The University of Florida will take a closer look at the health care reform issue in celebration of this year’s Constitution Day with a discussion, “The Affordable Care Act: The U.S. Constitution Meets Health Care Reform.” The event is Monday, Sept. 17, from 10-11 a.m. at the UF Levin College of Law’s Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom. It is free and open to the public.

The discussion will feature UF Law Professor Steven Willis and Andrei Boyarshinov, Shands HealthCare associate general counsel and UF Law adjunct professor, representing opposing viewpoints regarding the Affordable Care Act.

Willis is a longtime member of UF Law’s top-ranked Graduate Tax faculty. He wrote an amicus brief for the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Affordable Care Act, and has published three law review articles on the case: “Of Constitutional Decapitation and Healthcare” and “Oy Yes, the Healthcare Penalty is Unconstitutional” in Tax Notes, and “No Health Care Penalty? No Problem: No Due Process” in the American Journal of Law & Medicine.

Boyarshinov is a senior attorney for managed care and network development, commercial transactions and risk management for the $1.5 billion health system closely affiliated with the UF Health Science Center, including two major academic centers, Shands at the University of Florida and Shands at Jacksonville, both advanced acute care teaching facilities, three hospital joint ventures, one behavioral health hospital and one comprehensive medical rehabilitation hospital. He teaches Health Care Finance and Delivery at UF Law.

Attendees will receive complimentary cake, lemonade and a U.S. Constitution app for iPhone or Android phones.

UF’s Constitution Day Program continues with two open-mic readings of the U.S. Constitution, one 11 a.m.–noon in the foyer of the Advocacy Center, and the second by Smathers Libraries noon-1:30 p.m. on the Plaza of the Americas outside Library West with complimentary cake, lemonade and pocket copies of the Constitution.

Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, and each year the University of Florida – along with other publicly funded universities – celebrate the day with special programs and activities. This year’s events are sponsored by the University of Florida, with support from the UF Levin College of Law, Smathers Libraries and the Graham Center.

- Matt Walker
Senior writer

Mitchell Moore (3L), left, Tamar Soroker (3L) and Daniel Sollaccio (3L) discuss works as the complete their externship at Shands General Counsel’s Office. (Photo by Marcela Suter)

Law students cannot practice law before being admitted to the bar, but they can help other lawyers practice. UF Law offers a lot of help for students who want to do just that through externship and internships.

“The idea is to get some experience on a student’s resume,” said Pascale Bishop, assistant dean for career development. “In a market like this, when things are difficult, experience can make all the difference in terms of who an employer ends up hiring post graduate.”

Through these programs, students are able to gain real-world experience in a variety of legal settings. They also allow students to obtain exposure in a specific field and develop skills that are taught in the classroom.

Internships and externships provide an environment in which a classroom cannot simulate. Rather than discussing a the theory of law, students are given the opportunity to get their hands dirty.

“It’s great to sit in a criminal law class and debate but practicing criminal law is very different. It is much more procedural,” Bishop said.

These programs allow students to learn firsthand the value of being prepared and demonstrating a mastery of law.

The main difference between internships and externships is the academic character of an externship. Engaging in an externship also means engaging in a UF Law course.

“An externship carries with it a very important academic component,” said Leslie Knight, director of externship programs and professor of law.

Each student that completes an externship is assigned a faculty member who has expertise in the field in which the student is working. This faculty member supervises the student through regular contact and provides the student with guidance.

UF has a robust externship program with nearly 300 externs a year. These externs practice in various areas including environmental law, criminal law, child advocacy, public interest, bankruptcy law and corporate law.

Kendall Obreza, 3L, completed her externship at the State Attorney’s Office in Gainesville.

Obreza performed tasks at different stages in a case such as research, attending depositions and witness interviews, writing motions and assisting at trials.

“I had the opportunity to assist one of the attorneys at the trial of an armed carjacker… and took notes on each witness’ testimony,” Obreza said. “The attorney used my notes to formulate her closing argument.”

The jury reached a guilty verdict and the defendant was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“It is a great opportunity for the students to think more deeply about issues concerning ethics and professionalism, guided by the faculty in those thought processes,” Knight said.

Obreza’s faculty advisor, master legal skills professor George Dekle, required her to write a journal, in which he provided feedback.

“Writing about the tasks I completed each day gave me time to reflect on those tasks individually,” Obreza said. “It was interesting and enlightening to hear his thoughts on my journal entries, given that they were those of a highly experienced and successful prosecutor.”

Externships are limited to second- and third-year law students and are unpaid. In fact, students pay tuition. Internships can be completed by students at any level, and may be paid.

“Because (internships) do not have that academic structure around it, they are a lot more malleable,” Bishop said.

In association with the employer, students can choose their start and end dates and the number of hours they work.

“We want everyone to come away with some kind of legal experience their first summer and because internships are so flexible they can be worked around a class schedule or can be worked around a paying job,” Bishop said.

That’s what 2L Kaitlin Cupp did.

“I got to pick my start and ends dates and they let me take 6 weeks off in the middle to do the UF Law France abroad program,” Cupp said.

Cupp earned a weekly salary while gaining more practical legal experience after her first year by interning at Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, & Shipley, P.A., a personal injury firm in West Palm Beach.

She obtained experience and built personal relationships. Her duties included drafting complaints and other pleadings, completing legal research, sitting in on depositions, mediations, hearings, and meeting with clients.

“It was a great firsthand look at how a medium-sized firm functions,” Cupp said.

Cupp attributes her broader understanding of the legal system to her internship. She now has a greater knowledge of the time, research and networking that goes into being a plaintiff’s attorney.

“I learned that networking and building personal relationships is one of the most important parts of being an attorney, especially a plaintiff’s attorney, Cupp said. “Interacting with clients and other attorneys is the most important part of the job.”

For externship information, contact Leslie Knight at knightl@law.ufl.edu. For internship information, contact Pascale Bishop at careers@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0860. To find more information on international and national internships visit pslawnet.org. This searchable database allows students to find internship positions by organization or by opportunity.

- Marcela Suter
Student writer

Teresa Drake’s yoga class meets Tuesday at noon and Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center.

Teresa Drake (JD 94) has done yoga in airports, in the back of airplanes and all over the country. But it was not until last spring that she could say she had done it in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center.

As the director of the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic, she began teaching yoga to clients as a form of self-care. Drake realized law students too could benefit from the stress relief yoga provides.

“If we’re teaching students legal skills, we need to teach them self-care skills,” Drake said. “These students are going to be subject to taking on the problems of their clients. Hopefully this can help them during their time here as well as in their professional careers.”

Yoga is a practice for the body and the mind that helps with stress reduction, body mechanics, circulation and breathing. Drake also believes it makes people more mindful and reconnects the mind and the heart.

Andrea Krkljus (JD 12) used Drake’s class as a break from studying for the bar exam this past summer.

“She makes everybody feel comfortable and welcome,” Krkljus said of Drake. “In our profession, it is so important to learn and practice positive stress-relieving skills. It would make me very happy to see the yoga class continue at UF Law.”

As more students began expressing interest in Drake’s yoga classes, she decided to turn it into an extracurricular activity and hopes to one day have the funding to buy blocks and blankets.

“Too many times people tell me they’re not in good shape or they’re not flexible, so they are embarrassed to try,” Drake said. “Yoga is for everybody. You get your physical workout, your mental clarity, your relaxation and your centering all at once. It’s one-stop shopping.”

The Law Yoga Club: Bringing Students to the Mats meets at noon on Tuesdays and at 4 p.m. on Thursdays in the Advocacy Center lobby. Classes are free and open to students, alumni and faculty. Drake asks that participants bring their own mats.

- Francie Weinberg
Student writer

Mary Adkins has been promoted to director of the Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy Program.

ELULP taking applications for moot court team

The Environmental and Land Use Law Program is now taking applications for participants on the Environmental Moot Court Team for 2012-2013. Environmental Moot Court team tryouts are scheduled for Sept. 7 and Sept. 10. The deadline for applying is Thursday at noon. The dates for the tryouts are: Friday from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 10, from 3:45 to 5 p.m.; The tryouts are scheduled in 15-minute intervals. Contact Lenny Kennedy at lkennedy@law.ufl.edu for details.

The University of Florida sends teams to the National Environmental Moot Court Competition and the International Environmental Moot Court Competition. Students selected to participate in the UF teams have the chance to brief and argue a case, and to compete against teams from around the country in the annual competition.

Throughout the year, ELULP students can participate in summer externships, the Conservation Clinic, the Public Interest Environmental Conference, the Richard E. Nelson Symposium, the Environmental Capstone Colloquium, and the Costa Rica Study Abroad Program.

Criminal Justice Center, Criminal Law Association hosts criminal video-advocacy competition

The Criminal Justice Center and the Criminal Law Association is pleased to host its inaugural criminal video-advocacy competition this fall. The competition solicits submissions by student teams of an original, creative and educational video portrayal of Fourth Amendment issues geared toward a college-student audiences

• Cash prizes will be awarded for first through third places.
• All law students enrolled at the Levin College of Law are eligible to enter.
• Deadline for submissions is Oct. 22. Winners will be announced on Nov. 10.
• The submissions will be evaluated by members of a judging panel; criteria include clarity of thought, well-structured argumentation, creative use of videography and liveliness of expression.

Decisions of the judging panel will be final. Complete rules of the competition are available at the CJC website (www.law.ufl.edu/academics/centers/cjc) or can be obtained from Eva Achero in Room 100, Bruton-Geer Hall.

Restoration of Civil Rights training Sept. 6

The Restoration of Civil Rights (RCR) Project is having a training session on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m. in HOL 285D. The Restoration of Civil Rights Project is a volunteer group based out of the law school that helps members of the community with felony convictions apply to have their civil rights, including the right to vote, restored. The RCR group provides application assistance at workshops held once a month. RCR is a low-commitment way for law students to make a difference in the community. If you plan to attend the training session, add the Restoration of Civil Right project to your TWEN page and sign up for the training session or contact Brandon Campbell at bcampbell@ufl.edu.

‘Women, Work, and Family in the 2012 Presidential Campaign’ roundtable Sept. 19 at UF Law

The Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research and the League of Women Voters of Alachua County will present Sept. 19 a roundtable to discuss “Women, Work and Family in the 2012 Presidential Campaign” at 6:30 p.m. in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom, HOL 180.

This discussion and community event will feature Lynn Leverty, UF Department of Political Science; UF Law Professor Shani King; state Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston; state Sen. Evelynn Lynn, R-Daytona; with moderator Pegeen Hanrahan, former mayor of Gainesville. The panelists will focus on representations of gender and sexuality during this electoral season.

The event is presented with support from the Levin College of Law, the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and Association for Academic Women.

The Office of Admissions is seeking new members for the Student Recruitment Team to help bring the nation’s top undergraduates to the Levin College of Law.  Student Recruitment Team (SRT), a group comprised of 50 current law students, conducts campus tours, discusses their law school experiences with prospective students, and occasionally participates in recruitment events on behalf of UF Law. The members of the team also assist with the campus events like Admitted Students Day and the Road Map programs. In addition, members have the opportunity to travel nationwide to represent UF Law at recruitment events. One hour per week and participation in one of the special events are the minimum commitments for members.

To  learn more about the Student Recruitment Team or for an application, contact Noemar Castro, castro@law.ufl.edu. Selected members are required to attend a training session on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5:30 pm.

Inn of Court accepting applications

The James C. Adkins, Jr.  Chapter of the American Inns of Court, which meets in Gainesville, is accepting student applications for participation in the esteemed American Inns of Court, a national legal mentoring organization that teams law students (pupils) with new lawyers (associates), seasoned practitioners (barristers), judges, and senior lawyers (Masters of the Bench). The Inn meets six to eight times per year beginning in September.

Selected students participate in regular monthly meetings, at no cost to student members. Meetings include a mixer, dinner, and an educational program. All group members of the Inn prepare and present programs that address issues, techniques, problems, and ethics of the practice of law. Student membership is an excellent opportunity to work with, and observe, outstanding members of the legal profession, while learning trial techniques and other essential legal skills. Applications are available in the Legal Writing office, 213 Martin Levin Advocacy Center. Deadline for applications is Sept. 12. For more information, please contact Senior Legal Skills Professor Diane Tomlinson at tomlinson@law.ufl.edu.

At the University of Florida Levin College of Law Landers will teach Copyright and International Intellectual Property. She has co-authored two books in the field of international intellectual property.

In addition, she has authored numerous articles about patent law, as well as the treatise Understanding Patent Law (Lexis Nexis 2d ed. 2012). Prior to teaching, she was a partner in the Silicon Valley office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where she practiced intellectual property litigation and counseling.

Jameson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida, earning a bachelor of science degree in public relations with a minor in business administration. She graduated summa cum laude from Stetson University College of Law, and graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law with an LL.M. in taxation.

She received the Richard B. Stephens Award, given to the most outstanding student in the LL.M. program, as determined by UF Law tax faculty. Prior to joining the UF Law faculty, Jameson worked as an associate at Carlton Fields, PA, representing taxpayers at the state and federal level in tax controversy disputes and providing tax planning services to clients in various industries.

In late 2009, when then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was searching for some of Florida’s top experts in environmental, land use and water law, Glenn Waldman’s (JD 83) name came up.

Crist was working toward a complex transaction involving the purchase of a large chunk of the Everglades from U.S. Sugar Corp. and needed professionals who were expert in the intricacies of a real estate transaction with far-reaching environmental implications.

“There was an opening on the board and he asked if I would serve and help the other board members and district staff navigate this rather substantial transaction,” Waldman said.

Waldman was thus appointed as one of nine governing board members of the South Florida Water Management District in early 2010.

Students considering practice in environmental and land use law can learn from Waldman’s path. When he graduated from UF Law more than a quarter century earlier, Waldman didn’t necessarily set out to be one of the go-to names in environmental and land use law in South Florida – rather, that was a result of a unique confluence of opportunity and interest, combined with years of valuable experience. He founded Waldman Trigoboff Hildebrandt Marx & Calnan, P.A. in 1991 as a boutique firm that focused primarily on complex commercial litigation and health care issues. His expertise in environmental and land use law came after.

“Part of this had to do with the fact that there weren’t a lot of attorneys practicing in (environmental and land use law) and at the time it was a burgeoning area of the law,” he said. “If you look at growth industries in Florida in particular – outside of tourism and health care – you would have to point to environmental because of the nature of our ecology, particularly in South Florida where we have the Everglades.”

Waldman points out that there is a good deal of overlap between complex commercial litigation and environmental and land use law, so it was a natural fit. Some of that overlap had even ensnared the South Florida Water Management District which Governor Crist also cited as a basis to appoint Waldman.

“I am a lifelong South Florida resident and have a keen interest in our environment,” Waldman said. “I think it’s important to Florida’s future; I think it’s important to Florida’s overall economy – inclusive of the sometimes competing environmental and agricultural interests.”

Waldman also became a certified mediator in 1990 and an arbitrator in 2000. Over time, he became well regarded for his blending of knowledge in the area of environmental land use and water law and skills as a mediator and arbitrator. As a result, “I started receiving a lot of referrals to help parties mediate and arbitrate those specific matters,” he said.

Waldman said his greatest challenges and rewards are both wrapped up in the cases he and his firm take on.

“Because we handle complex commercial matters of high-dollar disputes, typically we find ourselves as a boutique firm up against large, national law firms which have substantial resources,” he said. “The logistics of handling very substantial matters is, and continues to be, our biggest challenge.”

He said the rewards are often in those very same cases.

“In larger firms, they’ll have layers and layers of lawyers, none of whom know the entire case. In a smaller firm such as ours, you tend to have only one or two lawyers who are routinely involved in the day to day affairs of the case and, typically, that leads to advantages when it comes down to framing and arguing substantial motions or trial proceedings,” Waldman said. “The reward is the results we obtain for our clients.”

For those law students and young lawyers who are interested, Waldman said he doesn’t see any slowdown in the growth of environmental, land use and water law in Florida.

“Complex problems resulting from the intersection of governmental regulation; private development and property rights; and environmental and pollution impacts present continuous tension,” he said. “It’s all very complex and that provides for lawyers and lobbyists – many whom are lawyers – tremendous opportunity going forward.”

Waldman urges those interested to take every available course they can in environmental and water law.

“There is no substitute for that,” he said.

Additionally, he said it’s important to work with the Center for Career Development during their time at UF Law to get matched up with the most suitable firms for the student’s interests.

He also emphasizes the importance of volunteering with organizations such as the Everglades Foundation and other non-governmental organizations. Not only are such organizations doing great work, they can provide potential employment and, at least, valuable knowledge and background for a future practice, he said.

Waldman is no stranger to volunteering his time either. In addition to his seat on the Water Management Board, Waldman serves on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the 4th District of Appeal in West Palm Beach. He previously served as a special prosecutor for the Judicial Qualifications Commission and on grievance committees of The Florida Bar.

“I want to be involved in activities specifically designed to help improve the judicial system in general,” he said.

He also takes an active role in the future of UF Law, serving on the UF Law Board of Trustees and the Environmental and Land Use Law Advisory Board.

“Mr. Waldman has been very supportive of the ELULP,” said Director Mary Jane Angelo. “Among other things, he has been the driving force behind creating and funding the new Florida Water Law Endowment, which will be used to enhance students’ education in Florida Water law by providing funding to help support courses such as the existing South Florida Ecosystems course, and other potential courses on Florida Water Law.”

In addition to Waldman receiving his undergraduate and JD degrees at UF, he currently has a son in the UF MBA program – having received an undergraduate degree from UF, a daughter entering her senior year at UF who is a student senator and member of Florida Blue Key and another daughter in high school who can’t wait to get to UF.

“We have several generations of Gators,” Waldman said. “I am absolutely committed to our University, and it will always be so.”

- Matt Walker
Senior writer