Law alumni share kind, encouraging words with 1Ls
The Florida Fund sent out an e-mail blast to University of Florida law alumni recently asking them to share some encouraging things to pass on to 1Ls. They have shared stories from job success to exam advice. Read them here.

Deadline for applying for Yegelwel Fellowship extended to Dec. 3
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. A generous gift from UF Law alumnus Evan Yegelwel, who graduated in 1980, has made this fellowship possible. Mr. Yegelwel is a partner in the Jacksonville law firm of Terrell Hogan Ellis Yegelwel, PA. The fellowship will last eight to 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. 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. First-year students are encouraged to apply for the fellowship, subject to verification of successful completion of their first-year courses prior to the start of the Fellowship term. The student must also pass a background check. To apply, please submit the following: (1) a personal statement of 500 words or less outlining any past experiences or qualifications that indicate your interest in and commitment to public service; (2) a resume; (3) two references (including names, addresses and phone numbers); (4) an official transcript and (5) a letter verifying good academic standing. Please submit a hard copy of these items to Patricia Hancock in HOL 340. If you have any questions, contact Melissa Bamba, CSRRR Assistant Director, at 352-273-0614 or bamba@law.ufl.edu.

Space still available for London Law Consortium
There is still room in the London Law Consortium, Spring Semester Study Abroad Program, which takes place from Jan. 10 – April 29, 2011. For more information on this program, check out the website. To discuss this opportunity, contact Michelle Ocepek in the Office of Student Affairs – HOL 164, ocepek@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0620.

Alyson Flournoy
Professor of Law; Director, Environmental & Land Use Law Program
“How much will BP oil spill change offshore drilling in Gulf?” (Nov. 13, 2010, Orlando Sentinel)

In this article, which explores what the future of oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico might hold regarding prevention and safety, Flournoy commented on federal regulation and reform to help prevent future spills.

From the article:
Alyson Flournoy, a University of Florida law professor and principal contributor to a BP disaster report by the Center for Progressive Reform think tank, said federal regulators must be given far greater authority and additional resources to drive reform.

“Within the U.S. legal system, industry has had incentives for safety, but obviously they haven’t been enough,” she said.

Paul R. Gugliuzza
Visiting Legal Skills Professor
Gugliuzza presented his paper, “The New Federal Circuit Mandamus,” at the Florida Legal Scholarship Forum on Saturday, Nov. 13. The conference was hosted by Stetson University Law School.

Lyrissa Lidsky
Stephen C. O’Connell Chair, Professor of Law
“Request for documents in church case denied” (Nov. 10, 2010, Ocala Star-Banner)

A former church teacher at Open Door Community Church has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse against minors. The prosecutor in the case suspected the church leaders were warning its members about the possible financial consequences for the church’s future in a case like this, and tried to subpoena all written correspondence regarding the case. The defense argued such a request was a violation of free speech.

From the article:
“The balancing tends to come down in favor of law enforcement in the interest of prosecuting crimes,” said UF law professor Lyrissa C. Lidsky, who teaches First Amendment law. “That [accusation of child molestation] is such a serious crime and of such great public interest, I don’t think there’s much weight to any First Amendment case.”

Diane Mazur
Professor of Law
“The Other ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’” (Nov. 10, 2010, The Weekly Standard)

This article discusses the issue of the lack of ROTC on college campuses from the point of view that some campuses have banned the organization. Mazur’s opinion that there is no ban is referenced in the story.

Kenneth Nunn
Professor of Law
“Back off barbershop raids” (Nov. 13, 2010, Orlando Sentinel)

In the Orlando area, several barbershops have been raided with relatively little criminal activity uncovered; the most common arrest being for “barbering without a license.” Some feel that the police are being overzealous in their recent tactics; which have been reported to be unnecessarily aggressive and unfair. The police department denies being overly aggressive, but admits that some aspects of the raids could have been done better.

From the article:
Kenneth B. Nunn, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, calls the sweeps a case of “over-policing.” An expert in criminal law and race relations, Mr. Nunn called the deputies’ “response to allegations of barbering without a license … unnecessarily intrusive and overbroad.”

Michael Seigel
Professor of Law
“Request for documents in church case denied” (Nov. 10, 2010, Ocala Star-Banner)

A former church teacher at Open Door Community Church has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse against minors. The prosecutor in the case suspected the church leaders were warning its members about the possible financial consequences for the church’s future in a case like this, and tried to subpoena all written correspondence regarding the case. The defense argued such a request was a violation of free speech.

From the article:
“I suppose at some point you could argue the state is acting to harass a religious organization merely to harass it, or prevent it from congregating. Presumably that could rise to a level of denial of a constitutional right,” said University of Florida law professor Michael L. Seigel, who teaches evidence and criminal law.

“But, frankly,” he added, “that would have to be an extreme situation. You would have to induce some significant proof to carry the day that the government’s activity has amounted to such a burden.”

Jeanne T. Tate
Adjunct Professor of Law
“Jeanne T. Tate: Consider Adoption” (Nov. 17, 2010, The Gainesville Sun)

Tate recently wrote an editorial promoting awareness and encouragement of adoption for the more than 123,000 kids in foster care in need of loving, forever homes.

From the article:
From my vantage point as a Florida-licensed adoption attorney for more than 28 years, what we need is continued momentum that elevates our collective consciousness toward adoption and in the direction of what I affectionately refer to as a “forever family.” Without this heightened awareness, too many of our precious kids currently mired in foster care will see their adoption hopes and dreams vanquished, as they simply “age out” of the foster care system upon reaching their 18th birthday.

Michael Allan Wolf
Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law
Wolf presented the Boehl Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Policy, Phi Beta Kappa Lecture, at the The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law Thursday, Nov. 11. His lecture was entitled “Private Property and Public Protection: The Brandeisian Alternative.”

Longtime Professor of Law Robert C. L. Moffat passed away Nov. 14 after a long illness.

University of Florida Levin College of Law Professor and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy, Sociology and Criminology and Law Robert C. L. Moffat passed away Nov. 14 in Gainesville after a long illness.

Moffat joined the University of Florida Law School in 1966 as an assistant professor before being promoted to associate professor in 1968 and tenured professor in 1971. During his nearly half-century teaching career at UF Law, Moffat specialized in law and public policy, jurisprudence, criminal law and law and morality.

Moffat leaves behind a lasting legacy of numerous articles, publications, speeches and presentations on a wide variety of topics, but his memory will also live on through the people’s lives he impacted throughout his years as a law professor.

“Professor Moffat cared deeply about his students, and took a great deal of personal satisfaction in their achievements. The depth of his love for teaching and his affection for his students were demonstrated by his reluctance to leave the classroom even in the last days of a severe and painful illness,” said UF Law Dean Robert Jerry.

His devotion also spread to his colleagues in the legal field and to the ongoing pursuit of knowledge.

“Bob had the respect of his colleagues as a dedicated and serious scholar. His immense knowledge of the legal philosophies of Lon Fuller and other influential theorists was of great benefit to those of us who sought refreshment from time to time on jurisprudential issues,” said Stuart R. Cohn, John H. & Mary Lou Dasburg Professor of Law and Associate Dean for International Studies at the Levin College of Law. “At the same time his feet were firmly implanted in the here and now and he was able to bridge chronological and philosophical gaps for the benefit of his students and in his scholarly articles. He was devoted to the law school and his students and he will be sorely missed.”

After earning his B.A., M.A. and L.L.B. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he was editor-in-chief of the Southwestern Law Journal, Moffat went to the University of Sydney in Australia to earn his LL.M. Moffat was a Fulbright Scholar from 1962-1964 and earned First Class Honors when he graduated in 1966.

Among the many professional memberships and offices of which Moffat was a member over the years, the longest running was the American Section of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. He joined the organization in 1966, served as executive director from 1987-1999 and was elected president of the organization for the 2003-2005 term.

Moffat consistently contributed to the world of academia throughout his extensive career, with his most recent article, “Searching for Substantive Justice: Lessons from Lon Fuller’s Natural Law,” being published in the April 2010 issue of the Iowa Journal of Gender, Race & Justice.

Moffat is survived by a son, Iain, and daughter, Kaaren.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Gainesville.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Robert Moffat’s memory be made to the Professor Robert and Janette Moffat Memorial Scholarship in Law, University of Florida Foundation, Inc. Attn: Gift Processing, PO Box 14425, Gainesville, FL 32604.

John Marshall Bar Association President Joe Joyce introduces the panel of Dean Robert Jerry, Dean Debra Staats, Dean William Page and Dean Rachel Inman at the town hall meeting Nov. 16. (Photo by Joey Springer)

“Is there any way we can get a salad bar?”

“Can the library extend its hours to mimic main campus library hours?”

“Can Starbucks be open the same duration of the library?”

These and other questions and suggestions were addressed at the Fall 2010 Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom. The event was hosted by the John Marshall Bar Association (JMBA) and included panel members Dean Robert Jerry, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs William Page, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rachel Inman and Associate Dean for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs Debra Staats.

The hour-long event had over 100 attendees and touched on topics such as career development, academics, facilities and student services. Each dean answered questions and addressed suggestions relating to their area.

The meeting first focused on questions and suggestions collected by JMBA from students. These included requests to add a new microwave and furniture in the cafeteria, painting and/or pressure washing the outside of the building during an academic break and adding toilet seat covers and individual trashcans in the women’s restroom stalls.

“Some things are obvious. We just need someone to say them out loud,” Staats said.

In response to concerns related to the Center for Career Development, Jerry said, “We recognize [career development] as an area where we need to perform better – in the delivery of student services. Making improvements in that area is a top priority.”

Inman has stepped in as interim director of the Center for Career Development following the resignation of former Assistant Dean for Career Development Linda Calvert-Hanson. Jerry said there will be a national search to bring in a new director, and that the school will continue to work to make available more small-firm options for employment, disseminate information more effectively, and get more recruiters to interview UF Law students.

“We will do a better job providing all these services,” Jerry said.

Jerry also discussed the power of the Gator Nation network, how alumni have helped with the placement of prior graduates, and the school’s plan to encourage alumni to hire Gator grads.

Student suggestions and concerns voiced at the town hall meeting included:

• Keeping the law library open until 1 a.m. like the main campus libraries
• Offering extended library hours two weeks earlier than usually offered for students who have papers due before finals
• Making the reading room limited to only law students
• Having Starbucks use the same operating hours as the library
• Adding food options such as a salad bar, Subway and Boar’s Head
• Inviting food vendors such as Chick-fil-A to sell on campus at designated times
• Offering the law calendar in a smart-phone friendly format
• Providing more lighting and/or security on the campus at night, especially around the Florida Law Review office entrance

After the administration addressed suggestions, the town hall meeting closed with a question and answer session. Some questions included: “why is there no ‘Sexuality in Law’ class?”, “will there be a certificate in criminal law available?” and “why don’t we have more clinic options?”

Page’s answers included that there was a “Sexuality in Law” class previously offered during the summer, but the professor who teaches that class hasn’t been able to teach it the past couple years due to course loads. However, they are looking to offer the class in the spring or fall semester. Page also said that a certificate in criminal law is not yet available, but that the school is investigating the addition of an entrepreneurship clinic.

In answer to a question regarding the grading curve, Page said the current class standing system communicates the quality and competitiveness of the student body.

After receiving answers to their questions and voicing their opinions, students were offered free lunch provided by JMBA. Joe Joyce, president of JMBA, thought the meeting was successful.

“It was a really honest dialogue,” Joyce said. “There has been positive change from town hall meetings in the past, and this is an important part of what JMBA does: advocate for student issues. JMBA wants to provide students with access to the administration and advocate on their behalf issues that the students care about and believe in.”

“It’s about effecting positive change,” he said.