This year extended hours until 2 a.m. will begin Sunday, Nov. 27. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the LIC will close at 4 a.m. and maintain that schedule through Sunday, Dec. 11. From Monday, Dec. 12, through Thursday, Dec. 15, the LIC will close at 2 a.m.

This is the second semester of a pilot test of later closing times during exams. The LIC will be keeping detailed statistics of library use during this period to determine whether demand is high enough to maintain the 4 a.m. closing time.

The LIC welcomes your feedback about library hours, so please to take a short survey and provide your comments.

Here are the hours:

• Nov. 23, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Nov. 24 – Nov. 26, CLOSED
• Nov. 27 – Dec. 3, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
• Dec. 4 – Dec. 11, 7:30 a.m. – 4 a.m.
• Dec. 12 – Dec. 15, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
• Dec. 16, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Dec. 17 – Dec. 18, CLOSED.

Many of the law school community know Hodges, who lives in Gainesville. He is a senior judge in the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, a graduate of UF Law, and practiced law in the Tampa area with MacFarlane, Ferguson, Allison, and Kelly before his appointment to the federal bench at 37.

He has served with distinction in the Middle District for 40 years, and has presided over many high profile cases, including the Wesley Snipes tax evasion case.

On Thursday the UF Law Costa Rica Program & Conservation Clinic, the Center for Latin American Studies, and Gators for Alternative Dispute Resolution will host Dr. Mario Mancilla, the legal adviser to the Secretariat of Environmental Matters (SEM) of the Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

Mancilla will present “Environmental Dispute Resolution under the CAFTA-DR: Obstacles and Opportunities.”

He will describe the difficulties inherent in environmental disputes among the CAFTA countries (including the United States), the role of the SEM in resolving these disputes, and the increasing importance of environmental dispute resolution within trade agreements.

The talk will take place at noon in the Faculty Dining Room and a light lunch will be provided.

The distinguished presenters include Paul T. Wheeler, Ph.D., Gary F. Canner, Esq., Lynn H. Cole, Esq., and Michael S. Orfinger, Esq.

View the agenda, registration, program and presenter information.

The Florida Library Association (FLA), in partnership with the Division of Library and Information Services, will collect the results and post them online later.

The LIC had over 1,500 visitors throughout the day, and photos are available here.

Tax Moot Court members, from left in back, Kevin Hublou, Kyle Griffin, Scott Hyman, Joe Malca and from left in front, Sonia Singh, Jason Levy, Sheba Abraham, and Professor Steve Willis returned from a successful national competition. (Photo by Marcela Suter)

The University of Florida Levin College of Law Tax Moot Court Team placed in the top three in two different categories at a recent national moot court competition.

The Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon took place at the St. John’s School of Law’s Manhattan campus last month, where 24 teams from all over the country competed in negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

The UF Law team of Kevin Hublou, Kyle Griffin and Scott Hyman placed second in negotiation, while the team of Joe Malca, Sheba Abraham and Sonia Singh placed third in mediation.

“To have second and third (place) in St. John’s is pretty darn good,” said Tax Moot Court faculty adviser Professor Steven Willis. “It’s a national competition … I was very proud of both teams; I was very pleased that they both placed.”

Malca, the student president of Tax Moot Court said he was also proud of the team’s accomplishments.

“It shows that all the hard work our team put into this competition paid off,” Malca said.

It was the third year St. John’s hosted the triathlon, with UF Law competing in all three competitions. In 2009, UF Law placed first in mediation and second in arbitration.

Willis said a lot of work went into preparation for the competition and although they were in the Big Apple, the Tax Moot Court Team members were not up there for vacation.

“We were sitting in the hotel room all day before, and the night before, going over the stuff they were going to do,” Willis said.

The negotiation and mediation rounds took place on Saturday, after which Willis and the team returned to their hotel and spent the evening preparing for the arbitration round held on Sunday morning.

“We weren’t up there playing. We were up there working,” he said.

The triathlon, which is co-sponsored by the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is “the only dispute resolution competition in which students engage in each of the three primary methods of alternative dispute resolution in a single event,” according the St. John’s School of Law’s website.

Willis was assisted by Mike Burns (JD 11), a current LL.M. student who was on the first-place team in 2009.

President of The Florida Bar and University of Florida Levin College of Law graduate Scott Hawkins spoke Nov. 8 to students in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom. (Photo by Nicole Safker)

President of The Florida Bar Scott Hawkins (JD 83) let UF Law students in on a secret.

“I have a confession,” Hawkins said as he stepped to the lectern in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom. “I didn’t like to go to law school, but I love being a lawyer; I really, really love it.”

Hawkins spoke Nov. 8 on what it means to be a lawyer and offered advice for law students after they graduate. The event was presented by the UF Chapter of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, Law Student Division.

Hawkins explained that as he progressed through law school, he began to appreciate the experience when he realized that being a law student was about more than just acquiring knowledge from textbooks.

“Law school is a lot more than knowledge; (in) law school you’re learning how to solve problems and learning how to work with language and different rules within different disciplines to solve problems that will be entrusted to you when you become a lawyer,” Hawkins told the near-capacity crowd.

He also emphasized the value of the opportunity to attend law school and to become a lawyer.

“To be a lawyer in America is one of the most important privileges that you could ever have,” Hawkins said.

And while the privilege comes with benefits, it also comes with certain obligations, he said. People will expect lawyers to live up to certain expectations regarding their behavior, character and ethics.

Hawkins also stated the importance of remembering to give back so others can have the same opportunities.

“I hope for those of you who do particularly well, that you will invest back into the law school, and I hope you’ll be thinking about that today,” he said, “because the privilege is being given to you now to go off and serve others and serve communities in the coming years in a way that you could not do without the juris doctor.”

Hawkins went on to offer advice for starting out in the legal profession, saying that a lawyer’s reputation starts right now in law school.

“How you’re remembered by your class will be carried on for the rest of your career,” he said, mentioning how he still remembers what his former classmates were like for better and worse in law school.

“I stress three Cs when I’m talking to young lawyers: You want to be a person of character, you want to be competent, you want to be committed,” Hawkins said. “If you put those values at the forefront of your mind as you’re starting out, it will serve you well.”

Hawkins closed by urging law students to begin considering becoming certified by The Florida Bar. He said it takes a lot of focus and discipline to become certified, but it benefits lawyers throughout their career.

“It’s a very tough standard but it’s a very worthwhile goal.”

The event was made possible by The Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division, which is comprised of law students around the state. The division works on creating a smooth transition between law school and practicing law. The group works with The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, local bar associations and practicing lawyers to provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, legal education and community service opportunities for members.

UF representatives of The Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division include Ryan Gilbert (2L), Margaret Good (3L), Allie Menegakis (2L and division secretary) and Laura Thayer (3L).

All students are encouraged to apply for membership. For more information about the division, visit www.flayld.org/students/signup.php or contact Allie Menegakis at allieem@ufl.edu.

Photo by Nicole Safker

Members of the Gainesville Community Playhouse, including UF Law Senior Legal Skills Professor Patricia Thomson, at left, performed “The Exonerated” on the UF Law campus Nov. 6.

The play employed a versatile cast to tell the stories of six people wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death; two of them were convicted and sentenced in Florida.

The people chronicled in the play eventually were exonerated and got out of prison, but only after substantial prison time on death row.

UF Law Senior Legal Skills Professor Henry Winhyk (not pictured) also performed in the production. The performance was free and was performed as a special event for the law school.