains difficult, and we will have a number of programs designed to help prepare you to deal with these realities. Steve Zack’s ABA agenda for this year includes promoting access to and preservation of the justice system, civic education, and protecting human rights, and we will have programs that discuss each of these imperatives. Indeed, some of your faculty will have key positions on the committees that will work on these issues this year.

We have several new faculty colleagues who are joining us, and I hope you meet them soon: Tom Lin (teaching Business Organizations in fall and Corporations in the spring); Rachel Rebouche (teaching Comparative Family Law in fall and Perspectives on Family in the spring); Paul Gugliuzza (visiting, teaching Legal Research and Writing); Mark Snider (interim tax professor); Sylvia Menendez (visiting, Legal Drafting); and Joel Mintz (visiting; teaching Local Government and a seminar in Environmental Enforcement in the spring). Distinguished international visitors include Guido Pfeiffer (Germany, Introduction to Ancient Law); Tomasz Giaro (Poland, European Legal Tradition); and Adjunct Prof. Attila Andrade (Brazil, Doing Business in Latin America, and Practical International Business Transactions).

There are some new faces in the administration, too. Rick Donnelly has been named acting director of the Legal Information Center (library) following the retirement of Kathie Price, and we welcome two new reference librarians: Jenny Wondracek (teaching Advanced Legal Research via distance learning) and Shira Megerman, who as student services librarian will focus on 1Ls. We also welcome our new registrar, Debby Hyatt, who comes to us from Florida Atlantic, our communications coordinator/FlaLaw Online editor, Whitney Smith, formerly of The Gainesville Sun, and Grace Northern, who comes to us from the White House to join our fundraising team as associate director of Development and Alumni Affairs. Recruiting will soon begin for a new assistant dean position in the Office of Student Affairs who will focus on academic advising, academic support, and professional development.

I am pleased that our newest building, the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center, has been completed (with the exception of the interior of the second floor, which is scheduled for completion by fall 2011). The completion of the center’s courtroom finishes the total reconstruction of the college’s academic space during this decade. If you have not yet seen the courtroom, I hope you will soon visit it. We will have a courtroom opening celebration later this year and then a building dedication after all construction is completed. We have a new sidewalk on the northwest lawn; returning students will understand what I mean when I say this location for the sidewalk was selected by our students. If you’ve used the new walk, you’ve noticed the new sculpture generously donated to us by Marty Margulies, for whom the northwest lawn is named. As explained elsewhere in FlaLaw, this is a major work of art by an internationally prominent sculptor, which now makes our law school a destination for Gainesville visitors interested in viewing modern art.

This newsletter is for you, and I hope you will speak through it by submitting your news and suggestions to our Office of Communications at flalaw@law.ufl.edu. You also will find much information on our website, www.law.ufl.edu, such as policies and guidelines to which students and other members of our community are expected to adhere, as well as details and updated information on support services, financial information, student organizations, centers and institutes, course descriptions, faculty and staff, maps, and other helpful information.

Again, welcome to and back to the Levin College of Law. It’s great to be a Florida Gator, and I look forward to all of us having a very successful year.

— Bob Jerry, Dean and Levin, Mabie and Levin Professor